Most people do NOT need someone to manage their money—they need good sound investment advice they can self-implement. Passive index investing is shockingly easy & has proven year-after-year to outperform active investing. I help clients consolidate their accounts, quantify how much investment risk they can afford, and provide straightforward account-by-account investment recommendations.

I provide advice-only comprehensive and hourly financial planning to people throughout the country across all stages of life & asset levels.

My clients are action-oriented, self-motivated, disciplined & curious. They seek professional objective advice for a fee & are comfortable self-implementing a well-thought-out action plan. I have worked with hundreds of clients, across all age ranges and levels of assets.

I provide exceptional value to clients planning for major life transitions, including around retirement, career, real estate, children, health & inheritances.

My main conflict of interest is that I want you to buy my services, again and again. Since I am advice-only, I do NOT directly implement any of my recommendations for my clients nor do I receive any commissions, asset-based fees, or referral fees. You pay me for my professional opinion, period. If your investments go up or down, you accumulate or payoff debt, you buy or sell property, you buy or cancel insurance, you execute your estate plan or not, etc. I get paid the same flat fee.

Conventional planning asks you to GUESS how much you will spend in retirement and then formulates its recommendations accordingly. Economics-based planning uses facts and common sense to SOLVE for how much you can afford to spend now and throughout retirement. For more information, watch this video.

I’m a Certified Financial Planner™ professional, PhD economist and member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. I have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal and more. I have constructed and delivered countless financial plans to clients throughout the country across all stages of life and asset levels. I’m an expert in economics-based financial planning and frequently collaborate with Laurence Kotlikoff, professor of economics at Boston University and founder of MaxiFi Planner. I have been through a host of important financial (and non-financial) milestones in life that help me connect with my clients on a very personal level.

Yes, I am happy to refer you directly to a current client when you are in your final stages of selecting a financial planner. Note that I must first get approval from the client.

I lay out a clear action plan for what you need to accomplish to meet your goals (see below). I then connect you with other independent professionals where appropriate, answer plan-related questions as they arise, and offer guidance as you work through your action items.

I am entirely virtual and run client meetings via Zoom. This allows me to work with clients throughout the country. It also makes for a very streamlined and effective planning process. Live locally and want to meet for coffee…let me know.

I, Jay Abolofia, am the sole owner and employee of Lyon Financial Planning. You will work directly with me, from beginning to end. My daughters do however provide some lovely artwork for my office, and often feature in my newsletter :-)

I begin most engagements with a comprehensive plan, billed as a one-time flat fee depending on complexity. I then offer ongoing support, typically via a flat hourly fee, depending on your needs. See my table of fees for details. I will provide a personalized quote after asking you just a few questions on our introductory call.

If you’re looking for targeted advice, I provide real-time hourly financial planning. These sessions serve as a sanity check for those looking for tactical advice and help with getting their financial house in order. They are also particularly helpful for users of MaxiFi Planner seeking expert guidance to optimize their own financial plans. See below for more details.

I advise you on your need for insurance, review your current coverage, and educate you about different products. This may include health, life, disability, long-term care, annuities, liability and property insurance. I do NOT sell insurance and refer my clients to an independent broker or fee-for-service consultant where appropriate.

I optimize your plan by considering meaningful strategies to minimize lifetime taxes. This may involve optimizing tax-advantaged accounts, Roth conversions, retirement income distributions, charitable giving, etc. I am NOT a tax professional and refer my clients to a CPA where appropriate.

I help my clients understand the nuts and bolts of a sound estate plan and review their current plan. This involves your last will, financial power of attorney, health care proxy, trust(s), asset titling and beneficiary designations. I am NOT an attorney and refer my clients to an estate planner where appropriate.

I have yet to complete a financial plan where I don’t identify meaningful gaps in a clients planning. You don’t know what you don’t know. These are in no particular order.

1. Not having enough life and/or long-term disability insurance to protect loved ones

2. Holding too much or too little in cash

3. Not funding a living trust

4. Retaining unnecessary and expensive variable insurance products

5. Holding too much stock, beyond ones risk capacity

6. Spending (or saving) too much or too little, relative to what is affordable (or required)

7. Retaining highly appreciated individual stocks, to defer capital gains taxes

8. Buying and maintaining a home that is unaffordable, from a lifetime perspective

9. Not naming guardians for minor children in a last will

10. Not optimizing tax-advantaged retirement accounts, especially for the self-employed