The Discovery Conversation

The first step is a conversation. Not a sales pitch—a conversation to figure out if Atlas makes sense for your situation.

We'll ask about where you are financially, what prompted you to reach out, what's working, and what's not. We'll talk about your goals, your concerns, and whether the way you're currently managing things is sustainable or if something needs to change.

We'll also be direct about whether we think Atlas is a good fit. If your situation is straightforward and you'd be better served with a simpler solution, we'll tell you that. If you want to stay heavily involved in managing everything yourself, we'll tell you we're probably not the right match. If we think coordination could make a meaningful difference, we'll explain how.

At the end of the conversation, we'll tell you if we think it makes sense to move forward. You'll decide if you want to.

Building Your Plan (Before You Become a Client)

If we both think it makes sense to move forward, the next step is building a plan for your situation. This happens before any accounts move and before you become a client.

We'll ask you to share information—tax returns, investment statements, estate documents, information about your income and goals. We'll review everything and put together a comprehensive plan that shows:

Where you are now

Where you're trying to go

What needs to happen to get there

How we'd coordinate your investments, taxes, and estate planning

What the first year working together would look like

Then we meet to review the plan together. We walk through it, answer your questions, and adjust if needed. It's a working session to make sure the plan makes sense for your situation and that you're comfortable with the approach.

At the end of the meeting, we'll make a mutual decision if it makes sense to move forward.

Consolidating Accounts at Atlas

If you decide to become a client, we handle the logistics of moving your accounts.

Your assets are held at a custodian (typically Schwab or Fidelity), not with us. The custodian handles the transfer process. We coordinate with them, but they're the ones moving the money. This means your assets are always held by a third-party institution, not by Atlas.

You'll need to sign some paperwork authorizing the transfers, but we walk you through it. Most of the work happens in the background. Your current advisor or brokerage will be notified, and the accounts move over.

Some transitions are faster than others depending on where your assets are currently held and how they're structured, but we stay on top of it so you don't have to manage the process yourself.

Getting Started: The First Few Months

Once your accounts are with us, we sit back down together to re-confirm the plan. Things may have changed since we first built it, or you may have new questions now that everything is consolidated. We make sure we're still on the same page before we execute on anything.

Then we begin implementation.

We execute on the investment strategy. We build and implement your portfolio based on what we planned. This isn't just picking funds—it's making sure assets are located tax-efficiently across your accounts, positioned to generate the income you need, and structured to align with your timeline and risk tolerance.

We coordinate with your CPA and establish ongoing tax planning. We reach out to introduce ourselves, make sure we're all working from the same information, and establish how we'll work together throughout the year—checking in on tax strategies, estimated payments, and year-round coordination.

We handle estate planning coordination. If adjustments are needed to your estate documents or beneficiaries based on the plan, we either draft the documents ourselves or coordinate with your estate attorney to get them updated.

The first few months are about execution—taking the plan we built together and making it real.

How We Work Together Ongoing

After the initial planning phase, here's what working together looks like:

We meet regularly. How often depends on what's happening in your life and what makes sense for your situation. Some clients meet with us quarterly, others a few times a year. If something significant happens—a job change, an inheritance, a business opportunity, a health issue—we meet when it matters, not when the calendar says it's time.

We coordinate with your other professionals. We're in contact with your CPA throughout the year, not just at tax time. If you're working with an estate attorney on an update, we're involved. If your insurance needs change, we review your coverage. If you're selling a business, we're at the table with your M&A advisor.

We handle the noise so you don't have to. Markets move, tax laws change, new financial products get promoted. We filter through what matters for your situation and bring it to you when it's relevant—not because there's a headline.

You can reach us when you need to. If a financial question comes up, you call or email and we respond. If you're considering a major decision—buying a house, lending money to a family member, changing jobs—we talk it through before you decide.

What We Expect From You

Working with Atlas isn't passive, but it doesn't require much from you. Here's what we ask:

Be honest about your situation and goals. We can only help if we know what's really going on.

Stay engaged enough to make decisions. We'll do the work, but major choices—like how much risk to take or how to structure your estate—are still yours to make.

Let us know when things change. A new job, a health issue, a family situation—we need to know so we can adjust the plan.

Show up to meetings prepared to talk. You don't need to do homework, but come ready to have real conversations about what matters to you.

What This Adds Up To

The working relationship with Atlas is designed to give you three things:

Control: You understand your plan and you make the decisions.

Coordination: Everything works together—investments, taxes, estate planning, insurance—instead of operating in silos.

Time: You get your time back. We handle the complexity so you can focus on everything else.

If that sounds like what you're looking for, we'd welcome the opportunity to learn more about your situation.