Your Year With Schooner

Our purpose is to protect financial clarity by ensuring you understand your next best financial move and get guided through it clearly. To do this, we use a disciplined, proactive service rhythm—so you know what to expect, and you don’t have to wonder if important items are being missed.

This rhythm is built for the clients we serve best: leaders with stock compensation, healthcare professionals, and pre-retirees five to ten years out.

Below is our typical annual cadence for ongoing wealth management clients. Timing can shift based on your personal planning needs, but the themes stay consistent.

The Calendar at a Glance

January: Start the year clean

• Year-end investment / performance summary
• Tax letters (where applicable)
• IRA contribution recap email (where applicable)

February–April: Annual Review season (big-picture planning)

• Annual Review meeting (plan + portfolio + upcoming decisions)
  • Progress toward goals and retirement timeline
    • For those in leadership roles: how are we using expected bonuses and stock compensation for the year
    • Healthcare Professionals: Review key points of our student loan plan
    • Pre-Retirees: How’s our income plan looking?
  • Changes in income, benefits
  • Portfolio positioning and rebalancing discipline
  • Tax coordination items to tee up early in the year
• Clear follow-up recap after meetings (next steps + open items)
• Internal portfolio review (behind-the-scenes quality control)

May–June: Spring planning + proactive outreach

• Tax-loss / tax-efficiency review
• Quarterly newsletter (plain-English updates and planning reminders)
• Tax report prep for mid-year planning

July–August: Mid-Year check-in (short, tactical)

• Mid-Year Update meeting (typically 15–30 minutes)
  • “What’s changed?” (life, work, income, priorities)
  • A quick plan adjustment if needed
  • Review last year’s tax return for overlooked opportunities
  • Preview fall decisions (benefits/open enrollment, large purchases, etc.)

September: Reset + review

• Quarterly newsletter
• Internal portfolio review (quality control + positioning)
• Meeting follow-up address any outstanding tasks or issues from mid-year check-ins

October: Fall planning + year-end tax positioning

• Tax-loss / tax-efficiency review
• RMD processing check (for retirees and pre-retirees taking distributions)
• Healthcare professionals: PSLF / Employer Certification reminders

November: Wrap the year intentionally

• Quarterly newsletter
• Year-end planning push (what to do before December 31, where relevant)

December: Year-end execution

• Year-end rebalancing across investment accounts
• Final checks on key planning items (RMDs, gifting strategies, cash needs, etc.)

Always-on support (all year)

Some of the most valuable planning happens outside scheduled meetings. Throughout the year, we’re available for guidance on:

• Job changes, equity-comp decisions, and benefits elections
• Major purchases, moves, family changes, and life transitions
• Tax coordination questions (in partnership with your CPA)
• “Can I do this?” decisions before you commit

What this rhythm tends to feel like

A year of working together this way usually feels different than what people are used to. There are fewer surprises. December isn’t a scramble. You’re not the one tracking whether something got done.

That’s the point.

A few common questions

How many meetings will I have in a typical year? Two scheduled meetings, the Annual Review in the first quarter and a shorter Mid-Year Update in the summer, plus ad hoc conversations whenever life or work calls for one. Most clients also exchange emails or quick calls between meetings.

What if something comes up between meetings? Reach out. Job changes, equity-comp decisions, large purchases, family changes, tax questions — that’s exactly what we’re here for between scheduled touchpoints. I’d rather get a heads-up early than learn about a decision after it’s been made.

Do you coordinate directly with my CPA or attorney? Yes, where it’s helpful. A lot of value gets created in the handoffs between advisors, and I’d rather close those loops myself than leave you to play translator.