Accumulate Wealth, Not Fees

Fixed fee financial planning in Akron, Ohio

Are your high fees funding someone else's retirement?
Now is the time to consider a flat-fee, fiduciary advisor.

About

Do you really know how much you pay your financial advisor year after year?

How about how much you pay for your investment products?

Are your investments as tax-efficient as they can be?

Have you ever felt you really are not in control of your investment portfolio?

Before you read all about my firm and my approach, please take a minute to watch the video explaining why motto is - Accumulate Wealth, Not Fees.

Fee-Only, Forward Thinking Wealth Management Serving Akron, Ohio

Forward-Thinking Wealth Management, LLC, is a full-service, fee-only financial planning firm focused on helping individuals nearing retirement and physicians. I specialize in these types of client because I can bring them the most value and I enjoy working with them the most.

I am located in Akron, Ohio, and work virtually with clients across the country. I created my firm based on a solution to what I know is a broken system where nearly every client pays based on a faulty assumption that advisors have the ability to control the market. My clients pay me a flat annual fee of $4,800 based on my value as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. As a CFP®, I help clients manage their entire wealth management picture.

Financial Services Designed Especially for Physicians and Retirees

My firm’s philosophy is based on the fact if you take control of three major aspects of your financial life, you will significantly increase the odds of successful investing. These parts include:

Controlling the fees you pay your advisor
Controlling the fees you pay for investment products
Minimizing the tax impact of your portfolio.

Please take a look around this website to get a better feel for FTWM and my unique approach. If you are a forward-thinking person who wants to get back in control of your future, we encourage you to reach out to us today.

Schedule an Introductory Meeting

Dan Johnson, CFP®

I have a very different background than most financial planners. After finishing grad school at The Ohio State University I spent over a decade working for local cities in west Michigan in city management focusing on economic development. Eventually my wife and I wanted to move back to the Akron, Ohio area to raise our family and I made the shift to working in the financial services industry. I spent roughly a decade working first at Merrill Lynch and then at a small investment firm in the greater Akron area before deciding to launch my own firm. I also spent several years being trained to help families who have loved ones with special needs to create comprehensive plans that go well beyond simply looking at their finances.

I currently live in Akron, Ohio with my wife and two sons. Outside of work I am a member of The John Glenn College of Public Affairs Alumni Board at The Ohio State University. I am also a member of the Julie Billiart of St. Sebastian Parish Board, which is a Catholic grade school for children with special needs. I am also a board member at the Village of St. Edwards Nursing Home. During my free time, I spend as much time as possible with my family, which mostly seems to involve me driving my sons to and from various activities such as cross-country and swimming practices.

Financial Planning with Flat Annual Fees

There’s never a question of how much your fees are and why

At Forward Thinking Wealth Management, my entire practice revolves around my clients, first and foremost. I am one of few Certified Financial Planners™ in the country who charges a flat annual fee of $4,800 regardless of the asset size of my client. When working with my clients I focus on:

Complete fee disclosure

Comprehensive financial planning

Coordination with a team of experts

A long-term view and "big picture" approach

My virtual practice allows for more flexibility in communicating with my clients. Through ongoing meetings, I work directly with you to develop a comprehensive, long-term financial planning relationship, that ultimately meets your goals and needs.

Our Global Financial System is Broken

Here's how we're fixing it

The Forward Thinking Wealth Management business model is based on a solution to what I believe is a broken system where nearly all advisors are paid on a commodity we do not control – the stock market.

Forward Thinking Wealth Management is an independent, fee-only wealth management firm. This means I do not receive commissions or revenue-sharing from outside sources. I am compensated by clients and work closely with their team of advisors, such as attorneys, CPAs and insurance professionals.

Creating Financial Independence for Akron Physicians

Financial Planning for Physicians

Expert financial advice for medical professionals through all career stages

Ohio is home to many renowned hospitals and health systems for adults and children. However, Ohio's health systems would be nothing without talented physicians and medical professionals like you. That's why I have a special knack for partnering with some of Ohio's best physicians. Whether you're fresh out of school and have a ton of student loan debt or you're an established physician with a practice of your own, Forward Thinking Wealth Management can help.

New physicians finishing up residency or fellowship are usually barraged by a slew of sales pitches about whole life and disability insurance policies. These may be necessary; however, what about important decisions on student loan repayment options, 401k enrollment, proper estate planning, tax management and more?

Unlike salespeople masquerading as financial planners, I am not paid by selling commission-based products. As a fee-only CFP®, I focus on helping physicians make sense of their whole financial lives by charging based on my value and experience. Whether you are suddenly paying more in taxes your first year as a physician than you made in all your years as a resident or are getting ready to hang up your white coat, it is time to get an opinion focused on you.

I am here to help established physicians like you stay on top of their ever growing 401k plans, which they max out annually, and to minimize their taxes year after year. In addition, I will help you make sense of Roth IRAs options, college savings, estate planning, risk management and much more.

