Financial planning in Columbus that shows you what's possible
When to retire, when to take Social Security, how to handle taxes, what to do when you sell your business. We walk you through your options and tell you what we'd do if we were you, then stay in your corner as life changes.
Pick your two money questions
These are the questions families ask us most. Tap the two on your mind, from any tab, and send them over. We’ll have them in front of us on your intro call.
Retirement
Within ten years of retirement, or already there.
How we’d answer it
We answer it with a date and a number. We map your spending against your savings, Social Security, and any pension, then plan to age 95 or beyond so a long life is covered.
How we’d answer it
We turn your savings into a monthly paycheck and give you a clear spending number. You also get a rule for when you’ve earned a raise, so good years turn into more spending instead of more worry.
How we’d answer it
Your next two years of paychecks sit in cash and Treasuries, so nothing gets sold low to pay you. Bonds back that up if a recovery takes longer. We refill cash from whatever is up.
How we’d answer it
We start with the life you want in your first years of retirement, then show you what you’d get at each claiming age, including the check the surviving spouse keeps. You pick the age that fits your family.
Read: When Should We Take Social Security? How We Think It Through
How we’d answer it
The years between your last paycheck and required distributions are often your lowest-tax years. We use them on purpose, with Roth conversions and account-by-account planning.
How we’d answer it
We plan the bridge to Medicare and put the enrollment windows on your calendar, since missing them can mean penalties that last for life.
How we’d answer it
When one of you dies, one Social Security check stops. We plan for that ahead of time so the survivor’s income holds up.
How we’d answer it
What your kids keep depends on which account they inherit. Beneficiaries, a trust where it fits, and Roth conversions shape that now.
More on retirement planning in Columbus.
Business Owner
You own a business that makes real money.
How we’d answer it
An LLC protects you. An S corp election can lower payroll taxes once profit is steady. We time that decision with your CPA so the savings are worth the paperwork.
How we’d answer it
A slice of every deposit goes to its own tax account, and estimates go out on four dates a year. April turns into paperwork.
How we’d answer it
A solo 401(k), then profit sharing, then a cash balance plan can stack as profit grows, and together they can shelter six figures a year for some owners. Our Workplace Retirement team designs it with your CPA.
How we’d answer it
Federal tax credits can cover most of the cost of a new plan for small businesses. The right design helps your team and lets you save more for yourself.
Read: Should Your Ohio Business Start a 401(k)? Here Is the 2026 Math, in Plain English
How we’d answer it
Four questions need answers ahead of time: who runs it, who buys your share, what pays for it, and what happens if you’re out for a year.
How we’d answer it
The best exits start about five years out, with a valuation, clean books, and tax planning before the value is locked in. The sale then funds your retirement plan.
How we’d answer it
Wealth outside the business is the part you control. We set a yearly savings goal outside it, so one bad year or one low offer doesn’t decide your retirement.
How we’d answer it
Every deposit splits between taxes, your pay, and a business reserve. Your household gets the same paycheck every month, and big months build the reserve.
Running a company 401(k) too? See Workplace Retirement.
Wealth Building
High earners still building: commission-heavy careers, young families, big goals.
How we’d answer it
Every dollar gets a job based on when you’ll need it: cash for this year, a brokerage account for the next ten, and retirement accounts for later. The mix is set in your plan, and most years money goes to all three.
How we’d answer it
Commissions land in a holding account and the same amount moves to checking every month. We also check the withholding, since bonuses are often under-withheld.
How we’d answer it
While your savings are still growing, your future paychecks are your biggest asset. Term life, own-occupation disability coverage, and wills protect them.
How we’d answer it
Starting early does most of the work. Ohio also deducts up to $4,000 a year per child for 529 contributions, and grandparents get their own deduction.
Read: Ohio's CollegeAdvantage 529 Plan and How the $4,000 Deduction Works
How we’d answer it
A big purchase fits if your plan still works after it. We check your savings rate, your emergency reserve, and the payment before you say yes.
Read: Should You Wait for Mortgage Rates to Drop Before Buying a House?
How we’d answer it
Your job and your savings shouldn’t ride on one company. We set a plan to sell down over time, with the taxes mapped out first.
