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?

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

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.

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 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.

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

Accumulate Wealth, Not Fees

Fixed fee financial planning in Akron, Ohio