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How Covenant Wealth Advisors Helped a Couple in Their 60s Build a Plan for Retirement [Case Study]

  • Writer: Mark Fonville, CFP®
    Mark Fonville, CFP®
  • Oct 14, 2022
  • 3 min read

Updated: Oct 19, 2022




Michael and Lisa haven’t set their retirement date.


It’s not because they aren’t on track to retire. Rather, they just haven’t decided if or when they want to leave their careers.


Michael is a busy executive and Lisa is a respected physician. Luckily for both of them, they both still get satisfaction from their jobs. Even better, their work continues to provide purpose and meaning to their lives.


They’ve worked hard over the past twenty years in their respective roles and they aren’t quite ready to abandon their passions just because they are nearing their 60s.


For them, their problem isn’t addressing past mistakes with their money, as they’ve accomplished a lot and made many smart decisions:


  • Producing high six-figure salaries and compensation

  • Fully contributing to retirement accounts and other investments

  • Building a nice cash reserve for emergencies

  • Paying down debt on a small mortgage

  • Protecting their income and wealth with the right types of insurance


So what’s the challenge?


Michael and Lisa have this nagging feeling that they may be missing some key details. Do they have the right plan for them?


The recurring theme is that they don’t know what they don’t know.


Michael and Lisa have always depended on their staff at work. Yet, they’ve never hired anyone to help guide their personal money decisions.


As they near the next chapter of life…they realize they need a specialist to help them build out the best strategy for their money. That includes finding someone who can help them reduce taxes leading up to and through retirement.


Michael and Lisa are certainly in no hurry to retire, but they want to know what the future holds.


THE APPROACH


Michael and Lisa understood that retirement would be one of the most expensive decisions they would make, which is why they wanted advice from a Certified Financial Planner who specialized in retirement planning.


They are also busy. There simply doesn’t seem to be enough time and they don’t want to get tied up trying to figure everything out on their own.


THE RESULTS


When Michael and Lisa found the right Certified Financial Planner, they were concerned about their investments. But, they also wanted help with their total financial life, including taxes.


A comprehensive road map was put together that met all their needs:

  • A tax-efficient investment strategy to reduce risk and improve expected returns.

  • Lower investment costs.

  • Improved mix of investments to better align with their goals.

  • A smart, sustainable rebalancing strategy.

  • Reduction of income taxes through charitable giving, Roth IRA conversions, social security timing, and more.

  • A tax-efficient IRA funding strategy.

  • They also adopted an easy-to-use personal money website, helping them organize their financial life and gain clarity.


Michael and Lisa now enjoy the clarity and peace of mind that comes from having a personalized financial plan for their future.


They now have more confidence and mental freedom to dedicate toward the lifestyle they want. It also helps knowing they have options when it comes to retirement.


Disclosure:


Case studies presented are purely hypothetical examples only and do not represent actual clients or results. These studies are provided for educational purposes only. Similar, or even positive results, cannot be guaranteed. Each client has their own unique set of circumstances so products and strategies may not by suitable for all people. Please consult with a qualified professional before implementing any strategy discussed herein. No portion of these case studies is to be interpreted as a testimonial or endorsement of the firms' investment advisory services.


Covenant Wealth Advisors is a registered investment advisor with offices in Richmond and Williamsburg, VA. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns. Investing involves risk and possible loss of principal capital.

The views and opinions expressed in this content are as of the date of the posting, are subject to change based on market and other conditions. This content contains certain statements that may be deemed forward-looking statements. Please note that any such statements are not guarantees of any future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected.


Please note that nothing in this content should be construed as an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase an interest in any security or separate account. Nothing is intended to be, and you should not consider anything to be, investment, accounting, tax, or legal advice. If you would like accounting, tax, or legal advice, you should consult with your own accountants or attorneys regarding your individual circumstances and needs. No advice may be rendered by Covenant Wealth Advisors unless a client service agreement is in place.


