Kirkland's Fee-Based Financial Advisors, Working Directly With You

A5 Financial brings independent, fiduciary financial planning to Kirkland — built around your retirement, your equity compensation, and your timeline, not a product quota.

 

Kirkland sits at the center of one of the most financially complex zip codes in the country. Between the tech campuses nearby, the RSU vesting schedules, and the real question of whether your savings will actually last through retirement, there's a lot to get right. At A5 Financial, we work with Kirkland residents who are ready to move from accumulating wealth to protecting and using it well.

 

John Carruthers CFP® and Neil Fenning CFP® work directly with every client. There are no handoffs to junior advisors, no rotating contacts, and no layers between you and the people who know your plan.

What Fiduciary Planning Actually Means for Kirkland Clients

"Fiduciary" gets used a lot in financial services. In practice, it means we are legally required to act in your best interest — not recommend products that benefit us. A5 Financial operates as a fee-based Registered Investment Advisor. Our compensation comes from the fees you pay, which means our advice is shaped entirely by what works for your situation.

 

For Kirkland clients comparing advisors, that distinction matters. It changes which strategies get recommended, how your portfolio is structured, and whether the plan you're given is built for you or built around a product shelf.

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Ready to Talk With a Kirkland Financial Advisor?

A5 Financial serves Kirkland and the surrounding Seattle–Eastside region, including clients in Bellevue, Redmond, Bothell, and Kenmore. If you're ready to have a straightforward conversation about where you are financially and where you want to go, we'd like to hear from you.

Planning Services We Bring to Kirkland Residents

Whether you're five years from retirement, already retired, or navigating a significant equity compensation event, A5 Financial offers the planning depth to match where you are.

 

Our retirement planning work centers on a signature income ladder strategy — pairing principal-protected income sources like CDs, bonds, and annuities with a growth sleeve designed to keep pace with inflation. The result is a structure that funds your life in the near term while continuing to build over time.

 

For Kirkland professionals working at Amazon, Microsoft, Google, or regional tech firms, we provide equity compensation planning that addresses RSUs, ESPPs, and stock options in the context of your full financial picture — including the concentration risk that comes with holding significant company stock.

 

Tax planning runs through everything we do. We help clients think through withdrawal sequencing, Roth conversion timing, and how to structure income in retirement to reduce what goes to taxes over the long run.

Retirement Planning

Equity Compensation Planning

Who We Work With in Kirkland

A5 Financial serves a focused range of clients — people for whom the financial decisions ahead are genuinely consequential and who want a planning relationship, not a transaction.

 

  • Pre-retirees between 50 and 65 who are building toward a retirement date and want a clear income strategy before they get there
  • Current retirees managing withdrawals, Social Security timing, and tax efficiency across a multi-decade horizon
  • Tech professionals with equity compensation that needs to be integrated into a broader financial plan
  • Women managing household finances who want an advisor relationship built on clarity and direct communication

 

If you're in Kirkland and looking for a planning relationship where you work with the same two CFPs every time, that's exactly how A5 Financial is structured.

Frequently Asked Questions from Kirkland Clients

Planning Services

  • Is A5 Financial a fiduciary?

    Yes. A5 Financial is a Registered Investment Advisor, which means John and Neil are legally obligated to act in your best interest at all times. That standard applies to every recommendation we make.

  • Do I need to come into an office, or can we meet remotely?

    We work with clients both in person and remotely. Many Kirkland clients prefer a mix — an initial meeting in person followed by ongoing planning conversations by video or phone.

  • What does "fee-based" mean, and how does A5 Financial charge?

    Fee-based means our compensation comes from the fees clients pay us directly. We'll walk you through our fee structure clearly in your first conversation so you know exactly what to expect before any engagement begins.

  • I have RSUs vesting this year. Is that something A5 Financial handles?

    It is. Equity compensation planning is one of our core services. We work with Kirkland-area tech professionals to integrate RSUs, ESPPs, and stock options into a broader financial plan — including how to think about concentration risk and tax timing around vesting events.

  • How is A5 Financial different from a large financial institution?

    The most meaningful difference is access. At a large firm, you may meet with a senior advisor once and work with junior staff from that point forward. At A5 Financial, John and Neil work directly with every client throughout the relationship. The plan you build with us is managed by the same people who built it.