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Live now, retire well: How personalized, holistic financial planning helps you do both

Many traditional financial plans focus narrowly on retirement. But a goals-based approach — incorporating your life and aspirations — can help you live more richly today while building long-term wealth. Here’s how we’ll help plan a healthy tomorrow without compromising today.

Live now, retire well: How personalized, holistic financial planning helps you do both

Executive summary

Many financial plans focus narrowly on retirement; our approach helps you live fully today while preparing for tomorrow. At Plante Moran Wealth Management, we align strategies with your goals.

A traditional “save now, spend later” mindset can delay joy and lead to regret.
A goals-first approach helps you spend on what matters, balancing spending today with long-term financial goals.
Our advisors use tools like cash-flow modeling and asset-protection strategies to keep you on track.
We offer highly personalized, integrated wealth planning.
Ranked #26 on Barron’s 2025 Top 100 Registered Investment Advisory Firms for Plante Moran Financial Advisors¹. Plante Moran Wealth Management has grown to $23.1 billion in assets under management².

For years, traditional financial planning has centered around one milestone: retirement. But focusing only on the future can limit your ability to enjoy the life you’ve built. A growing number of people are discovering the benefits of a goals-based approach — one that balances tomorrow’s security with today’s fulfillment.

The case for a new approach

Rigid plans delay life’s joys

Rigid “save now, spend later” planning often leads to missed opportunities. Many retirees admit they wish they had retired earlier, often regretting the experiences they delayed. A goals-first plan ensures life’s best moments aren’t postponed.

If you’ve long dreamed of opening a dog rescue, a goals-based advisor will analyze your situation to determine how this goal may affect other aspects of your financial life and devise a balanced plan to help get you there.

“Life-first” strategies consider the present and future

When devising a “life-first” financial strategy, your advisor should pose meaningful questions about what’s important to you in our life right now. What are the moments that bring you the most joy with your family? What experiences do you desire before retirement? Understanding your personal priorities will be the cornerstone of a plan that reflects your values.

Your advisor will also account for your current obligations such as caring for aging parents while supporting children or young adults.

Plante Moran Wealth Management’s unique approach

Personalized, goal-driven planning

Through cash-flow modeling, smart portfolio design, and legacy planning, our clients fund meaningful experiences while staying aligned with long-term growth objectives. Success isn’t measured by benchmarks alone but by how well your plan supports the life you envision — whether that’s opening an ice cream shop, creating a scholarship fund, or buying a second home with no neighbors for miles.

A financial edge

Ranked #26 on Barron’s 2025 Top 100 Registered Investment Advisory Firms for Plante Moran Financial Advisors¹. Plante Moran Wealth Management has grown to $23.1 billion in assets under management².

Broad, integrated expertise

Think of yourself as the Chief Executive Officer of your life, with your Plante Moran Wealth Management advisor as your Personal Chief Financial Officer. Your Personal CFO brings together experts in tax planning, trust and estate, insurance strategy, and more to deliver seamless, holistic planning.

A moment to reflect

Ask yourself:

Does your current advisor truly understand your goals and what’s important to you?
Do you receive balanced advice between spending meaningfully now versus saving for retirement?
Are experiences modeled into your plan, not just retirement milestones?
Can your advisor tap into tax, insurance, trust, business, and legacy planning resources seamlessly?

If not, it may be time to explore a financial partnership that confidently balances fulfillment today with a secure tomorrow.

With our full range of wealth services and a goals-first mindset, your team at Plante Moran Wealth Management is here to support the life you want now and for generations to come. Let us help you live your definition of wealthy.

Request a complimentary consultation today.

¹2025 Barron’s Top 100 RIA Firms for Plante Moran Financial Advisors, https://www.barrons.com/advisor/report/top-financial-advisors/ria?page=1

²Form ADV, June 30, 2025, for Plante Moran Financial Advisors

Personal definition of wealthy: 5 key questions to evaluate whether your pre-retirement strategy aligns with your goals

Why you need a wealth advisor who serves as your personal CFO

A wealth advisor dedicated to serving as your personal chief financial officer provides you a financial edge that you don’t get from typical approaches to wealth management. Here’s how.

Why you need a wealth advisor who serves as your personal CFO

A wealth advisor dedicated to serving as your personal Chief Financial Officer delivers:

Clarity and simplicity through seamless coordination of an expert team.
Proactivity in understanding your dreams and goals for today and the long run.
Holistic planning customized to help you live your own personal definition of wealthy.

What is our personal CFO model?

For us, it begins by understanding you personally — your dreams, goals, and what’s important to you. Our personal CFO model aids us in identifying opportunities to improve your financial situation and help make these dreams achievable. The second aspect of being your personal CFO is serving as your financial “quarterback” by overseeing a team of expert advisors who can address your comprehensive financial needs.

Your personal CFO brings it together by:

Simplifying financial complexity to provide you peace of mind.
Developing a personalized comprehensive strategy to help you enjoy the life you want today and in the future.
Proactive planning based on economic insights and your personal goals.
Responding rapidly and with flexibility to sudden changes in your life and to external economic factors.
Ensuring direct and easy communication — including the use of convenient tools such as a client portal and our mobile app.

The varied parts of your financial life, working together

Your Plante Moran Wealth Management advisor — your personal CFO — taps into the most current expert resources and perspectives. You benefit through efficiency and the integration of a unified team across:

Investment strategy to optimize growth opportunities, hedge risk, and provide financial security based on your current life goals.
Tax strategy including your personal tax planning and opportunities for tax loss harvesting.
Insurance strategy addressing what type of life insurance you need, how much you need to protect your family, and how it fits into your overall financial and estate plan.
Estate planning protecting your assets, providing for loved ones, and helping ensure your wishes are honored both during your life and after.
Business transitions to help you achieve a successful outcome in the sale of a business or passing it to family members, and what a liquidity event could mean to your personal financial picture.

It’s a cross-functional way of thinking that helps you live in a way that embodies what wealthy means to you.

A personal CFO provides you clarity, continuity, and confidence

For many high-net-worth individuals, having multiple financial managers can lead to a fragmented situation — one solved by having a personal CFO who takes the lead by:

Listening first and acting second. Your personal CFO’s priority is you.
Delivering a consistent team over time. Plante Moran Wealth Management advisors are steadfast and committed for the long run.
Evolving with you. We’re both reactive as things shift, and proactive by looking ahead toward future goals.
Meeting you where you are. You come to us, we come to you, or we join a call — we’re flexible for your convenience.
Being your trusted partner with institutional power to give you a financial edge. Plante Moran has been a financial leader for more than 100 years, and more than 30 years ago, we began offering investment advice and financial planning services. Today, our Wealth Management practice has $23.1 billion assets under management* with expertise in every major investment category, including alternative investments. We can also access additional expertise you (or your business) may need from Plante Moran at any time.

Experience more

Discover the ways Plante Moran Wealth Management can help support not just your financial goals, but your life goals. Let’s talk about your definition of wealthy, and how we can start building your strategy together.

Request a complimentary consultation today.

*Form ADV, June 30, 2025, for Plante Moran Financial Advisors

The advantages of a wealth manager who approaches planning like a personal CFO

A personal commitment from day one

$23.1B in Assets Under Management*

Every dollar represents a decision, from college savings to business growth.
#26 on Barron’s 2025 Top 100 RIAs list (PMFA)¹

National recognition applied personally at each stage of your life.
#2 on Accounting Today’s 2025 list of top CPA firms by AUM (PMFA)¹

Financial strategy paired with guidance you can trust.