Fiduciary Wealth Planning & Retirement Strategies

As a fiduciary, Sentinel Asset Management is legally and ethically bound to act in your best interest at all times. This means we provide advice free from conflicts of interest, commissions, or incentives that could compromise your financial outcomes. Our compensation is transparent, and every recommendation is made with your goals, not ours, as the priority. This fiduciary standard is the foundation of trust and clarity in every client relationship.

Our retirement income planning is built on structured withdrawal strategies that coordinate taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts to pursue steady cash flow while managing sequence-of-returns risk and longevity risk. We stress-test every plan against historical bear markets and inflationary periods to ensure it can endure volatility. The result is a personalized, resilient income plan designed to fund your lifestyle for 20+ years, through varying market conditions and across your retirement years.

PRIME stands for the five systematic risks inherent in any investment portfolio: Purchasing Power (inflation), Reinvestment (changing interest rates), Interest Rate (bond price fluctuations), Market (equity volatility), and Exchange (currency fluctuations). Building on Nobel Prize-winning modern portfolio theory, we construct globally diversified portfolios designed to reduce unsystematic risk through deliberate diversification, leaving only PRIME risks—which we then manage through strategic asset allocation, continuous monitoring, and disciplined rebalancing aligned with your Investment Policy Statement.

Absolutely. We provide comprehensive estate planning guidance, focusing on organizing account titling, beneficiary designations, tax-efficient asset distribution, and multi-account structuring. We review your existing documents (wills, trusts, powers of attorney) for consistency and alignment, then work with you to minimize taxes, avoid probate, and ensure your wealth reaches the people and causes you care about efficiently and gracefully. When complex planning instruments are needed, we collaborate seamlessly with qualified estate attorneys.

We treat your taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts as one cohesive ecosystem, analyzing which 'bucket' should fund each year's income to minimize taxes over your lifetime. Strategies include Roth conversions during low-income years, tax-loss harvesting to offset gains, strategic withdrawal sequencing, Qualified Charitable Distributions to satisfy RMDs tax-free, and coordinated estate gifting. Every decision is modeled under current IRS rules and aligned with your broader financial plan to ensure your wealth works smarter and lasts longer.

Legacy planning at Sentinel goes beyond control—it's about character, values, and education. We help families articulate their values, design staged inheritance structures, and establish guardrails that protect both wealth and relationships. Our process often includes a 'pilot' program—a small, supervised pool of assets that allows beneficiaries to practice stewardship before full inheritance. We also address real-world risks like divorce, debt, and mismanagement, while honoring your philanthropic or faith-based intentions. The goal is to empower heirs, not enable them, ensuring your values continue as a living reflection of purpose and love.

Yes. We've supported 20+ families long-term with 25 years of dedicated experience serving families requiring lifelong care. Our planning intentionally addresses the unique financial, legal, and care coordination challenges these families face. We work closely with special needs attorneys and care planners to structure trusts, coordinate government benefits, and design sustainable funding strategies that provide security and dignity for loved ones who depend on long-term support. This service is personal, compassionate, and built to last across generations.

Our ongoing support is proactive, not reactive. Clients typically meet with their advisor at least annually for comprehensive plan reviews, but we also reach out for mid-year check-ins, tax planning sessions, and strategy updates as markets or life circumstances change. Your portfolio is monitored continuously for style drift and rebalancing opportunities, and you have direct access to your advisor by phone or email. We're available Monday through Friday, 9 AM to 5 PM (closing at 3 PM on Fridays), with offices across Connecticut, Maryland, and the Northeast to provide personal, local service whenever you need it.