About Rich Arzaga, CFP®, CCIM

Financial decisions shouldn't be made in isolation. A decision involving a rental property can change your taxes, retirement income, cash flow, risk and estate plan. An investment decision can change what makes sense with your real estate.

The objective is to understand how the pieces work together and whether they support what you want your money to accomplish.

I don't manage your investments or have financial products to sell. The starting point is your circumstances, resources, goals, preferences and priorities, not a product or an investment account.

When real estate represents a meaningful part of your wealth, it shouldn't sit outside the financial plan. We can consider its cash flow, equity, debt, taxes, return, risk, management demands and alternatives alongside everything else you own.

And that analysis needs to go deeper than property value and gross rent.

Over years of analyzing client-owned real estate, I've repeatedly found differences between the performance owners believe they're receiving and what a deeper review of the numbers shows. I call this The 5% Real Estate Performance Gap®, the potential spread between perceived and actual performance created by optimistic assumptions, untracked or irregular costs, and the absence of consistent performance measurement.

In my client work, I've often found that difference to be 5 percentage points or more. The percentage may sound small. The long-term financial consequence may not be, particularly when substantial equity and decades of ownership are involved.

Understanding that difference is one of the reasons I believe real estate analysis belongs inside comprehensive financial planning rather than beside it.

I intentionally maintain a boutique practice and work with a limited number of planning clients at a time. That allows me to give you and your financial questions the time, attention and thoughtful analysis they deserve.

Our first conversations are about more than collecting financial data. I want to understand the help you're seeking, the questions you want answered, what matters most to you and what you want your resources to make possible.

I'll also look for risks, opportunities and connections you may not have recognized yourself.

I'll question assumptions, evaluate alternatives and dig into the details when they matter. When investment real estate is involved, that may mean going beneath the numbers initially provided to understand the property's actual cash flow and performance, then bringing that analysis into the financial plan through The Real Estate Income Lab®.

And if I don't know an answer, I'll tell you. I'll research it, consult appropriate resources when necessary and come back with a thoughtful response rather than pretend to know something I don't.

You shouldn't simply receive a list of recommendations.

I want you to understand what I recommend, why I recommend it, what alternatives we considered, and how the decision may affect the rest of your financial life.

If something requires more explanation, we'll spend more time on it.

A financial plan should lead to action.

You'll receive an executive summary and prioritized recommendations identifying important decisions, next steps and, when appropriate, the professionals needed to help implement them.

Good advice sometimes crosses professional boundaries.

With your authorization, I can coordinate as appropriate with your tax professional, attorney, investment advisor, insurance professional, real estate professional, trustee and other specialists so that decisions aren't being made without consideration of the broader financial picture.

Your personal and financial information will be kept confidential and safeguarded using appropriate security practices and technology.

I also believe responsiveness matters. I strive to return phone calls within one business day and emails within two business days, and to schedule our meetings with enough continuity to keep the work moving forward.

This isn't simply a regulatory standard to me. It's the principle that led me into financial planning in the first place:

Your interests come first.

Help me understand your complete financial picture, goals, concerns and priorities. The better I understand what matters to you, the better the advice I can provide.

Good analysis depends on good information. I'll need you to provide requested documents and information as accurately and promptly as reasonably possible.

Respond to reasonable requests, emails and questions so that we can keep the work moving forward.

If something isn't clear, you disagree or you want to explore another alternative, tell me. You should understand and be comfortable with the decisions you ultimately make.

Good planning may confirm what you're already doing, or reveal a better alternative. Be willing to consider the evidence before deciding.

If something important changes in your financial life, family, goals or circumstances while we're working together, let me know.

I'll help you understand your choices and make recommendations. The decisions are ultimately yours, and financial advice creates its greatest value when good decisions are put into action.