How we’d answer it
Your savings rate is the number you control most. We automate it, raise it with your raises, and show you the retirement age it buys.
How we’d answer it
We start with what each of you wants the money to do. Many couples use one shared account for the plan and a personal amount each that nobody has to explain.
More on how we manage investments.
Fit more than one? A business owner five years from selling usually does. Pick from both tabs.
Sent. Your two are on their way to our team.
Your whole financial life, in one plan.
Most of this list keeps more of what you earn, with less lost to taxes, penalties, and bad timing. The rest protects what you’ve built. All of it is there so your money pays for the life you want to live.
- Cash flow for your stage of life: saving while you build, a steady paycheck once you retire
- Investments managed around your goals and timeline
- Tax planning every year, alongside your CPA
- Estate planning, with beneficiaries kept current
- Insurance checked for gaps
- Employer benefits and 401(k) choices
- Social Security and Medicare decisions, when the time comes
- Charitable giving, done the tax-smart way
You’ll see all of it in your plan, checked off at every review.
How we manage your investments
We’re independent and fee-only, so we choose the investments that fit your plan. Your accounts are held at Altruist, and you see everything on the web or the app.
- Core portfoliosLow-cost and diversified
- Separately managed accountsIndividual stocks, professionally managed
- Direct indexingTax losses harvested stock by stock
- Tax-loss harvestingLosses used to offset gains
- Asset locationEach holding in the right account type
- Private marketsFor accredited investors
- Accounts4
- Holdings›
- Activity›
- Joint brokerageIndividual | Taxable$612,400.00
- Traditional IRARetirement$402,100.00
- Roth IRARetirement$188,900.00
- High-yield cashSavings$31,160.18
Usually arrives in 1 to 3 business days.
- Monthly statementSeptember 2026
- Monthly statementAugust 2026
- Tax form 10992025 tax year
- Trade confirmationSep 14, 2026
How the Clarity Method™ works
We lead every family through the same four steps, and the last one never ends.
We get to know you
We start with what matters to your family. If you picked your two money questions above, we’ll have them in front of us. If not, the right questions usually show up in the conversation.
We lay out the choices
For each question, we show you how every option would play out for your family. You pick what’s best for your family, even when a calculator would pick something else.
You see what’s possible
Your written plan shows what’s possible for your family, what we’d do if we were you, and when.
We keep going
We meet through the year and update your plan as life changes. When a priority is done, we choose the next one together, and anything with a deadline, like a tax move before year-end, gets handled when it’s due.
What your plan looks like depends on where you are
Open the one that sounds like you.
Building wealthSaving and investing, with retirement still a ways off
What’s in your plan
- Your savings map: what gets saved first, automatically, and where it goes
- Your cash reserve, then the order to fill each account
- Your 401(k) and workplace benefit choices
- Tax planning every year
- Insurance and estate basics, checked for gaps
You get a short summary we walk through together, backed by a full plan in our planning software with every account, projections and what-ifs. We update both as life changes.
Near retirementAbout 5 to 10 years out
What’s in your plan
- Your retirement paycheck: what you'll live on and where each dollar will come from
- When to claim Social Security, and your pension choice
- Your 401(k), and how much to keep saving until you retire
- Medicare, and health coverage before 65
- Roth conversions and taxes, year by year
- A roadmap of what we'd do, and when
You get a short summary we walk through together, backed by a full plan in our planning software with every account, projections and what-ifs. We update both as life changes.
RetiredLiving on what you saved
What’s in your plan
- Your retirement paycheck: what lands in checking each month and where it comes from
- Cash set aside so a down market doesn't touch your paycheck
- Which account to draw from first, and Roth conversions to keep taxes in check
- Social Security, Medicare and required distributions
- Beneficiaries and estate documents kept current
You get a short summary we walk through together, backed by a full plan in our planning software with every account, projections and what-ifs. We update both as life changes.
How our fee works
One fee for everyone: a yearly percentage of what we manage. Each rate covers only the dollars in its tier, so the rate steps down as assets grow.
- $100 a monthThe minimum for every family.
- $300 a monthThe minimum while we do your retirement planning and most of your money is still in a 401(k) or pension.
