Know My Plan

Helping clients maintain, build, & transfer their wealth to their loved ones or charities. Financial planning doesn't have to be overly complicated. You don't have to do it alone. I enjoy working with clients who want to build a financial plan together thru a deep understanding of your goals both while working, in retirement, and beyond.

All investment advice is offered through Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™

SunTrust Investment Services, Inc.

VP, Financial Advisor

Financial Advisor

Licensed Financial Sales Consultant 2

I’m a Financial Planner that helps Sales Executives reduce financial anxiety with a 1-Page Plan.

Phone:  704-243-9376 | Email:  nic@knowmyplan.com | Website:  www.knowmyplan.com

I design financial plans for busy executives and their families.

Feel confident about your money with a complete overview of your financial situation

Reduce overwhelm by understanding exactly where you’re at in your journey

Reduce financial anxiety with a high-level plan for the future

You also want to reduce stress, save time, pursue your goals!

As a high earner, you deserve a customized plan to meet you and your family.  No more rules of thumb.  Your goals determine your financial plan, and your financial plan will determine your goals.

The financial plan is your life adventure map.  The plan will need to be monitored and adjusted over time.  That is why we love financial planning.  The process requires relationships built over years!

Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC.  For links to FINRA/SIPC, refer to the Contact Information section above. Advisory Services offered through Independent Advisor Alliance a registered investment advisor and separate entity from LPL Financial. 


Know My Plan is an other business name of Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC.  All investment advice is offered through Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC, a registered investment adviser.  Independent Advisor Alliance, LLC is a separate entity from LPL Financial.

The financial professionals associated with this site may discuss and/or transact business only with residents of the states in which they are properly registered or licensed. No offers may be made or accepted from any resident of any other state.

Third party posts found on this profile do not reflect the views of LPL Financial and have not been reviewed by LPL Financial as to accuracy or completeness.

Nic Nielsen, CFP®

I had a great conversation this week with a 50-year-old prospect who asked a simple but important question:

👉 “If I retire at 62, how much income can I expect each month?”

The answer isn’t a guess — it’s a process.
Here’s how we walked through it together:

1️⃣ Start with what you have saved today.
His total investments formed the foundation of the conversation.

2️⃣ Look at ongoing contributions.
How much is being added each year — and are we maximizing employer matches?

3️⃣ Apply a reasonable rate of return.
Nothing extreme. Just disciplined, long-term assumptions based on history and risk tolerance.

4️⃣ Determine a sustainable distribution rate.
What percentage can we safely withdraw each year without jeopardizing long-term security?

5️⃣ Convert that to a monthly income number.
Because people don’t live life in annual increments — they live it month to month.

6️⃣ Convert future dollars back into today’s dollars.
Inflation is real. A $12K/mo lifestyle in the future may only feel like $8K/mo today.

7️⃣ Discuss asset allocation as retirement approaches.
The mix of growth and safety becomes increasingly important as the retirement date nears.

8️⃣ Highlight the role of fixed income.
Stability, predictability, and downside protection matter — especially when you’re drawing from your portfolio.

These conversations are my favorite because they take a big, overwhelming question and break it into something clear, logical, and actionable.

If you're wondering what your retirement income picture looks like — whether you're 45, 50, or 60 — I’m always happy to run the numbers.

Because clarity creates confidence.

Nic Nielsen, CFP®, CLTC®

I design financial plans for 45 to 55 year-old high-achieving professionals in the Charlotte area and virtually nationwide.

“We’re ready to get serious, feels like we’re just wasting time.”

For what it’s worth, this is EXTREMELY common:

• Two working parents, careers taking off
• Income has ballooned over the years
• Before you know it, you’re just spending and have no real idea where it’s all going

• Decent retirement savings
• Subpar brokerage account balance
• Way too much in HYSA 

• A nice home
• Family vacations, private schools
• Stress that there’s no plan, on the hamster wheel

NEED: A financial plan with real goals and a structure to fund it


(If you could use the help of a financial advisor or would like to explore making a change from your current advisor, now’s the time, please shoot me a message—I’m happy to talk)

Nic

One of my favorite parts of being a parent right now?

My kids (7, 9, & 12) are finally getting gifts that I secretly love… and that take me straight back to my own childhood. 

It’s a sweet reminder that I’m living in the “good ole days” — right now.

My parents are healthy and sharp, my kids are happy and still think hanging out with us is cool, and we get to share little moments like this together.

Sometimes joy looks like a LEGO Game Boy and a house full of laughter. 

--Nic

The only brand strategist in advisor marketing that helps financial advisors discover their niche, craft their positioning, and tell their stories to get more inbound leads of dream clients.

Most advisors want to grow, but they’re stuck in an old model. They’re tired of chasing prospects, begging for referrals, or feeling like their brand is invisible. The truth?

