CASE STUDY 01
Emily
Age: 39
Stage: Ambitious tech professional with equity compensation
Primary Goal: Clarity around equity compensation, career changes, and building a secure foundation for her family.
✦ Her Story
Emily is a senior engineer at a fast-growing tech company. With a strong base salary, annual bonuses, and a growing pool of stock options, she earns well into the six figures. On paper, everything looks right:
She contributes regularly to her 401(k).
She saves in a brokerage account.
She carries little debt outside her mortgage.
But beneath the surface, things feel less certain.
She isn’t sure she’s saving enough to truly meet her long-term goals.
She spends comfortably but without clear awareness of what’s coming in versus going out.
She and her husband rarely talk about money and aren’t aligned on priorities.
She worries about when and how to exercise stock options without triggering painful tax bills.
She’s considering a career shift that could mean more balance, but also less pay.
Emily and her husband enjoy traveling and hiking, but lately she feels too weighed down by financial stress to fully enjoy those moments. As the primary earner, she feels the constant pressure of making the “right” decisions. Like many high-achieving women, she confides: “I don’t even know what I don’t know.” What she wants is a trusted expert who can simplify the complexity and create a safe space, so she and her husband can focus more on their life together, not just their money.
✦ Our Partnership
Emily reached out because she didn’t want piecemeal advice. She wanted her whole financial picture considered, including investments, taxes, cash flow, family goals, and the relationship dynamics that came with them.
Together, we:
Built an equity compensation strategy tailored to her tax situation and risk tolerance.
Streamlined her cash flow, giving her a structure to save and invest more intentionally without feeling restricted.
Shifted funds into tax-efficient accounts and reallocated portfolios with an asset allocation better aligned with her time horizon and goals
Modeled career scenarios so she could weigh income, flexibility, and family priorities with clarity.
Facilitated conversations between Emily and her husband, helping them align on shared goals and design a plan they both felt ownership of.
✦ Her Results
Emily now has:
A customized stock option framework that minimizes tax surprises and reduces concentrated risk.
A coordinated investment strategy that is more tax-efficient, broadly diversified, and implemented with lower-cost investment funds, all aligned with her long-term goals.
A values-based savings and spending system that gives her confidence she is “doing enough” while keeping daily choices simple.
A structured framework for career decisions, helping her weigh trade-offs without second-guessing.
Ongoing alignment with her husband around financial priorities, giving them both direction and a roadmap they can follow together.
Most importantly, Emily feels lighter. Instead of carrying the financial and emotional load alone, she and her husband are moving forward in the same direction supported by a trusted partnership that brings both assurance and peace of mind.
Disclaimer: The above case study is hypothetical and does not involve an actual Innermost Wealth Management, LLC client. It is presented for illustrative and educational purposes only and is not intended to guarantee or predict future outcomes. No portion of this content should be construed as a guarantee that any current or prospective client will experience the same or similar results, or level of satisfaction, if Innermost Wealth Management, LLC is engaged to provide investment advisory services. Actual client outcomes will vary.
Ready to bring clarity to your equity compensation and career decisions? Let’s explore how we can simplify your financial life.
CASE STUDY 02
Rachel
Age: 42
Stage: Professional woman in the midst of divorce
Primary Goal: Navigate divorce with clarity, protect her financial future, and rebuild confidence.
✦ Her Story
Rachel is a successful marketing professional, earning a strong six-figure salary. She loves the creativity and pace of her career, but after 15 years of marriage, she now faces divorce — and the unraveling of the life she thought she had built.
She isn’t just dividing assets. She’s untangling everything at once:
A jointly owned home with equity
Retirement accounts funded by both spouses
Shared debt and household expenses
A husband who earns less than she does, raising questions of spousal support
Rachel admits she feels overwhelmed. She has a capable attorney, but the process feels isolating. She tries to keep up with yoga classes and dinners with friends, but behind the scenes, the stress feels constant. What she wants is a partner who can walk alongside her — someone to help organize the numbers, cut through the complexity, and bring clarity to the financial and emotional decisions ahead.
✦ Our Partnership
Rachel needed more than calculations. She needed an advocate and a roadmap. Together, we:
Outlined her immediate financial needs, including housing and cash flow.
Organized and completed the financial documents and disclosures required for her divorce paperwork.
Modeled settlement options to show the long-term impact of dividing property, investments, and retirement accounts.
Worked alongside her attorney to provide financial clarity that strengthened her case.
