Know My Plan

Helping clients maintain, build, & transfer their wealth to their loved ones or charities. Financial planning doesn't have to be overly complicated. You don't have to do it alone. I enjoy working with clients who want to build a financial plan together thru a deep understanding of your goals both while working, in retirement, and beyond.

All investment advice is offered through Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

SunTrust Investment Services, Inc.

VP, Financial Advisor

Financial Advisor

Licensed Financial Sales Consultant 2

I’m a Financial Planner that helps Sales Executives reduce financial anxiety with a 1-Page Plan.

Phone:  704-243-9376 | Email:  nic@knowmyplan.com | Website:  www.knowmyplan.com

I design financial plans for busy executives and their families.

Feel confident about your money with a complete overview of your financial situation

Reduce overwhelm by understanding exactly where you’re at in your journey

Reduce financial anxiety with a high-level plan for the future

You also want to reduce stress, save time, pursue your goals!

As a high earner, you deserve a customized plan to meet you and your family.  No more rules of thumb.  Your goals determine your financial plan, and your financial plan will determine your goals.

The financial plan is your life adventure map.  The plan will need to be monitored and adjusted over time.  That is why we love financial planning.  The process requires relationships built over years!

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC.  For links to FINRA/SIPC, refer to the Contact Information section above. Advisory Services offered through Independent Advisor Alliance a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial. 


Know My Plan is an other business name of Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC.  All investment advice is offered through Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, a registered investment adviser.  Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC is a separate entity from LPL Financial.

The financial professionals associated with this site may discuss and/or transact business only with residents of the states in which they are properly registered or licensed. No offers may be made or accepted from any resident of any other state.

Third party posts found on this profile do not reflect the views of LPL Financial and have not been reviewed by LPL Financial as to accuracy or completeness.

You don’t need more exercises. You need a program.

At the gym, random workouts = random results. It’s the same with money.

If you’re 45–55, earning $250k+, with RSUs and a family depending on you, here’s the program I recommend:

∙Goal: work‑optional by X age with Y after‑tax spending (your 1RM).
∙Compound lifts: the big levers that move results—savings rate, RSU diversification, tax strategy.
∙Progressive overload: increase savings 1–2% per quarter until you hit 25–35%.
∙Deload weeks: “fun now” budget (trips, experiences) so you don’t burn out waiting for 65.
∙Spotters: CPA, estate, insurance coordinated so nothing gets dropped.
∙Recovery: 12–24 months “Sandwich Fund” for parents/kids so life’s surprises don’t injure the plan.
∙Form > ego: RSU sales, no hero bets on one stock.

Anyone can try a new exercise. Pros follow a plan and track PR's.

--Nic

Nic Nielsen, CFP®, CLTC®

Talks about #investing, #lifeinsurance, #collegeplanning, #financialplanning, and #executivesandmanagement

I design financial plans for 45 to 55 year-old high-achieving professionals in the Charlotte area and virtually nationwide.

Even my wife understands the importance of a 1-page plan. 

-Simple & concise next steps. 

-No ambiguity. 

-Clarity wins. 

It doesn’t have to be complicated, but it needs to be easily actionable & implementable. 

That’s what we are doing at Know My Plan.

We are taking all of the noise & complexity around finance & giving you a plan and true partnership.  

—Nic

P.S. we are in the process of an upgrade aesthetically to our current 1-page plan & can’t wait to share it with our clients.

One thing that we always tell clients is…

If there is one place where you should splurge in your financial plan, it should be investing in your own health. 

I took my own advice & purchased a walking treadmill for my office. 

I love walking. 🚶 

I think it’s important to get 10,000 steps in, but I don’t enjoy walking in the rain or when it’s really cold. 

Also, I really enjoy watching sports on TV (why not watch sports while getting in a few steps). 

We believe it’s imperative to invest in your health today before it becomes an expense in the future. 

What was your latest investment in your health?

(High-achieving professionals in your 40s & 50s)

Please consider this:

Let’s make simple, small, incremental improvements right now.


• That extra $2k/mo ~ when you’re playing catch-up is going to hurt later, trust me, I see it

• The realization that you’re taken care of—truly sleep well at night

• Retiring or changing careers while you’re young (60), instead of having to stay at it until 70

• Putting off saving and investing for your future simply robs your family of future experiences, bottom line


If I can get you in your 40s and 50s to make incremental improvements, the potential financial outcomes are monumental.

Lessons from a Reformed Banker

My first job out of college was in banking. In fact, I started with the prestigious role of drive-through teller, making $11.54/hour.

I will forever have these three conversations etched in my mind.

