The default is where values-based planning earns its keep. Tier 9 sits last because taxable money gets no tax break. But if one of your priorities is a sabbatical at 45 or a career change at 50, that goal needs accessible money, and retirement accounts lock most of it up until 59½. In that case we will often recommend moving part of your savings from tier 6 or 8 into tier 9 on purpose. You give up some tax efficiency. You gain the ability to do the thing you said matters. We will show you that trade-off in dollars and let you make the call.
If retirement timing is one of your priorities, our retirement planning page covers how we model it.
What does values-based planning look like in practice?
The following is a hypothetical and illustrative example. It does not describe an actual client, and it does not project or promise any result.
Priya is 41, lives in Bethesda, and works for a federal contractor. She has been maxing out her 401(k) for years, which is the default “right” answer. In answering the second question, she says she would take a year off while her kids are still in elementary school. She has never said it out loud because it felt irresponsible.
Here is how the Why-to-Where Method handles it.
- Name it. “A year at home with the kids, in about four years.”
- Price it. One year of household spending plus health coverage, which she estimates at a specific figure from her own budget.
- Place it. That money has to be accessible at 45, so it cannot live in her 401(k). The plan keeps her contributions at the level that captures her full employer match and moves the rest of what she had been deferring into a dedicated taxable account and cash reserve for the sabbatical.
- Name the trade-off. She loses some current-year tax deduction and some tax-deferred growth. Her retirement projection is re-run with the year off built in, so she sees the actual effect on her longer-term plan rather than guessing at it.
Nothing about Priya’s finances became more “optimal” by the textbook definition. Her plan became hers.
Who is values-based planning a good fit for?
Values-based planning tends to fit people who are doing well on paper but are not sure the plan they are following is theirs. That includes professionals in their 30s and 40s who are saving diligently without a clear sense of what for, couples who suspect they want different things, anyone approaching a transition (a new child, a career change, a sale, a move), and people who have received a windfall and feel more pressure than relief.
It is probably not the right fit if you want a portfolio managed with no planning relationship attached, if you are looking for commission-based product recommendations, or if you would rather skip the reflective conversation entirely. That last one is a legitimate preference. Some people want the tactics and nothing else, and our comprehensive financial planning covers those tactics in depth either way.
What does working with District Capital Management look like?
Working with DCM starts with a free discovery call, continues with a written comprehensive financial plan built around the priorities you set, and continues with ongoing advice and at-least-annual reviews. Planning is the core engagement; investment management is available in support of the plan rather than as the product.
- Discovery call. A two-way conversation. We learn what you are trying to solve, and you learn how we work and what it costs, before any commitment. Here is what to expect on the discovery call.
- Values and priorities conversation. The three questions, and for couples, both partners.
- Your written plan. Cash flow, investments, retirement, taxes, insurance, benefits, education, and debt, organized around your priorities, with specific recommendations held on a virtual implementation board.
- Ongoing advice. Unlimited email access, ad-hoc help as decisions come up, and review meetings at least annually to revisit your priorities, update projections, and execute action items.
For 2026, comprehensive financial planning is $6,000 to $9,600 per year for individuals and $6,000 to $14,400 per year for couples, paid monthly, with a one-time setup fee. Full details are on our pricing page and in our Form ADV Part 2A.
Why does fee-only matter for values-based planning?
A fee-only advisor is paid only by clients, never through commissions or product sales, which removes the incentive to steer your priorities toward a product. In values-based planning, where the right answer is sometimes “spend more now” or “invest less,” that independence is the point.
It is worth being direct about the one conflict that does exist. If you are a planning client, we have an incentive to recommend that you also use DCM for investment management, because that increases our fees. You are never obligated to implement any recommendation, and you are free to invest elsewhere. As a fee-only fiduciary Registered Investment Adviser, District Capital Management (firm CRD# 167317) is required to act in your best interest. Our full regulatory record, including disciplinary history, is available on the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply any specific level of skill or training.