Built a step-by-step plan for transitioning her finances after the divorce.
Supported her in shifting her mindset from uncertainty and self-doubt to financial empowerment and independence.
✦ Her Results
Rachel now has:
A settlement strategy that balances immediate stability with long-term security, giving her a sense of security in housing, cash flow, and retirement assets.
A forward-looking view of how today’s choices shape her future, with ongoing adjustments as life unfolds.
A coordinated investment and savings plan: restarting retirement contributions, reallocating assets to align with her risk profile, and using tax-efficient accounts to strengthen long-term growth.
The confidence to advocate for herself in legal and financial conversations, backed by preparation and a clear understanding of her options.
The reassurance of not carrying the process alone, supported by a trusted partner who helps her stay grounded through the financial and emotional challenges of divorce.
Most importantly, Rachel sees herself not as someone starting over, but as someone stepping into a new chapter — what once felt like loss is becoming the foundation for her to thrive on her own path with resilience, strength, and the tools to make empowered decisions today and tomorrow.
Disclaimer: The above case study is hypothetical and does not involve an actual Innermost Wealth Management, LLC client. It is presented for illustrative and educational purposes only and is not intended to guarantee or predict future outcomes. No portion of this content should be construed as a guarantee that any current or prospective client will experience the same or similar results, or level of satisfaction, if Innermost Wealth Management, LLC is engaged to provide investment advisory services. Actual client outcomes will vary.
If you’re navigating divorce, you don’t have to do it alone. Let’s create the clarity and confidence you need for your next chapter.
CASE STUDY 03
David & Ana
Age: 58 & 55
Stage: Successful professionals entering retirement planning years while caring for family.
Primary Goal: Balance caregiving responsibilities with planning for their own retirement and legacy.
✦ Their Story
David and Ana are both thriving in their careers. David works in healthcare, and Ana runs a small business. Their combined income is strong, and they’ve built solid retirement savings. They love gathering their family for Sunday dinners, but beneath the joy of those moments, the weight of competing responsibilities is never far away.
Life has grown more complicated:
They are supporting their youngest child through graduate school.
Ana’s mother has recently moved in, requiring both financial support and daily caregiving.
Ana’s business demands time and energy, but she hasn’t put a clear retirement plan in place for herself.
They wonder if their resources can stretch far enough to care for family today and still fund the retirement they envision. And in quieter moments, the questions linger: Are we saving enough to cover everything? Will our money truly last? And when the time comes, how do we make sure what we’ve built goes to our kids — without too much lost to taxes?
✦ Our Partnership
David and Ana didn’t just need investment advice. They needed a holistic plan that integrated family dynamics, caregiving, business planning, and their retirement goals. And like many busy professionals, they didn’t want to get bogged down trying to figure everything out on their own. Together, we:
Analyzed their current savings and projected future retirement income.
Created a cash flow strategy that supported graduate school tuition while maintaining retirement contributions.
Evaluated and recommended retirement plan options for Ana’s business.
Explored strategies to help them manage caregiving expenses for Ana’s mother alongside their other priorities.
Stress-tested their retirement plan against different scenarios (health costs, longevity, market downturns).
Created an estate planning roadmap in collaboration with their attorney, focused on tax-efficient wealth transfer.
✦ Their Results
David and Ana now have:
Guidance on how to prioritize competing financial goals without sacrificing their own future.
A sustainable caregiving budget that reduces the stress of daily decisions.
A diversified, tax-efficient investment strategy implemented with lower-cost funds and designed with an asset allocation that supports both their retirement income needs and long-term family goals.
A business retirement plan for Ana that strengthens her personal savings while providing current tax advantages.
Peace of mind in their estate and legacy roadmap, structured to support tax-efficient wealth transfer to their children and eventual grandchildren.
For the first time in years, they feel confident planning both for today and tomorrow. Their financial life is no longer fragmented. It is aligned, intentional, and supportive of the family they love.
Disclaimer: The above case study is hypothetical and does not involve an actual Innermost Wealth Management, LLC client. It is presented for illustrative and educational purposes only and is not intended to guarantee or predict future outcomes. No portion of this content should be construed as a guarantee that any current or prospective client will experience the same or similar results, or level of satisfaction, if Innermost Wealth Management, LLC is engaged to provide investment advisory services. Actual client outcomes will vary.
Balancing family responsibilities with your own future isn’t easy. Let’s build a plan that supports both.
