Process Step 1

Request an Introduction

By requesting an introduction, our team will call you and spend fifteen minutes discussing what you're looking to accomplish and whether our firm is a good solution for you.

• You'll leave this call knowing our process and have any of your initial questions answered.
• If it makes sense for us to continue the conversation, we’ll move to Step 2.

Process Step 2

In-Person (or Virtual) Meeting

The next step is to meet so we can get​ crystal clear on what exactly we're solving for. We'll guide you through a series of questions and discuss some strategy from a high level.

We strongly believe in diagnosing before prescribing, so we first need to understand what you're trying to achieve. By the end of this meeting, we hope you have a clear picture of our expertise and how we'll assist you moving forward.

• We'll request certain documents (tax return, statements, budgets) beforehand to aid in our conversation.
• We encourage both spouses to attend to be a part of the process.
• We'll highlight opportunities to help you optimize your investments, lower your future taxes, and hone in on your legacy goals.

After the meeting on your own time, you can decide if Birchwood is a good fit for your situation. There's never a "hard sell" or any pressure to move forward with us.

Process Step 3

Welcome to Birchwood!

You've decided to come on board, so we'll begin our 3-phase 'Blueprint' process with you. It is a process-driven approach to help you manage your family wealth.

Roots | Cash Flow & Wealth Alignment

Your wealth exists to support the life you want to live - not the other way around.

• In this first strategy session, we’ll develop a comprehensive understanding of your financial life, including earned income, portfolio income, spending needs, charitable goals, and future capital decisions.
• Together, we’ll evaluate what cash flow will support your desired lifestyle today while preserving flexibility for the future.

This becomes the foundation for every planning decision that follows.

Sequoia | Investment Strategy & Tax Optimization

Once we understand your cash flow needs and long-term objectives, we can determine what your portfolio needs to accomplish to support the income, and just as importantly, what it does not need to do.

• We’ll build a thoughtful, evidence-based investment strategy designed around your life, not market speculation.
• We’ll also analyze opportunities to improve after-tax outcomes through portfolio structure, withdrawal sequencing, asset location, Roth conversion analysis, and other advanced tax planning strategies.

Our goal is to simplify decision-making while improving long-term outcomes.

Canopy | Risk Management & Estate Coordination

Significant wealth introduces added risks.

• In our final strategy session, we’ll review your insurance coverage, liability exposure, and broader risk management framework to ensure your wealth is properly protected.
• We’ll also evaluate your estate planning documents and coordinate how your trusts, beneficiaries, tax considerations, and legacy goals work together.

The objective is clarity: ensuring every piece of your financial life is aligned, intentional, and coordinated.