Business Details
10 Years
experience
Trusted Financial Advisers for Couples in Arlington, VA
Founded in 2016, Pacesetter Planning specializes in helping couples achieve financial harmony and life goals through personalized financial planning. Our approach combines certified financial planning expertise with financial therapy principles to address both the technical and emotional aspects of money management. With over 90 couples served, we focus on creating customized roadmaps that align with each couple's unique money values, habits, and life circumstances.Our team of certified professionals brings proven experience in debt elimination, retirement planning, and major life transitions, emphasizing transparent pricing and fiduciary responsibility. We operate virtually nationwide, prioritizing client education, proactive planning, and balanced strategies that strengthen both financial security and marital relationships.
Services
Financial Planning
Investment Planning
Tax Planning
Retirement Planning
Debt Management
Budgeting
Estate Planning
Student Loan Planning
Home Purchase Planning
Career Planning
Details
- Year established: 2016
Highlights and features
- We are a fee-only fiduciary financial planner with legal obligation to act in your best interest
- Specialize in helping couples with combined financial planning since 2016
- Combine financial planning expertise with financial therapy principles
- Offer customized strategies for debt elimination and wealth building
- Provide transparent pricing with no hidden fees or product commissions
Associations and certifications
- Certified Financial Planner (CFP)
- Certified Financial Therapist (CFT)
What people say
Improved financial communication
Debt eliminated
Achieved life goals
Personalized strategies
Strengthened marriage
Services
Financial Planning
Our comprehensive financial planning service creates customized roadmaps for couples to achieve their life goals. We analyze your complete financial picture to develop strategies for debt management, retirement planning, and wealth building while addressing relationship dynamics around money. This service includes ongoing support to adapt plans as life circumstances change.
Investment Planning
We implement passive investment strategies using low-cost index funds and ETFs tailored to couples' financial goals. Our approach focuses on long-term growth through diversified portfolios while maintaining strict rebalancing rules. We help couples understand investment choices and how they align with their shared financial objectives.
Debt Management
Our debt management service develops personalized paydown strategies for couples facing student loans or other debts. We create structured plans that balance debt elimination with other financial goals while addressing emotional aspects of debt. This includes income-driven repayment analysis and public service loan forgiveness evaluation.
Retirement Planning
We help couples plan for retirement through personalized projections and savings strategies. Our service includes analyzing 401(k), IRA, and pension options while balancing retirement goals with other life priorities. We provide ongoing monitoring to ensure retirement timelines and savings targets remain on track.
Budgeting
Our budgeting service creates sustainable financial frameworks for couples through collaborative cash flow management. We develop customized systems for tracking expenses, setting savings targets, and managing irregular costs while addressing different spending personalities and financial communication challenges.
People
Bill Nelson
Founder
Bill Nelson founded Pacesetter Planning in 2016 after recognizing the unique financial challenges faced by couples. As a Certified Financial Planner and Certified Financial Therapist, he combines technical expertise with relationship-focused counseling. With over 90 couples helped, Bill specializes in transforming financial stress into marital strength through personalized planning strategies.
Questions
What specific services do you offer for couples?
We provide comprehensive financial planning for couples including budgeting, debt management, investment planning, retirement strategies, and major life transition planning tailored to relationship dynamics.
How are you different from other financial planners?
We specialize exclusively in working with couples, combining certified financial planning with financial therapy principles to address both technical and emotional aspects of money management.
Do you work with clients outside the Washington DC area?
Yes, we work with couples across the United States through virtual meetings using secure video conferencing technology for all client interactions.
What is your investment philosophy?
We use passive, low-cost investment strategies with index funds and ETFs focused on long-term growth, maintaining strict rebalancing rules while avoiding market timing or speculative approaches.
How do you help couples with different financial attitudes?
We implement communication strategies and financial frameworks that respect different money personalities while creating unified plans that address both partners' concerns and priorities.
What is your fee structure?
Our starting rate is $7,200 annually for comprehensive financial planning, which includes initial plan creation, ongoing implementation support, and annual reviews with customized adjustments as needed.
