Having $2 to $5 million saved is one thing. Feeling confident it will last is another.
No matter what you’ve saved, the real question is whether it turns into income for the rest of your retirement.
- See the whole pictureAll your accounts. One clear plan.
- Clarity in 30 daysFour guided meetings to build your plan.
- You’re in controlYour plan, built around your goals.
Here’s the difference.
- Accounts at three or four different places
- A balance on a statement
- Not sure which account to tap first
- Taxes you find out about in April
- A feeling it’s “probably enough”
- One plan that pulls every account together
- A monthly income plan you can count on
- Knowing what to draw from, and when
- A tax bill you saw coming
- Confidence it’s built to last, for you and your spouse
That confidence is what the Bonfire Method builds.
We flipped the usual order.
| The usual way | The Bonfire Method |
|---|---|
| Move your accounts first, then get a plan | Get your complete written plan first |
| See their work after you've committed | Work with us for a month before you decide |
| Ongoing fees start right away | One flat fee, credited back if you stay |
We're fiduciaries. Our advice has to be in your best interest, and we can't know what that is until we know where you are and where you want to go. The plan is how we find out.
You’ve spent 30 years collecting accounts, policies and paperwork.
Nobody has put them together.
Here’s what most people have spread across a dozen places.
- Old 401(k)s
- IRAs
- Brokerage accounts
- A pension
- An HSA
- An Inherited IRA
- Life insurance through work
- Life insurance on your own
- Home & Auto
- Umbrella
- Long-term care
- An old annuity
- Employer benefits
- Stock options or RSUs
- Deferred comp
- A will
- Beneficiary forms
- Old statements and logins
It usually takes a big life change to bring it all to the table:
The Bonfire Method puts every piece into one plan.
Four sessions. Four weeks. One clear path forward.
- Upload your documents. Through a secure portal, before we begin.
- Meet once a week for four weeks. In person or virtually. Between meetings, we do the analysis and connect the pieces.
- Get a recap after each meeting. Look back at it, or share it with your spouse, your CPA, or your attorney.
Meeting by meeting
Week 1 · Clarity & Goals
Week 2 · Taxes & Protection
Week 3 · Investments & Risk
Week 4 · Your Retirement Roadmap
Everything that comes with your plan.
You get six reports, all saved in your secure Bonfire Portal.
Tax & Protection Gap Report
It shows where you may be overpaying, underinsured, over-covered or missing an opportunity, and what to do about each one.
1040 Blueprint
We go through your tax return line by line and turn last year’s numbers into planning opportunities for the years ahead.
Estate Planning Worksheet
We review your wills, trusts, titling and beneficiaries and line them up with what you actually intend.
Alternatives Review
It’s an honest look at whether alternatives belong in your plan, and why or why not.
The Bonfire Blueprint
It puts every account, policy, document and key contact in one place, so you and your family know what you have, where it is and who to call.
Retirement Roadmap & Checklist
This is the master plan. It shows where you are, where you’re going and the specific steps that connect the two.
A Note From Brian, Our CEO
You saved for a life you want to live.
Maybe it’s taking the trip you’ve talked about for years. Spending more time with your family. Or leaving work while you still have the energy to enjoy what comes next.
You’ve worked toward that life for a long time. But as retirement gets closer, the decision can feel bigger than you expected.
For decades, you’ve earned a paycheck and put money away. Now you’re considering turning that paycheck off and asking your savings to support you for the rest of your life.
Even with a few million dollars saved, it’s understandable to hesitate.
So you keep working. Put off the trip. Keep saying, “Let’s give it another year.”
Read Brian's full note
Sometimes another year is the right decision. But “we need another year” and “we’re afraid to stop” can look the same from the outside. We want you to know which one it is, and whether you already have more freedom than you realize.
That’s why we built the Bonfire Method: to help you understand what’s possible, what needs attention and how to move forward.
And when we talk about your future, we’re thinking about the people who share it with you.
If you’re married and one of you handles most of the finances, you’ve probably wondered what would happen if that person were no longer there to take care of everything.
The person you love shouldn’t have to piece it all together while grieving.
Having your financial life organized matters. So does having someone to call who already knows your family, understands the plan and can help with the next step.
That’s the relationship I hope you build with our team. One that helps you enjoy the years ahead and gives you someone to turn to when life changes.
It begins with a conversation about what you’re looking forward to, what concerns you and what you’d like to feel more certain about.
You don’t need to have it all figured out before we talk. That’s why we talk.
Brian Colvert, CFP®Founder and CEO, Bonfire Financial
P.S. Your first step is a 30-minute call with one of our advisors. Bring your questions, big or small. Pick a time that works.
The team communicates honestly, openly, and authentically, which makes them easy to trust… Bonfire’s experience and broad knowledge have helped solve my complex financial situation and keep me moving toward my financial and retirement goals.
A Clear Plan. A Clear Price.
Your complete retirement income plan, built in four meetings over 30 days
- Pay in two installments. Half is due when we begin, and the remaining balance is due when your plan is complete and you are happy with it.
- Your planning fee goes further. If you choose ongoing management or consulting, your $4,500 fee is credited toward eligible fees over your first 12 months, as outlined in your advisory agreement.
- Your plan. Your decision. Everything we build together is yours to keep, whether you implement it yourself or continue working with Bonfire.
Bonfire Method FAQs
Another advisor offered me a free financial plan. Why should I pay for yours?
You wouldn’t want a doctor prescribing medication without doing the exam first. We believe financial advice should work the same way.
The Bonfire Method goes beyond investment recommendations to examine your entire financial picture, including taxes, retirement income, insurance, estate planning, and investments.
You’re paying for a comprehensive plan, not an investment sales pitch. The plan is yours to keep, and if you choose to continue with Bonfire, your planning fee is credited toward your ongoing planning or consulting fees.
What if we don’t continue with Bonfire afterward?
Your plan is yours to keep. If you’d like help putting it into action and keeping it current as life changes, you can continue with ongoing management or consulting, and your planning fee is credited back over your first year of fees.
How much of our time does it take?
Four 60-minute meetings, one each week, plus some upfront document gathering through your secure portal. We’ll ask you to come prepared and engaged, but we handle the analysis and heavy lifting between sessions.
Will you recommend changing everything we already have?
Not necessarily. We start by understanding what you own, why you own it, and how it fits into the bigger picture. Sometimes the right recommendation is to keep things exactly as they are.
When changes do make sense, we’ll show you the reasoning, tax impact, and order of operations before anything moves.
Do I need to move my accounts to Bonfire?
No. The Bonfire Method is a planning engagement first. You can keep your accounts where they are and decide what you want to do after the plan is complete.
What if we already have a CPA, attorney, or other advisor?
That’s fine. The goal is not to replace good professionals. It’s to make sure the decisions they’re helping with fit into one coordinated plan.
Your retirement strategy should be built around your life.
If you’re ready to see how taxes, income, investments, and the rest of the picture could work together, start with a conversation.