CLIENT STORY 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.

✦ The Story

Emily is a senior engineer at a fast-growing tech company. Between her base salary, annual bonuses, and a growing pool of stock options, she earns well into the six figures.

On paper, Emily looked like she was doing everything right:

  • Contributing to her 401(k)

  • Saving regularly in a brokerage account

  • Carrying little debt outside her mortgage

But behind the surface, things felt more complicated:

  • She wasn’t sure she was saving enough to match her long-term goals.

  • She was spending comfortably but without much awareness of what was coming in versus what was going out.

  • Her and her husband rarely talked about money and weren’t aligned on priorities.

  • She was unsure how to time her stock option exercises without creating a painful tax bill.

  • She was considering a shift to a new role that could mean a pay cut but better balance.

  • As the primary earner, she felt the pressure of always making the “right” financial decisions.

Like many high-achieving women, Emily admitted: “I don’t even know what I don’t know.” She wanted an expert who could simplify the complexity and create a safe space for her and her husband to get on the same page.

✦ The Partnership

Emily reached out because she didn’t want piecemeal advice. She wanted her whole financial picture considered — investments, taxes, cash flow, family goals, and the relationship dynamics that came with them.

Together, we:

  • Built a clear equity compensation strategy that aligned with her tax situation and risk tolerance.

  • Identified opportunities to optimize her cash flow so she could save and invest more intentionally without feeling restricted.

  • Shifted funds into more tax-efficient accounts and reallocated her investment portfolios to better align with her time horizon and risk profile.

  • Modeled different career scenarios so Emily could weigh the trade-offs between income, flexibility, and family priorities.

  • Facilitated conversations between Emily and her husband, helping them align on shared goals and create a plan they both felt ownership of.

✦ The Transformation

Emily walked away with:

  • A customized stock option exercise framework designed to minimize surprises at tax time and reduce the risk of concentrated holdings.

  • A coordinated, tax-efficient investment strategy with improved asset allocation, lower costs, and alignment to her time horizon and risk profile.

  • A values-based savings and spending system that boosted her confidence she was “doing enough” while keeping daily choices simple and intentional.

  • A structured decision-making framework for evaluating career moves, allowing her to weigh trade-offs between income, flexibility, and family priorities without second-guessing.

  • Facilitated alignment with her husband around shared financial goals, giving them both clarity and a roadmap they could follow together.


Most importantly, Emily felt lighter. Instead of carrying the financial and emotional load alone, she and her husband were finally moving in the same direction with a trusted partner supporting them both.

Disclaimer: The above client story is hypothetical and does not involve an actual Innermost Wealth Management client. It is provided for illustrative purposes only. No portion of the content should be construed as a guarantee that any current or prospective client will experience the same or similar results if Innermost Wealth Management is engaged to provide investment advisory services. While fictional, this story is inspired by the types of real challenges we help clients navigate every day.

Ready to bring clarity to your equity compensation and career decisions? Let’s explore how we can simplify your financial life.

CLIENT STORY 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.

✦ The Story

Rachel had built a successful career in marketing, earning a strong six-figure salary. But after 15 years of marriage, she found herself facing divorce.

She wasn’t just dividing assets. She was untangling the life she thought she’d built:

  • A jointly owned home with equity

  • Retirement accounts with contributions from both spouses

  • Shared debt and household expenses to be separated

  • A husband who earned less than she did, raising questions of spousal support

Rachel admitted she was overwhelmed. She had a capable attorney, but the process felt isolating. She wanted a partner who could walk alongside her, help her organize the numbers, and bring clarity to the financial and emotional decisions ahead.

✦ The 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.

  • Helped her complete and organize the financial disclosures required for her divorce paperwork.

  • Modeled different settlement options so she could see the long-term impact of dividing property, investments, and retirement accounts.

  • Collaborated with her attorney to provide financial clarity that supported her case.

  • Created a step-by-step roadmap for rebuilding her financial life post-divorce.

  • Supported her in shifting her mindset from uncertainty and self-doubt to financial empowerment and independence.

✦ The Transformation

Rachel left the process with:

  • A settlement strategy that balanced immediate stability with long-term security, giving her clarity on housing, cash flow, and retirement assets.

  • A clear picture of how today’s choices would shape her future.

  • A coordinated investment and savings plan — restarting retirement contributions, reallocating assets to match her risk tolerance, and using tax-efficient accounts to maximize long-term growth.

  • 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 helped her organize disclosures, collaborate with her attorney, and stay grounded through the stress of negotiations.

Most importantly, Rachel began to see herself not as someone starting over, but as someone stepping into a new chapter. What once felt like loss became the foundation for her to thrive on her own path with clarity, confidence, and the tools to make empowered decisions.

Disclaimer: The above client story is hypothetical and does not involve an actual Innermost Wealth Management client. It is provided for illustrative purposes only. No portion of the content should be construed as a guarantee that any current or prospective client will experience the same or similar results if Innermost Wealth Management is engaged to provide investment advisory services. While fictional, this story is inspired by the types of real challenges we help clients navigate every day.

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.

CLIENT STORY 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.

✦ The Story

David and Ana were both thriving in their careers. David was in healthcare and Ana was a small business owner. Their combined income was strong and they’d built solid retirement savings.

But life had gotten complicated:

  • They were supporting their youngest child through graduate school.

  • Ana’s mother had recently moved in, requiring both financial support and daily caregiving.

  • Ana’s business demanded time and energy, but she hadn’t put a clear retirement plan in place for herself through the business.

  • They were concerned about whether their resources would stretch far enough to support family now and allow them to retire comfortably later.

While they were “doing the right things” financially, David and Ana worried they hadn’t accounted for the unexpected. Would their plan hold up under the pressure of competing responsibilities?

✦ The 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. 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.

✦ The Transformation

David and Ana walked away with:

  • Clarity on how to prioritize competing financial goals without sacrificing their own future.

  • A sustainable caregiving budget that eased the emotional strain of daily decisions.

  • A tax-efficient investment strategy that reduced costs, improved asset allocation, and aligned with their retirement and family goals

  • A business retirement plan for Ana that strengthened her personal savings while providing current tax advantages.

  • Confidence 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 felt confident planning both for today and tomorrow. Their financial life was no longer fragmented. It was aligned, intentional, and supportive of the family they love.

Disclaimer: The above client story is hypothetical and does not involve an actual Innermost Wealth Management client. It is provided for illustrative purposes only. No portion of the content should be construed as a guarantee that any current or prospective client will experience the same or similar results if Innermost Wealth Management is engaged to provide investment advisory services. While fictional, this story is inspired by the types of real challenges we help clients navigate every day.

Balancing family responsibilities with your own future isn’t easy. Let’s build a plan that supports both.