Abbey, age 55, is a long-time employee of a large, Boston biotech company with a groundbreaking new drug.

Who she is: She is the proud Mom to three grown children, a pickleball wizard, and an adventurous European traveler.

What she wants: With a significant stock climb and a fast-approaching sabbatical from work, Abbey was concerned about how to generate short-term income and how to handle her company stock, which now accounts for 40% of her net worth.

Abbey was unfamiliar with financial and tax laws.  Since her divorce, she always relied on a friend to file her taxes.  She paid her fair share of taxes and was always surprised that she owed a significant amount at tax time.

A friend at work told Abbey about Perennial Edge and the help they provided over her last couple years in ‘getting organized.’  She felt at peace with the direction of her finances and recommended Abbey have a conversation with their team.

Abbey dove headfirst into the Insights on Perennial’s website and was able to schedule an Introductory Video conference with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER just days later.  They talked about various topics, including preparing finances for a sabbatical, attainable financial independence goal setting, the basics of an estate plan, and how to sell some company stock without incurring a massive tax bill.

Today, Abbey has a clear direction and regular support for the many annual tasks needed to manage her increasingly complex situation.  She understands the why of certain changes now, and regularly collaborates with her financial advisory team at Perennial and a great, local CPA that Perennial introduced to her.

Laura, age 44, was born in Spain and moved to the US to pursue a PhD.  She works at a mid-size, Somerville healthcare company.  Mike is a real estate consultant generating significant income.

Who they are: Laura vegetable gardens and is the leading scorer on her adult hockey team.  Mike is a fitness fanatic who moonlights as the cleanup hitter on his adult baseball team.  They both love to play golf and despise the Boston Winters.

What they want: They want to keep more of what earn so they can add a few more weeks to their winter trips to Naples, FL.  They despise taxes and are looking for creative ways of minimizing them.

Mike and Laura met regularly with their advisor in the past; however, they have not seen or heard from him since he switched companies two years ago.  This prompted Mike to reach out to his friends to see what advisory firm they would recommend that has a strong tax background.  One friend recommended Perennial Edge, not because he was a client, yet because he introduced others to them and has received great feedback.  “If I didn’t manage my own finances, I’d use them.”

Mike called Perennial the next day and booked their Introductory Meeting with a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER in Burlington for the following month.  At the appointment, Laura and Mike both outlined what they want in the perfect advisor, focusing much of their time on the tax return that they brought.  The planner mentioned two different types of investment accounts that could save tax dollars and outlined how the collaborative relationship with the office might work.  Mike and Laura left the meeting excited and assured that they had landed in the right spot.

Over the next three months, they met and talked regularly with Perennial Edge on various aspects of their plan, pulling in a CPA to help with some of the discussions.  Once their spending plan and short-term goals were refined, they started implementing the plan.

Today, Mike and Laura communicate regularly with their advisor on both financial and career-oriented decisions.  Perennial reaches out throughout the year to remind them to fund certain accounts and engage in regular ‘strategy sessions’ where they discuss their assets, plans, and tax efficient strategies to address their goals.

Brian, age 59, started his own multifamily real estate portfolio thirty years ago, regularly adding units over the years until he was forced to quit his job as Director of Commercial Lending at the bank.

Who he is: Brian is a loyal Rotarian that takes the lead during the turkey giveaway each November.  He also is a scratch golfer that spends as of the Summer at his local country club.

What he wants: He wants to sell all of the 100 unit he acquired over the years to prepare for his future traveling Europe and settling into his Naples, FL home for a few more weeks a year.

Brian heard of something called a 1031 like-kind, tax strategy in the past.  He mentioned it to his CPA who had just read an article on them in Perennial Edge’s blog.  The CPA personally introduced Brian to a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER the very next day.

An initial conversation happened that allowed Brian to gather some facts about “like-kind exchanges.”  A month later, they re-convened and went through a Fact Finding session, where the CFP was able to identify three other potential tax strategies that Brian could employ before selling his portfolio of real estate.  Brian left the meeting nervous about selling his entire real estate portfolio, yet assured that he had the right professionals to implement such a significant change.

Over the next year, they conversed with Perennial Edge frequently on the real estate sale progress. Their CFP was able to organize other professionals, like an intermediary, CPA, and attorney, to get everyone on the same page for the benefit of Brian and his family.  After the first sale, it was all downhill, as each sale fell like dominoes.

Today, Brian spends more time than he ever could have imagined in Naples and Europe with friends and family.  He has picked up woodworking as a hobby and is grateful to get a regular check from his newfound, diversified portfolio of real estate and other assets.

Carol, age 45, is recently divorced and shares custody of her three children with her ex-husband.  She is in the process of rebuilding her wealth as the Chief Technology Officer of a global financial services company.

Who she is: Carol is a photographer and bird watcher that travels New England in the Spring months and summers in Cape Cod with her extended family.

What she wants: She wants a plan to buy out her parents Cape house in a manner that will be agreeable to her sister.  She also wants to discuss waht she should be thinking of after agreeing to the divorce decree.

Carol mentioned she was in the market for some help and Victor, her divorce attorney and Perennial Edge client for ten years, personally introduced her to Dennis, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER.

Carol gathered some facts and brought a list of questions to the initial appointment.  A couple weeks later, Carol was ready to start “getting organized and focused” on rebuilding her finances.  Dennis identified one major tax strategy that she could implement and they were off to the races, identifying several other areas for improving the investment overlap in the portfolio.

Over the first several years, they conversed with Perennial Edge team members regularly.  Most recently, Dennis was able to facilitate an estate attorney discussion, whereby Carol could ask questions and get her post-divorce documents and beneficiaries in order.

Today, Carol is at peace with the direction of her finances.  Although she gets overly concerned during periods of market volatility, Dennis is there to keep her disciplined and focused on her long-term goals.  She spends more time than she ever could have imagined with her parents, sister, and children at their Cape house and finally captured a picture of that elusive snowy owl at a Dennisport beach this past February.