The Capital Readiness Review™
A phase-gate framework that sequences the household balance sheet for Aerospace & Defense and high-tech professionals: built on the same phase-gate review logic used to certify a system before it goes to production.
Four phases. Eight gates. Defined criteria instead of opinions.
Most planning advice is a checklist of good ideas with no ordering. Sequence is usually what fails, not instrument selection: a private-market commitment made before liquid reserves exist, or a complex tax structure layered over unresolved high-interest debt. Technical professionals are handed unusually rich benefit menus and unusually many simultaneously plausible next moves. The question worth answering is which decision does not depend on something still unverified.
Three Controls, No Opinions
Written in advance, so the standard does not move to fit a decision already made.
Measurable checks against a statement, policy, or pay stub, not judgment calls.
A recorded decision, with the specific failed parameter identified when status is red.
If a household wants to commit to private equity before funding reserves and income protection, Gate 4.0 returns red: the decision becomes objective.
The Gates in Order
One line per gate. A gate opens only when its criterion is verified.
Foundational Design Review
Cash flow stability
Verified positive cash flow over a rolling 90-day window.
Employer match and benefits
Capture 100% employer match, replace high-fee defaults, audit baseline beneficiaries.
Critical Design Review
High-interest debt
Eliminate non-mortgage liabilities above roughly 7-8% via automated avalanche sweeps.
Operating margin and risk transfer
Three to six months cash reserves in Treasury vehicles, paired with own-occupation disability and umbrella liability protection.
System Verification Review
Tax-advantaged maximization
Triple-tax-advantaged HSA, coordinated FSA/529 plans, clean Backdoor and Mega Backdoor Roth conversions.
Asset location and taxable brokerage
Multi-account asset location, direct indexing loss harvesting, scheduled employer stock de-risking, and DAF charitable gifting.
Full-Rate Production and Sustainment
Alternatives and private markets
5x liquid net worth coverage and dedicated capital call cash buffer verified before any commitment.
Estate architecture and transfer
Synchronized foundational estate baseline (Trust/Will/DPOA), concentrated stock CRUT transfer, and advanced irrevocable trust modeling.
Framed by Stage, Not Net Worth
The Accumulator
Early to mid-career, building the foundation.
Cash flow discipline, match capture, debt payoff, cash reserves, and income protection.
Focus: Gates 1.0-4.0
The Optimizer
Mid-career with meaningful taxable assets and no high-interest debt.
Roth pipeline mechanics, FSA/529 coordination, asset location, RSU de-risking, and direct indexing tax alpha.
Focus: Gates 5.0-6.0
The Legacy Architect
Later career, concentrated equity positions, thinking about multi-generational transfer.
Illiquidity controls, charitable remainder unitrusts, and estate architecture.
Focus: Gates 7.0-8.0
Two Mandates, Stated Up Front
Integrated financial planning to map and certify the gates, plus investment management to execute the portfolio mechanics.
Investment management is 0.75% of assets under management annually, billed monthly in arrears. Planning is available as ongoing wealth planning or as a focused project-based engagement.
Three Steps to a Status Report
Discovery and baseline certification
We map your current picture against all eight gates and issue a red/yellow/green status report.
First 30 days
Activate Gates 1 and 2.
Quarterly
Re-check parameters, update status, frame the next go/no-go decision.
Ready to see how this framework operates in practice?
The Client Experience page describes the journey of working together. This page describes the standard your balance sheet is measured against.