Most financial advice wasn't written for you.
Generic retirement calculators assume a 401(k), Social Security, and a corporate career path. None of that quite fits an educator. Here's where standard advice breaks down, and where specialized planning pays off.
CalSTRS isn't a 401(k)
Your defined-benefit pension is one of the most valuable assets you'll ever own, but it doesn't show up on a brokerage statement. Knowing how to value it, when to claim it, and how it coordinates with Social Security changes every other decision.
Not all vendors are equal
School district 403(b) lists often include high-cost annuity products that quietly drain returns over a career. Choosing the right vendor, and the right share class, can mean tens of thousands of dollars in retirement.
Summer income is its own animal
Ten-month vs. twelve-month pay. Side gigs. Tutoring. Summer school. Your income shape is different from most W-2 earners, and your tax and savings strategy should be too.
A complete plan, tuned to teaching.
Comprehensive financial planning, with each piece calibrated for the realities of a career in education.
Pension Strategy
CalSTRS optimization, retirement date analysis, and Social Security coordination, including Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset planning.
403(b) & 457(b)
Vendor selection from your district's approved list, fee analysis, contribution sequencing, and Roth-vs-traditional strategy across both account types.
Cash Flow & Budgeting
Ten-month and twelve-month pay strategies, summer income planning, emergency reserves, and managing classroom expenses you'll never get fully reimbursed for.
Risk & Insurance
Disability income protection (especially important when your livelihood depends on showing up), life insurance, and long-term care planning for a long retirement horizon.
Estate Planning
Beneficiary review across pension, 403(b), and IRAs. Coordination with attorneys on wills, trusts, and how to pass on what you've built, including any teacher's pension survivor options.
The 403(b) fee gap nobody talks about.
Most district 403(b) menus mix low-cost mutual fund providers with high-commission annuity products on the same list, sorted alphabetically, with no indication of cost. The wrong choice on Day One can quietly cost you a year of retirement.
Over a 30-year career, the difference between a 0.20% expense ratio and a 2.20% all-in annuity cost on a $200,000 balance isn't small. It's hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Get a 403(b) review →Illustrative · $500/mo · 30 years · 7% gross
Teachers don't have a 401(k) problem, they have a coordination problem. The pension, the 403(b), the Social Security WEP rules. We make all of it work together.
Things educators often ask us.
Do I really need a financial planner if I have CalSTRS?
CalSTRS is wonderful, but it's only part of the picture. A pension doesn't tell you how much to save in your 403(b), whether to choose Roth or traditional, how to plan for healthcare in retirement, or how the Windfall Elimination Provision will affect any Social Security you've earned from non-teaching work. A planner ties it all together.
I'm early in my career. Is it too soon to plan?
Honestly, this is the best time. Decisions you make in years 1–10, which 403(b) vendor you pick, how you handle student loans, how you build emergency savings, compound for decades. Even a single planning session early on can change your trajectory.
Can you help if I'm a teacher outside California?
Yes, Tina is licensed to discuss securities business with residents of AZ, CA, CO, FL, GA, ID, MS, MT, OK, OR, PA, TX, WA, and WY. Each state's teacher retirement system has its own quirks, and we're happy to dig into yours.
What's the first meeting like?
Casual, no pressure, and free. About 30–45 minutes in person, over the phone or via Zoom. You tell us what's on your mind, we ask questions, and we both decide whether it makes sense to keep talking. No paperwork required upfront.