You’re only a trusted advisor to the clients who already know you.
To grow, you need to become a trusted authority—and that’s where I come in.

Hi 👋 I’m Natalie Hales, and I help financial advisors stop spinning their wheels and start attracting ideal clients.

With 14 years of experience in advisor marketing across Canada and the U.S., I’ve worked with everyone from top independent advisors to national firms like Canada Life and global associations like MDRT.

My signature framework, The Niche Funnel™, flips the traditional sales funnel on its head.
Instead of shouting into the void, we focus your niche, refine your brand, and develop a strategy that magnetizes the right people so they come to you.

🔹 Niche Sprint: Define your ideal audience and unique value
🔹 Brand Sprint: Craft your brand story and messages
🔹 Marketing Sprint: Build a strategy and 90-day action plan that works

Together, these Sprints make up The Niche Funnel™, the fastest and most effective path to gain both authority and attention. 

Advisors who join my community, The Power Network™, continue to grow their niche (and build the referrals that come with it) inside a strategic network of advisors who actively seek to help you succeed.

I’ve helped advisors land $20M accounts, build referral-based practices, and finally feel like their brand reflects their value.

This work is personal.
When both of my parents became disabled and I faced a rare genetic diagnosis, I saw just how life-changing the right advisor can be.

Now, I help advisors become visible for the right reasons—and attract the right people with confidence, clarity, and purpose.

Stop chasing leads. Start attracting dream clients.
Let’s build a brand that works as hard as you do.

DM me the word BRAND and let’s talk.

Natalie Hales

Today I turn 40.  
Which feels surreal, because internally I’m still 23 and making questionable decisions about eyeliner.

To celebrate, I’m planning:  
a nap I will romantically overhype  
and a hot fudge sundae I will absolutely not share.
  
Is this 40?
  
I went to the spa and got emotional over a towel warmer.  
A 𝘵𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘮𝘦𝘳.  
Is this 40?
  
I keep running into friends’ teenagers and thinking:  
“Who’s this adult?”  
“Oh god… that’s the baby I held at their shower.”  
Jump scare every time.  

Is this 40?
  
My knee caps makes noises now.  
My metabolism has filed for early retirement.  
My idea of rebellion is staying up past 10 to eat cereal straight from the box.
  
And weirdly… I’m grateful.
  
Bc 40 feels like the first age where I finally trust myself.  
Where I don’t need to hustle for every scrap of approval. 
Where joy is less like fireworks and more like the simple, 
quiet things that somehow feel bigger now.
  
A good nap.  
A great sundae.  
People I love who somehow still put up with me.

(Seriously, my husband Jay deserves sainthood)
  
If this is 40,  
I’ll take it.
 
Give me all your best life lesson in the comments 👇
I'd like the 40's cheat codes immediately pls. 🙏

Brand Strategist helping financial advisors discover their niche, craft their positioning, and tell their stories to attract their dream clients. Turning Advisors into 𝐀𝐔𝐓𝐇𝐎𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐄𝐒

360Brew means your profile matters even more. 
Your niche, your stated role, your network. 
Because the model now reads:

Profile + Content + Interactions 
Together for relevance.

--> If you’re publishing random “spray & pray” posts that aren’t tightly aligned with who you serve and what you solve: you’re more at risk now. 

--->If you’ve been showing up with content aligned with your niche + offering + making sense to your target client: you’re in good shape. 

Jasmin Alić tells us to:

Treat this like brand work 
Not lead-hacking work

The more your content, profile, and interactions align, 
the easier the algorithm will do its job for you 
(rather than against you).

The nerve of some people thinking authority only comes in navy and beige.

I like black, leather, and leopard print.

Do I sometimes have to double-check I don’t look like a mob wife? Absolutely.

Does it hurt my brand? Not even a little.

If anything, it reminds people I built my business my way - not some industry template.

Advisors: authority isn’t something you wear.

It’s something you own when you finally stop trying to look like everyone else.

Thoughts on this?

P.S. If you’ve ever been personally victimized by the “navy or nothing” dress code, go ahead and sound off below ;)

You know what’s maddening?
Building a solid practice… and still feeling like you’re carrying the whole damn thing alone.

Because your team is solid,
but no one on your team can challenge your thinking.

No one to really brainstorm with.
And that’s when growth stalls or stops altogether.

And you know what gets good advisors really down?

• Carrying a bottom 25% of clients you’ve outgrown, and feeling guilty about letting them go.
  
• Watching less-experienced advisors show up with sharper brands than yours.
  
• Knowing you 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 be attracting $2–8M households consistently… but something in the positioning still isn’t pulling its weight.
  
• Realizing that “DIY-ing your next level” is actually what’s slowing you down.
  
You’re not alone in feeling this.
You’re not behind.
𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗱𝗼𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻.

Because the right kind of pressure? 

The kind that expects more from you, celebrates with you, and holds you accountable? 

Well, that changes everything.

