Portfolio Management That Works With Your Retirement Plan, Not Against It
Investment management at A5 Financial isn't a separate product. It's one half of a coordinated strategy designed to grow your wealth while still keeping your near-term income insulated from market volatility.
How We Manage the Growth Side of Your Financial Plan
Your portfolio's growth sleeve is actively managed, regularly rebalanced, and aligned with your retirement timeline. As retirement approaches, we adjust your allocation to reduce market exposure and avoid the sequence-of-return trap — the risk that a downturn in the early years of retirement permanently damages your long-term income. By keeping short-term income needs funded through the income ladder, we give the growth portfolio room to do its job without forcing you to sell at the wrong time.
Here's what active management looks like in practice:
- Asset selection based on your goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance
- Ongoing rebalancing to maintain your target allocation as markets move
- Continuous monitoring for concentration risk, sector imbalance, and emerging market conditions
- Proactive adjustments when conditions warrant
Ready to Take the Guesswork Out of Your Portfolio?
Managing your own investments while preparing for retirement is one of the most stressful financial positions to be in. You don't have to do it alone. Schedule a conversation with John and Neil to see how a coordinated, actively managed investment strategy can fit into your broader retirement plan.
Managing Concentration Risk for Seattle-Area Tech Employees
If you work at Amazon, Microsoft, Google, or a Seattle-area startup, there's a good chance a significant portion of your net worth sits in a single company's stock. RSUs vest, ESPP shares accumulate, and options build up — and before long, your financial future is heavily tied to one employer's performance. We develop gradual diversification plans that reduce single-stock concentration over time, structured to minimize unnecessary tax events along the way. National robo-advisors and generic allocation tools don't account for this. We do.
A Fee Structure Built Around Your Interests
We charge a straightforward advisory fee. There are no hidden charges, no commissions, and no incentive to recommend one investment over another. Every decision we make is guided by what serves your goals and your risk tolerance — nothing else. As independent, fee-based fiduciaries, we are legally and professionally obligated to act in your interest.
You Stay Informed Without Having to Stay Involved
We monitor your portfolio continuously and reach out proactively when something warrants your attention. You'll receive regular updates on how your investments are performing and how your overall plan is tracking — without needing to check the market daily or decode financial jargon. Our clients stay informed and confident without carrying the mental load of managing their own investments.
Built for Pre-Retirees Who Can't Afford to Get This Wrong
The decade before retirement is the highest-stakes window in your financial life. The decisions you make about allocation, risk, and diversification in these years have an outsized impact on how long your money lasts. A5 Financial works specifically with clients in this window — people who have accumulated real wealth and need a disciplined, coordinated strategy to carry it across the retirement finish line. Investment management Washington residents can access through large institutional firms tends to follow generic models. We build around your specific situation.
What Sets Our Investment Approach Apart
Most investment management services treat your portfolio as a standalone account. We treat it as one component of a fully integrated retirement plan, connected to your income needs, your tax strategy, and your timeline. The growth sleeve works in coordination with your retirement income ladder — each one doing a distinct job, and together creating a plan that's designed to last.
What that means for you:
- Your near-term income has reduced exposure to market risk, and it's funded separately through the income ladder
- Your growth portfolio has a longer effective time horizon, which allows for more appropriate risk-taking
- Tax planning is embedded into investment decisions — including Roth conversions, withdrawal sequencing, and equity compensation timing
- You work directly with John Carruthers, CFP®, and Neil Fenning, CFP®, throughout the life of the relationship.
Common Questions About Investment Management at A5 Financial
How does A5 Financial manage client investments?
We build and actively manage a growth portfolio aligned with your retirement timeline, risk tolerance, and income needs. Your portfolio is regularly rebalanced and coordinated with your retirement income ladder so each component is doing a distinct job within your overall plan.How is A5 Financial compensated?
We charge a straightforward advisory fee based on assets under management. Our fee structure is transparent and designed so that our interests are fully aligned with yours.How often will I hear from you about my portfolio?
We monitor your investments continuously and reach out proactively when something warrants your attention. You'll receive regular updates on performance and how your plan is tracking — we'll keep you informed so you can focus on enjoying your retirement.Do you work with tech employees who have RSUs or stock options?
Yes — this is a significant part of what we do. We work with employees at Amazon, Microsoft, Google, and Seattle-area startups to build gradual diversification strategies that reduce single-stock concentration while minimizing unnecessary tax events.What makes A5 Financial different from a large investment firm?
We're a boutique firm, which means you work directly with John and Neil — not a rotating cast of junior advisors. We treat your portfolio as one piece of a fully integrated retirement plan, not a standalone account, and our independent fiduciary status means we're legally obligated to act in your interest.