Take the First Step

Structured Investing in the Heart of Akron, Ohio

Retirement Planning Services

Retirement starts with a plan made to last

Everyone’s greatest fear about retirement is running out of money before you run out of life. In my opinion, the most important and often overlooked factor in determining whether you will have a successful retirement is having a firm grasp on your spending in retirement.

I work with clients who are retired to develop retirement strategies with the goal of making their money last longer. All strategies are personalized and there is no one true solution to a successful retirement. While they may enjoy the endless invitations to "free" dinners to learn how all about "personal pensions," they realize there may be financial planners out there who are not motivated by commission-based products.

I can help you make retirement decisions as well as other important decisions such as when to start Social Security, what types of accounts to draw from and when, making sure Required Minimum Distributions are being followed and more.

Start Planning Today

Equity Compensation Decisions

Helping clients make sense of their Equity Compensation choices.

Are you receiving stock or options from your company? These may include incentive stock options, restricted stock units, nonqualified options, employee stock purchase plans and more. If so, maybe you are trying to figure out how to make sense of all the rules.

I help my professional clients understand and analyze their equity compensation assets to make the right choices so they can maximize their value while also minimizing the tax impact. We analyze the risk and monitor equity compensation positions to determine when and why we need to take action.

No matter if your equity compensation position is a small or large part of your investment portfolio, it is critical to handle them properly. Don’t wait until options are about to expire before you decide what to do. Schedule some time to talk now.

ORGANIZE YOUR EQUITY COMPENSATION CHOICES NOW

Let Us Help You Manage Your Complete Financial Picture

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What I Do

A Forward Thinking Approach

Investments are just one small part of your whole financial picture

My role as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ is to look at your entire financial life. I build a comprehensive financial plan that suits your needs and future goals, not just one small aspect. I will work with everyone on your team, from accountants to attorneys, to manage your complete financial picture. I accomplish this by covering a variety of financial solutions that may include:

Retirement Planning
Risk Mitigation
401k Advice
Educational Goals

Gifting
Tax Planning and Management
Estate Planning
Liability Coverage

Through my flat annual fee, I can help you control the fees you pay to advisors, investment products and taxes. I am dedicated to not only strengthening your financial planning strategies, but also improving your future lifestyle.

Two of the most important factors for a successful financial plan:

A long-term approach to investing
Controlling the taxes and fees you pay

I always take into account your complete financial picture, including where you are now and where you want to be in the future, not just what is happening in the world at this moment. I disclose all fees and provide low-cost investment products so that you can control your costs and ultimately have a better chance of earning long term success.

This approach allows me to constantly keep the focus on your long-term goals. The result: a financial plan where investments are just one part of that plan.

One Flat Fee. Zero Comission.

Offering a low-cost alternative to "traditional" financial planning

My investment philosophy is centered on controlling the fees you pay an advisor, limiting the amount spent on investment products, and reducing taxes as much as possible.

I use low-cost, actively managed mutual funds and ETFs for qualified accounts.
For taxable accounts, I utilize an outside money manager who provides the best tax-managed investment service I have seen in my career. As of the beginning of 2016, their large cap fund has not had a capital gain in 16 years!
The only fee due to Forward Thinking Wealth Management from clients is a flat-fee of $4,800 annually, regardless of asset size.

At the end of the day, if you can decrease your costs you can increase the odds of a successful investment experience.

Service Taken to the Next Level:

Learn more about how the service level I provide goes above and beyond what the average financial advisor offers by taking a few moments to review a comprehensive chart of my services via my blog.

Controlling Fees and Taxes for a More Secure and Successful Financial Life

Why One Flat Fee

The Scenario:

A few years ago I heard the story of a conversation between a client and advisor:

Client - "I pay you 1% on the $200,000 of my assets you manage, right?"

"Correct. That 1% is $2,000 annually." - Advisor

Client - "I am getting ready to retire and you want to manage my $800,000 401k balance at the same 1% fee. This would increase the fee I pay you 5x from $2,000 to $10,000 annually. Explain to me in detail how you will increase my service 5x."

"I really don't have an answer for that." - Advisor

Fortunately, I can easily answer this question and my clients appreciate knowing exactly what they are paying for.

Don’t accept the norm. Do what’s right for you and your financial security.

My mission is pretty simple: help you take control of your financial life by controlling the fees and taxes you pay while also protecting you from being taken advantage of by others in the “financial advising” community. In my humble opinion, there have been too many advances in this industry for clients to continue to pay an average of 2.25% of their assets every year because “this is how it has always been done.”

My clients understand there has to be a better arrangement for a financial planning relationship. They focus on the big picture and know that controlling their fees and taxes is one of the most important factors in a successful financial life.

Service Taken to the Next Level:

Learn more about how the service level I provide goes above and beyond what the average financial advisor offers by taking a few moments to review a comprehensive chart of my services via my blog.