LESSON 1[2005]

The ag lender was a pillar in the community, and he gave me the unsolicited advice to invest 100% of my 401(k) in the bank stock and take advantage of the employee stock purchase plan.

In his late 60s, he was proud to share that he had amassed several million dollars for retirement, all of which was invested in his bank's stock.

“Bank stocks are safe bets because they never go down.”

LESSON 2 [2007]

A few years into my career, I joined a new bank. During new employee orientation, a lovely lady from HR, in her early 70s, shared with me that she had 98% of her retirement funds invested in the local bank stock and the remaining 2% in the S&P 500.

Why the 2% in the S&P 500? She could take advantage of owning fractional shares of other banks.

“Bank stocks are safe bets because they never go down.”

LESSON 3 [2009]

A GE employee in her mid-60s met with me as she wanted to liquidate her IRA (100% GE Stock) and pay off her house.

$700,000 had turned to about $350,000, and that just happened to be what she owed on her mortgage.

She didn’t care about the tax bill the following April. She didn’t care about diversification. She didn’t care about historical bear market recovery periods.

She only cared about one thing…getting out.

“GE is a blue chip; it will never go down.”

CONCLUSION

Buying stocks (investing in companies) is the easy part. Having a disciplined approach to selling is much more challenging.

Everyone loves the ride. Few can handle significant downturns.

I’m growing increasingly concerned about having conversations with people who are not willing to trim their winners.

Many people own the Magnificent Seven names, which have seen meteoric returns.

I can't help but think about what happened to those three individuals I met in banking:
-Did they ever retire?
-Could they pay their tax bill?
-How did they tell their family?

My best advice: Stay diversified. Never fall in love with an individual stock. It will never love you back. If you think it can “never” happen, you are probably short-sighted.

“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” –Mike Tyson

One of the quiet, most stressful challenges for high-earning corporate families.


Earning more than ever… but wondering why it doesn’t feel like it.

What’s really going on?

Many of the families we work with have crossed income levels they once only dreamed about:  $400k, $500k, sometimes more

And yet, they often say the same thing:

“We make great money, but it feels like it’s all spoken for?”

(If you could use the help of a financial advisor or would like to explore making a change from your current advisor, now’s the time, please shoot me a message—I’m happy to talk)

Nic

Snowflake stock down 8% over 5 years. One VP’s plan to make work optional anyway.

Donna (45) is a VP at Snowflake. Salary ~$250k, plus $80k–$120k in RSUs vesting each year. She’d done a lot “right”… but most of her net worth rose and fell with one ticker.

What surprised her

∙5-year return on Snowflake: negative while the S&P 500 was up 93%
∙No clear “work-optional” date or monthly spend number
∙RSU sales were ad hoc, creating tax surprises
∙Emergency fund wasn’t systematized (just “leftover cash”)

What we changed

∙Set a rules-based equity plan: auto-sell X% at vest, cap employer stock at Y% of portfolio, rebalance quarterly
∙Redirect proceeds to a low-cost, globally diversified portfolio aligned to her work-optional timeline
∙Park a true emergency fund in a high-yield savings account (6 months of core expenses)
∙Top up a dedicated “Travel Fund” so she can live life on her terms now, not “someday”

Where it went

∙Diversified portfolio: Target to support $12k–$14k/month after tax starting at 52 (stress-tested for bear markets and inflation)
∙Cash safety net: Fully funded emergency reserve, replenished automatically from RSU sales
∙Life today: Annual travel fund refreshed—no guilt, no debt

Now she knows

∙“Am I on track?” Yes—work-optional at 52 if she follows the system
∙“What should I do differently?” Reduce concentration, systematize RSU sales, review tax-brackets annually
∙“How much can I spend?” A clear range with guardrails

Takeaway: You don’t need your company’s stock to soar to reach freedom. You need a system that turns equity into a dependable plan.  

She worked at a great company that she loved, but she didn't need to love the stock in return.

If you’re 40–55 with $500k+ invested and annual RSUs and are struggling to put it all together, I get it. Feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear your story.

--Nic

This is the craziest trend/ phenomenon I have seen in 20 years.

Have you seen it as well?

Since COVID began, there has been in a rise in work from home jobs.

(This comes as no surprise to anyone.)

However, what I have found astonishing is the number of people I have encountered that are working MULTIPLE full-time jobs.

To be clear, they aren't working 80 hours/week.

They have figured out how to do a 40/week job in 10 hours/week.

-They got bored.  
-Found another job.
-Never told their previous employer.
-Just continued to work BOTH.

TO make it even crazier, I have met people who are doing THREE jobs and they still aren't working 40 hours/week.

These aren't low level jobs.

Six-figure salaries.

