Frequently Asked Questions
Few firms combine retirement income planning, low-cost in-house investment management, proactive tax planning, and comprehensive financial planning under one roof, all for a flat fee. IronFjord Wealth Management was built for pre-retirees and retirees who want one fiduciary advisor coordinating the whole picture so they can feel more confident, more hands-off, and better prepared for retirement.
Is IronFjord Wealth Management a good fit for me?
IronFjord Wealth Management specializes in working with pre-retirees and retirees, typically age 55 or older, who have accumulated meaningful retirement savings and want a more coordinated approach.
Most clients want help answering practical questions: Can I retire? How much can I spend? Where should income come from? How should my portfolio change? What tax opportunities should I consider?
They want one fiduciary advisor to coordinate those decisions and understand the full picture.
What makes IronFjord Wealth Management different from a traditional wealth management firm?
Many wealth management relationships are still primarily investment relationships.
IronFjord Wealth Management is built around retirement.
A CFA® charterholder handles investment management in-house. An RICP® professional handles retirement income planning. An IRS Enrolled Agent handles tax planning. A CFP® professional handles broader financial planning.
Those are not separate firms or departments. They are all James Mayo.
That means the person managing your portfolio is also thinking about how much you can spend, where your income should come from, what tax opportunities exist, and how the rest of your financial life fits together.
Can you help me figure out whether I have enough to retire?
Yes. This is one of the core questions we work through.
We look at your investments, Social Security, pensions, taxes, healthcare costs, expected spending, longevity, and investment risk to understand what your resources can reasonably support.
The point is not just to give you a probability-of-success percentage. It is to give you a clear sense of what retirement looks like, what tradeoffs exist, and how much flexibility you have.
How much can I comfortably spend in retirement?
We establish a sustainable spending range based on your assets, income sources, taxes, goals, and expected longevity.
That gives you a practical framework for decisions around travel, helping family, major purchases, charitable giving, or simply spending more comfortably day to day.
We revisit that spending range over time as your portfolio, markets, taxes, and circumstances change.
How do you turn my investments into income once I retire?
James Mayo handles retirement income planning in-house and holds the Retirement Income Certified Professional® (RICP®) designation.
We determine how much you can comfortably spend, where that income should come from, when to claim Social Security, and how to coordinate withdrawals across your accounts.
For consistency and predictability, we set up a retirement paycheck that transfers directly into your day-to-day checking account monthly, semi-monthly, or on another cadence that works for you.
Who actually manages my investments?
James Mayo, a CFA® charterholder, manages your investments in-house. Our selected custodian, Altruist, securely holds client assets.
IronFjord Wealth Management generally favors diversified, low-cost portfolios rather than expensive products or unnecessary complexity. Your portfolio is built around your retirement income needs, tax situation, account types, time horizon, risk tolerance, and each account's role in the overall plan.
The investment strategy supports the retirement plan, not something separate from it.
What happens when markets fall?
Market declines are a completely normal part of investing, including during retirement.
The important part is having a plan before they happen.
We consider your investment allocation, cash reserves, spending plan, and withdrawal strategy together so you are not forced to make reactive decisions every time markets become uncomfortable.
Depending on the situation, that may mean changing where withdrawals come from, rebalancing, taking advantage of tax opportunities, or simply staying the course.
How does tax planning fit into my retirement plan?
Tax planning is integrated into the planning process rather than addressed only at tax-filing time.
James Mayo is an Enrolled Agent (EA), a tax professional federally licensed by the Internal Revenue Service, which provides a strong foundation for incorporating tax considerations into retirement and investment decisions.
Depending on your situation, planning may include Roth conversions, withdrawal sequencing, capital gains, tax-loss harvesting, charitable giving, required minimum distributions, Medicare IRMAA, and deciding which types of investments belong in which accounts.
Do you provide broader financial planning beyond investments and taxes?
Yes. James Mayo is also a Certified Financial Planner® professional.
Retirement brings many decisions that don’t fit neatly into an investment account. Planning may include Social Security, Medicare, insurance, estate planning coordination, charitable giving, cash reserves, major purchases, helping family, and other issues that affect your retirement.
The idea is to coordinate those decisions rather than treat each one as a separate problem.
Why does IronFjord Wealth Management charge a flat fee instead of a percentage of my investments?
IronFjord Wealth Management charges a flat fee rather than a percentage of assets under management (AUM) and does not receive any commissions or product-based compensation.
James does not believe that having twice as much money automatically means you require twice as much financial planning.
He also prefers to avoid the conflicts of interest that arise when an advisor earns more simply because more assets are placed under management or because a particular financial product is sold.
A flat fee keeps the relationship centered on the planning and advice itself, rather than your portfolio size or the products you own.
What does it cost to work with IronFjord Wealth Management?
Our pricing is transparently listed on the Services & Fees page.
No need to schedule a meeting just to find out what we charge.
Are you a fiduciary and fee-only financial advisor?
Yes.
IronFjord Wealth Management is a fee-only fiduciary investment adviser. James does not receive any commissions or product-based compensation for the investments or other financial solutions discussed with clients.
Will I work directly with James?
Yes.
IronFjord Wealth Management is intentionally structured so you work directly with James for your retirement planning, investment management, retirement income planning, and tax planning.
You won't be handed off from the person you meet initially to someone else later.
The person who knows your plan is the person helping you make the decisions.
What happens after I retire?
The planning continues. In many ways, accumulation is the simpler part. Retirement brings a different set of decisions around retirement income, taxes, Social Security, Medicare, insurance, estate planning, required minimum distributions, and how your portfolio should support your spending.
IronFjord Wealth Management specializes in retirement planning, so we stay involved as those decisions evolve. Markets shift, tax laws change, family circumstances change, and your priorities may change too.
We review and adjust your plan and portfolio along the way, and we are there as a trusted confidant to help you think through the financial decisions that come with retirement.
Do you prepare tax returns?
For ongoing wealth management clients, individual Form 1040 preparation may be available for a separate fee through IronFjord Tax Professionals, a separate entity under common ownership with IronFjord Wealth Management.
This optional service is offered as a convenience and is not required as part of the wealth management relationship. It is generally limited to relatively straightforward individual returns, such as those involving W-2 income, 1099 income, Social Security, and investment income. It typically does not include business returns, K-1s, Schedule E, or more complex tax situations.
If your return complexity falls outside IronFjord Tax Professionals' scope, we can help you find an outside tax preparer whose experience better fits your needs and circumstances. We're also happy to work with outside tax preparers as needed.
Do I need to live in Colorado to work with IronFjord Wealth Management?
No. IronFjord Wealth Management is based in Colorado and works with clients nationwide.
We use modern technology and secure online systems to make working together easy. We can hold meetings by video or phone, securely share and sign documents electronically, and handle ongoing planning and account management remotely.
You don't need to live near your advisor for the relationship to feel personal or well coordinated.
What happens on the introductory call?
The introductory call is simply a conversation to determine whether working together makes sense.
We will talk about where things stand, what you are looking for, what feels unclear, and any financial questions you may have.
No decisions are made during the call. Afterward, you will receive one follow-up asking whether you would like to move forward.
There are no high-pressure sales tactics and no endless follow-up sequence. We're confident in our value proposition. We encourage you to take the time you need to decide whether IronFjord Wealth Management feels like the right fit.