You pay the yearly rate or the minimum, whichever is higher.
| First $1 million | 1.25% |
|---|---|
| $1 to $2 million | 1.00% |
| $2 to $5 million | 0.75% |
| Above $5 million | 0.35% |
Yearly rates and minimums are from ClearMind Capital’s Form ADV Part 2A. Billed monthly in advance. Tiers are blended, household accounts may be combined, and fees may be negotiable. Some services carry separate fees, such as outside managers and tax-management strategies. Fund expenses are also separate. Services and fees are described in each family’s advisory agreement. See our Form ADV.
Nick George
Early on, it became clear to me how quickly life can change, and how grounding it is to have someone in your corner when it does.
Big institutions were the first stop in my career. Good training and real experience, but I kept running into the same thing: the firm's incentives came first and the client came second. It drove me a little crazy. I built ClearMind Capital to flip that, a place where the advice is fee-only, fiduciary, and built entirely around you.
Shane Duckworth
I’ve always been drawn to roles where details matter, and people trust you to get things right. After serving in the Marines and growing my career in finance, I realized my best work happens in relationships.
What matters most is knowing you have a place to turn when decisions get big. A space to think clearly, talk things out, and move ahead with confidence.
Common questions
What happens on an intro call?+
It’s a relaxed conversation with Nick, Shane, or both of us, usually on Zoom. The goal is to learn as much as we can about where you are and where you want to go. If you picked your two money questions or left us a note when you booked, we’ll have them in front of us. Then we do our homework. In a second meeting, we come back with a first look at your path forward and walk you through what working together looks like, including fees. You decide from there, with no pressure either way.
How is ClearMind Capital paid?+
We’re fee-only. When we manage your investments, the fee is a yearly percentage of what we manage, and the rate steps down as assets grow. Under $100,000 with us, it’s $100 a month instead. If retirement is 5 to 10 years out and most of your money is in a 401(k) or pension we don’t manage yet, the minimum is $300 a month ($3,600 a year) while we do your retirement planning. You pay the yearly rate on what we manage or the minimum, whichever is higher. The full schedule is public, and you’re welcome to ask about it any time. We usually walk through your exact number in our second meeting, once we understand your situation. A good doctor asks questions and runs the tests before writing a prescription, and we work the same way. If the picture is clear on the first call, we can get specific right then. Either way, you’ll know exactly what it costs before you commit to anything. See what’s included and what it costs.
Is there a minimum to work with you?+
There’s no asset minimum. The minimum fee is $100 a month for every family. If retirement is 5 to 10 years out and most of your money is still in a 401(k) or pension, the minimum is $300 a month while we do your retirement planning. You pay the yearly rate on what we manage or the minimum, whichever is higher.
What if most of my money is in my 401(k)?+
That’s common 5 to 10 years before retirement, and it’s when the big decisions pile up: the pension choice, when to claim Social Security, Medicare, Roth conversions, and the rollover. While we do your retirement planning, the minimum fee is $300 a month ($3,600 a year), or the yearly rate on anything we manage if that’s higher. We build your plan, guide your 401(k) and pension where they sit, and meet with you through the year. When you retire and roll over your 401(k), the yearly rate on what we manage takes over.
Do I need to bring anything to the intro call?+
No. Bring whatever is on your mind. If we decide to work together, we’ll send a secure invite to set up your plan online. You link your accounts and add any documents there, one step at a time, so there’s no long form and no emailing statements.
Do you only work with people in Columbus?+
No. Our office is in Columbus, Ohio, and we meet in person with families across Central Ohio, from Dublin and Worthington to Bexley and Upper Arlington. Most of our meetings happen on Zoom, and we work with families throughout Ohio and nationwide.
What if my question isn’t on your list?+
Bring it. Pick “Something else is on my mind” and tell us in your own words, or bring it straight to the intro call.
See what’s possible for your family
Book a relaxed intro call with Nick, Shane, or both. You’ll leave knowing where you stand and what we’d look at first, with no obligation to go further.
Rather write? Send us a note or call (614) 618-0108.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute investment, tax, or legal advice. ClearMind Capital LLC is a registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
