Do You Know How Much You Need To Be Financially Secure?
True Root Financial is a fee only financial advisor and financial planner based in San Francisco, CA. We serve clients across the globe.
Let’s be honest, financial insecurity isn’t just about not making enough money. Even high earners in tech, with impressive salaries, RSUs, bonuses, and investment portfolios, often feel uncertain when it comes to their own financial picture. They’re working hard, saving diligently, and investing smartly, but still find themselves asking:
- Am I saving enough?
- Can I take time off without sabotaging my future?
- Could I afford to switch jobs or retire early without stress?
- What does “financially secure” even mean for me?
These are important, deeply personal questions. And too often, they go unanswered.
If you are a tech professional interested in learning how we can help you claim your financial independence by investing wisely, minimizing taxes, and maximizing your equity compensation, please book a no-obligation call here.
Key Takeaways:
- Financial clarity starts with knowing exactly where you stand
- A lifetime cash flow plan helps you map out income, expenses, and goals
- Stress-testing your plan prepares you for market downturns and life changes
- With a clear plan, you can make confident, informed financial decisions
At True Root Financial, we believe the first step towards true financial security is clarity. You need to know where you stand before you can confidently plan where you’re going. That’s why our very first step with every client is to build what we call a lifetime cash flow plan.
Watch the video below where we explain what the very first key step is to building a financial life that’s resilient, customized, and empowering:
Think of it like a map of your financial journey from today through retirement and beyond. Not a vague estimate, but a clear, detailed model of your income, expenses, savings, taxes, and major life events all plotted out to age 90 or even 100.
Why Even High Earners Feel Financially “In the Dark”
It’s a common misconception that earning more automatically means you’re set. But in reality, a high income often comes with higher stakes: equity compensation, complex tax situations, larger mortgages, private school tuition, and ambitious goals like early retirement or starting a company.
Without a plan, it can feel like flying blind.
You may be saving aggressively but still wonder, “Is it enough?” Or you may be working nonstop in a demanding job, secretly wishing you could take a sabbatical, but feeling trapped by the unknown.
That’s where your financial map comes in. It’s the foundation for informed, confident decision-making.
What a Lifetime Cash Flow Plan Actually Looks Like
When we build a lifetime cash flow plan for a client, we take into account every piece of your financial life:
- What’s coming in: salary, bonuses, RSUs, vested stock, dividends, side income, rental income.
- What’s going out: rent or mortgage, insurance, living expenses, travel, childcare, taxes, student loans.
- What you’re saving or investing: 401(k), brokerage accounts, ESPPs, IRAs, savings for future goals.
- What’s on the horizon: buying a home, starting a business, moving cities, taking a career break, having children, paying for college, or transitioning into retirement.
The result? A year-by-year projection of your cash flow and net worth over your lifetime. It shows where you’re headed based on your current path, and what needs to change if your goals are different.
Real-Life Example: Turning Dreams Into Plans
One of our clients, a woman in her mid-30s working in tech in San Francisco, had a long-time dream of starting a nonprofit. She loved her work but felt a deeper calling and wanted to make an impact. Her big question: Could she afford to take time off and pursue this dream, without blowing up her financial future?
We ran her numbers. With her current savings rate, investments, and expected RSU vesting schedule, she could afford to take two full years off. We made a few small adjustments—dialed back some discretionary spending, fine-tuned her tax strategy, and rebalanced her investment risk.
The result? Not only could she take the break, but she was also still on track to retire early if she chose to. Armed with that knowledge, she moved forward with confidence, and her nonprofit is now thriving.
Building Resilience Into Your Plan
Of course, the future is unpredictable. What if the market crashes? What if there’s a recession or a war? What if tax laws shift in a way that affects your equity compensation?
We don’t just build your plan for the “best-case” scenario. We stress-test it against a wide range of outcomes:
- A major stock market downturn
- Recessions with job loss or lower RSU payouts
- Higher inflation and rising costs
- Unexpected health issues or family responsibilities
- Changes in tax policy that impact your income or investments
By modeling these scenarios, we help you build a plan that’s not just optimistic, but resilient. So even if turbulence hits, you’re not scrambling, you’ve already planned for it.
Think of Your Finances Like Piloting a Plane
Flying a plane without a clear flight path would be unthinkable. You need to know your fuel levels, your destination, and your backup options in case of turbulence.
Your financial life is no different. You’re the pilot, but you need a flight plan.
We help you:
- Understand how long your money will last
- See how different choices affect your future (like buying a home vs. renting, or working longer vs. retiring early)
- Make intentional decisions about spending, saving, and investing
- Gain peace of mind that you’re not missing anything critical
From “I Hope” to “I Know”
One of the most powerful results of this process is a shift in mindset. Clients often come to us saying, “I hope I can afford to do X someday.” But after working through the numbers and seeing their full picture laid out, that “hope” becomes something more powerful:
- “I now know exactly what I need.”
- “I know how much flexibility I have.”
- “I know what changes to make to get where I want to go.”
Financial confidence doesn’t come from how much you earn. It comes from knowing where you stand and having a roadmap to where you want to be.
Financial Clarity Makes Every Other Decision Easier
Once you know what you need to live your ideal life, all the other financial decisions get easier:
- Should you sell your RSUs this year or next?
- How aggressive should your investments be?
- Can you afford to relocate or switch to part-time work?
- How much should you save each year?
When you have a plan, these choices aren’t stressful anymore, they’re strategic.
So, What Does Financial Security Mean to You?
It’s different for everyone. For some, it’s retiring at 55. For others, it’s starting a business, buying a vacation home, or simply having the option to walk away from a stressful job.
But the question remains: How much do you need to feel financially secure?
And more importantly: Do you know where you stand today and what steps to take to get there?
At True Root Financial, our mission is to help high-earning professionals turn uncertainty into clarity and dreams into well-planned realities. You don’t have to guess. You don’t have to fly blind. And you definitely don’t have to do it alone.
Your Next Steps:
Ready to find out how much you need and how close you already are? Let’s map out your journey together. Book a call with us and take the first step toward financial clarity.
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