There are no shortage of ethical and philosophical debates within the conversation, but I am curious - is this something you are seeing as well?

If you are doing this, send me a DM.  I'd love to learn more.

Is this heightened productivity, poor management, or something more at work?

Finances in your 60s; From paycheck to paycheck

The focus shifts from accumulation to distribution.

This transition is as much behavioral as it is financial. You’re no longer just growing your nest egg, now we’re figuring out how to turn it into income. 

Here are key planning priorities:

• Align your asset allocation to reduce risk. We recommend having 5 years of income in short-term fixed income.
• Setting the right withdrawal rate, we like to aim for 4% adjusted annually for inflation.
• Establish your Social Security strategy
• Be tax-smart with distribution planning. Drawing from a mix of IRA, taxable, and Roth accounts.
• Evaluate healthcare options if retiring before Medicare eligibility, a lot to consider here.
• Plan for housing needs now, not later. Downsizing or relocating is usually much smoother at 65 than it is at 82.

Let’s preview your retirement income plan, how will you generate income when the paycheck stops?


Q: Do you still not have a financial plan? 

Q: What are you waiting for?

--

If you’re a high-achieving professional and recognize it’s time to seek a professional to help you and your family put a financial plan in place, please get in touch with us, we’re currently taking on great new clients. 

*If you’re already working with an advisor but have considered making a change, please know that we help people do this all the time. It’s a simple transfer process that can be done without you having to be involved at all (if you like). 

We can’t wait to work with you.

Nic

“Your Wins Are Why I Do This” 

Shared Victories – Whether it’s paying off debt, taking that dream family trip, or hitting a big career milestone, I get just as much joy watching you succeed as you do living it.

It’s More Than Money – A financial plan isn’t about numbers—it’s about the freedom to live out the moments you’ll actually remember.

Purpose in Partnership – My role is walking alongside you so that financial stress doesn’t stand in the way of family, faith, and fun. 

Stay disciplined.  Work the plan.

--Nic

What the Wealthy Do: 

They work their taxes like a CEO


• They maximize Roth conversions, tax-loss harvesting, charitable giving (DAFs)

• They don’t just file taxes, they strategically reduce them over time. 
(The goal isn’t to minimize taxes today, it’s to minimize taxes over a lifetime)

• Extremely proactive before big income events (RSUs, business sales, retirements)

• They use debt strategically. It’s common for ultra wealthy families to use Securities Based Lines of Credit (SBLOC’s) to borrow against securities in a non-retirement investment account (allowing for the potential of ongoing growth without triggering capital gains or a sale).


Someone with $500,000 to $5 million is in a unique position, they’re not ultra-wealthy (yet), but they do have very real complexity and opportunity.

Intelligent tax behavior is another application you can adopt from the ultra-wealthy as you build your own wealth.


Nic

For high-achieving corporate professionals buried in compensation acronyms:


I’ve seen some really tricky (and expensive) tax situations. 

Active guidance matters here.

Do you have, or access to: ESPP, RSUs, ISOs, NQSOs, ESOs, and Roths?

Understand how they fit into your overall plan and what you’ll do to exercise them.


Make sure to visit me on Instagram


Nic

The irony is that when you put a financial plan in place, you can spend all the time and money you want on Instagram… 

We’ll research $49 face wash and t-shirts for hours, but not put the time into finding a financial planner that can reshape our families financial lives. 

Here’s the thing: When you have a real plan, the small money choices stop feeling so heavy because the big picture’s taken care of.

Financial planning isn’t about restrictions, it’s about freedom.

Spend on sneakers, vacations, clothes, whatever makes you happy (without second-guessing every dollar).

Make sure to visit me on Instagram: at KnowMyPlan


Nic

Every Saturday morning. 

One of the most helpful and impactful things we do at Know My Plan is our weekly newsletter, Dollars & Diagrams. 

We send it to more than 1,030 high-achieving professionals every Saturday morning that includes digestible examples, education, financial motivation, and insight that can help you move closer to your financial goals. 

If you’d like to be included please join 🔗 below or shoot me a DM to be added.

Nic

“Financial Independence in Your 40s Isn’t a Dream — It’s a Decision” 

Key Takeaways for Busy Professionals:

Your Prime Earning Years Matter – The choices you make now with stock options, savings, and taxes will determine if you’re working out of passion later—or necessity.

Independence ≠ Retirement – It’s about creating margin in life so you can say “yes” to family, faith, and freedom without money dictating the decision.

Clarity Beats Complexity – Multiple accounts, scattered investments, and tax confusion can steal your peace. A clear plan brings confidence. 

Stay disciplined.  Work the plan.

--Nic

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