 
 

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Awards and Recognition

Inc. 5000 America's Fastest Growing Companies - Covenant Wealth Advisors was nominated by Inc. 5000 on Tuesday, August 12, 2025 as one America's fastest growing private companies. Companies on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list are ranked according to their percentage revenue growth over three years, from 2021 to 2024. To qualify, companies must be privately held, for-profit, based in the U.S., and independent (not subsidiaries or divisions of other companies) as of December 31, 2024. Since then, some companies on the list may have gone public or been acquired. Companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2021. The minimum revenue requirement is $100,000 for 2021 and $2 million for 2024. CWA compensated Inc. 5000 for licensing rights to use this nomination in advertising materials. All honorees must pass Inc.’s editorial review. See full methodology.

Newsweek / Plant-A-Insights Group — America’s Top Financial Advisory Firms 2026 - Covenant Wealth Advisors was nominated by Newsweek/Plant-A-Insights Group in November of 2025 as one of America’s Top Financial Advisory Firms for 2026. You may access the nomination methodology disclosure here and a list of financial advisory firms selected. CWA compensated Newsweek/Plant-A-Insights Group for licensing rights to use this nomination in advertising materials. This nomination was granted by an organization that is not a CWA client.

 

Newsweek / Plant-A-Insights Group — America’s Top Financial Advisory Firms 2025 - Covenant Wealth Advisors was nominated by Newsweek/Plant-A-Insights Group in November of 2024 as one of America’s Top Financial Advisory Firms for 2025. You may access the nomination methodology disclosure here and a list of financial advisory firms selected. CWA compensated Newsweek/Plant-A-Insights Group for licensing rights to use this nomination in advertising materials. This nomination was granted by an organization that is not a CWA client.

Forbes / Shook Research — Best-In-State Wealth Advisor 2025Mark Fonville was nominated for the Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisor 2025 ranking for Virginia in April of 2025, based on data evaluated during the 12-month period ending June 30, 2024. Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisor full ranking disclosure. Read more about Forbes ranking and methodology here. CWA compensated Forbes/Shook Research for licensing rights to use this nomination in advertising materials. This nomination was granted by an organization that is not a CWA client.

 

USA Today / Statista — 2025 Ranking USA Today’s 2025 ranking is compiled by Statista and based on the growth of the companies’ assets under management (AUM) over the short and long term and the number of recommendations they received from clients and peers. Covenant was selected on March 19th, 2025. CWA compensated USA Today/Statista for licensing rights to use this ranking in advertising materials. See USA Today state ranking here. See USA Today methodology here. See USA Today for more information. This ranking was granted by an organization that is not a CWA client.


​RichmondBizSense — #1 Fastest Growing Company (2020)CWA was awarded the #1 fastest growing company by RichmondBizSense on October 8th, 2020 based on three-year annual revenue growth ending December 31st, 2019. To qualify for the annual RVA 25, companies must be privately-held, headquartered in the Richmond region and able to submit financials for the last three full calendar years. Submissions were vetted by Henrico-based accounting firm Keiter. No compensation was provided to RichmondBizSense in connection with this ranking. This ranking reflects historical growth during the 2017–2019 period and is not indicative of current or future performance.

Expertise.com — Best Financial Advisors (2026) - Expertise.com selected Covenant Wealth Advisors as one of the best financial advisors in Williamsburg, VA and best financial advisors in Richmond, VA for 2026, last updated as of this disclosure on March 12, 2026. Expertise.com's selection process evaluates providers across five criteria: (1) Availability — confirming the provider's service area and accessibility; (2) Qualifications — validating licenses, certifications, and professional accreditations; (3) Reputation — analyzing review data across public records, including volume, average scores, and rating consistency; (4) Experience — assessing primary area of expertise, variety of services offered, and years in practice; and (5) Professionalism — conducting mystery shopping calls to evaluate knowledgeability, friendliness, and responsiveness. Expertise.com researches more than 60,000 businesses monthly across over 200 industries. CWA compensated Expertise.com for advertising on their platform in connection with use of this rating. This selection was made by an organization that is not a CWA client.

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