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The True Course Retirement Team StoryRetirement Planning Needs a System, Not Just a Strategy

Most people I meet aren't confused about wanting to retire. They're overwhelmed by how many big decisions hit all at once.

A pension election that can't be undone. Social Security choices with permanent consequences. Taxes changing as income changes. Medicare premiums that can spike. And underneath it all: "How do we turn what we've saved into income without guessing?"

What frustrates people is this: they've done the hard work, saving and building a life, but as retirement approaches, the system starts to feel like a maze.

Early on, I kept seeing the same pattern. People would reach retirement with solid savings, but their plan was missing coordination, especially around pensions, Social Security, and taxes.

They'd make one decision in isolation, and it would create a surprise somewhere else: higher taxes than expected, Medicare premiums they didn't anticipate, or an income plan that looked good on paper but felt uncertain in real life.

I wanted a better way, something that helped people make decisions in the right order, with fewer surprises.



So I built a process that starts with the foundation: income and account location. We get clear on what income you'll have, when it starts, and what's taxable, tax-deferred, or tax-free. Then we coordinate the biggest levers. Pension decisions, especially survivor options and timing. Social Security strategy, including spousal coordination when it applies. Tax planning and the impact those choices can have on Medicare premiums like IRMAA. Estate basics, making sure beneficiaries and documents match the strategy.

Over time, that became a repeatable system, something clients could understand and follow, not just a report they receive. But there was a hard reality I couldn't ignore: even a well-built retirement plan can break down if it depends on perfect markets or perfect timing. When volatility shows up, or when life throws a curveball, people don't need a 40-page plan. They need clarity: "What do we do now?" That's when I realized the plan had to include a decision framework, not just projections.

The turning point was building in guardrails, clear, predefined adjustments that respond to real life. If markets cooperate, you can increase income responsibly. If they don't, you reduce risk early and make small adjustments before they become painful ones. It took the emotional guessing out of the process and replaced it with a simple question: "Are we inside the guardrails or outside them, and what's the next step?" That became the breakthrough: retirement planning works best when it's a system. Income-first, decisions sequenced correctly, tax and Medicare impacts accounted for, and guardrails to handle volatility. People stop feeling like they're hoping things work out and start feeling like they're making informed choices.

Today, the people we work with can answer the questions that matter most:

  • "Which pension option fits our goals and protects the surviving spouse?"
  • "When should we start Social Security, and how do we coordinate it?"
  • "What's our tax plan, and how do we avoid avoidable Medicare premium surprises?"
  • "If markets drop, what exactly changes, and what doesn't?"

And when those answers are clear, retirement stops feeling like a maze and starts feeling manageable. The moral is simple: Retirement isn't just an investment event. It's a decision event. And when you have a coordinated process, Social Security, taxes, and Medicare, you can move forward with clarity instead of guesswork.

Our Approach

Our approach centers on understanding your specific situation, explaining your options clearly, and creating strategies tailored to your needs and goals.

What Sets Us Apart

We've been helping clients retire for more than 25 years. We understand what works, and what doesn't. Being our client doesn't mean getting you to retirement and hoping for the best. We have built in systems to monitor your retirement, make adjustments, and react to life surprises.

Our Commitment

Our goal is simple: provide you with comfort knowing that someone is watching your investments and retirement planning so you can focus on enjoying your life. You've worked hard throughout your career. You deserve to feel confident about your financial future and trust that the people guiding you genuinely have your best interests at heart. That's what we're here to provide.

Our Process

Our Process

We're independent and not product focused. We offer three pricing options: asset management only, asset management and planning, or planning only. For clients who use our asset management and planning services, we maintain an annual service calendar with critical checkpoints built in. We also monitor portfolios for inflection points where we might ask clients to increase their income or reduce it temporarily. This approach helps protect the longevity of their retirement income.

  1. Evaluate the client's current situation: Quantitative and qualitative
  2. Identify and prioritize retirement goals
  3. Estimate retirement income needs: Essential vs discretionary
  4. Identify sources of retirement income and assets
  5. Make a preliminary calculation of retirement preparedness
  6. Develop strategies for addressing income shortfalls
  7. Consider legal and tax issues
  8. Consider retirement contingencies in developing alternatives
  9. Determine a strategy for converting assets into income
  10. Integrate all considerations, present alternatives, and agree on a plan

Meet The TeamOur Team of Dedicated Professionals

Patrick Donnelly

Founder, Advisor

(916) 472-0311

Bill Kennedy

Financial Advisor

Samantha Hall

Operations Manager

Capstone financial group affiliates 

Daniel Shelly

Financial Advisor

Rachel Matheson

Financial Advisor

Contact UsReady to Focus on Your Future?

You've spent your career caring for others, and now it's time to care for yourself. Reach out today to schedule a conversation about your goals and discover how we can help you transition into the retirement you've earned.

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