You don’t have to do this alone. No advisor at your level should be carrying the weight of growth in isolation.

Surround yourself with people who:

→ Raise your standards, 
→ Sharpen your thinking, and 
→ Remind you that your next level is nothing short of inevitable with the right pressure.

What’s the one thing you wish you had someone to push you on right now?

P.S. You don’t have to comment, I know many of you read quietly over coffee. Just know these posts are for you.

In 2009, I worked two jobs to pay for university. Recently I went back to my old campus and it hit me: you can be grateful 𝘢𝘯𝘥 still want the next version of yourself.

I used to spend 12+ hours a day in those buildings
learning, working, studying,
before taking a 90-minute bus ride home.
All for a piece of paper I hoped would eventually pay off.

I wasn’t special. I wasn’t “crushing it.”
I was just in the middle of the messy part.

And standing there again, I realized:
This is the part nobody talks about.
The version of you that’s not “there” yet.

But it reminded me of 𝘆𝗼𝘂, actually.

Because so many advisors I talk to are in that same in-between space right now:

15 years in… successful… but quietly exhausted.

You’ve built your business the hard way:
referrals, trust, consistency.
No shortcuts. No overnight wins.

And now you’re looking at your book and thinking:

“𝘐’𝘮 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘐 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘵…
𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘐’𝘮 𝘩𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘵, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘯𝘰𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘺𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦.”

You’re not crazy for feeling that.
You’re not ungrateful.
You’re just in the next messy middle.

What makes it harder are the people online telling you growth should be instantaneous…
that niching should be easy…
that you should be doubling revenue within a few reels.

They skip the part where it takes years, not hacks.
Decades, sometimes.

But standing on that campus, I remembered:

Every good leap in life starts with a decision to stop being the old version of yourself… even before you know exactly who the next version is.

For advisors, that usually looks like:

• Letting go of the bottom 25%
• Doubling down on clients who feel like home
• Claiming the niche you've already earned
• Choosing alignment over volume
• Building the next chapter on purpose

You’ve done the hard climb already.
Now the work is different.
Not heavier, just more intentional :)

That’s the only message I have today:

Your “messy middle” is exactly where your next breakthrough is hiding.

And you don’t have to navigate it alone.

Cheers. ❤️

“I realized I’d been renting my reputation.”
Dinner with an old industry friend went like this ⬇️

She was telling me about her role:

"I've been 'the voice' of six different initiatives. 
Three rebrands. 
Two mergers. 
One 'strategic realignment' that felt more like Survivor.

At some point, I realized my work was everywhere...
Except under my own name." 😭

Eek. Common mistake.

If your credibility depends on your company logo,
you’re basically renting your reputation.

→ The second that logo changes, 
your credibility needs a rebrand too.

That’s not ownership. 
That’s dependency dressed as loyalty.

Your personal brand should 𝘰𝘶𝘵𝘭𝘪𝘷𝘦 your job title. 
Your ideas, your POV, your value.
Those are the assets you actually own.

So post under your own name. 
Share insights that don’t need corporate permission. 
Build something that follows 𝘺𝘰𝘶, not your company’s marketing calendar.

Because borrowed prestige feels nice...
But independent influence pays longer.

P.S. Curious, how many company rebrands have you personally survived?

Last month, I worked with an advisor who reminded me of something most of us forget:

Authority isn’t what you say — it’s what people 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭 when they hear you think.

This woman had:

- A CFO background, 
- Decades of analytical experience, and
- The ability to walk into a complex financial mess and see the whole picture in minutes.

But in her written words, she kept defaulting to:

“Studies show…”
“The industry says…”

She didn't lack expertise...

She’d been trained to hide her judgment behind the industry’s.

So we made one shift.

Instead of leading with external authority:
↳ “3 ways professionals can optimize retirement planning”

She started showing her OWN judgment:
↳ “A client came to me during a major life transition — overwhelmed, under-optimized, unsure. Here’s how we prioritized her entire financial picture in 45 minutes.”

Same expertise.
Same precision.
But suddenly people could feel what it’s like to sit across the table from her.

And everything changed.

People saved it.
People asked real questions.
And a prospective client messaged her:

“𝘐 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘦𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘪𝘵 𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥.”

Here’s the part most advisors underestimate:

Clients already assume you’re credentialed.
They assume you know the products.
They assume you can run the numbers.

What they don’t know (and want to) is:

➡️ How you think when someone hands you their entire financial life

➡️ How you weigh trade-offs when the numbers clash with their emotions

➡️ Whether your guidance can hold up in the moments that actually change their future

That’s the part of your authority they can’t see unless you show it.

And if you’re naturally analytical, thoughtful, or humble… that can feel like walking a tightrope.

If showing your authority without feeling self-promotional is something you struggle with, my DMs are open.

Let’s talk.

It's post time (9 am) and I'm still staring at my own LinkedIn draft thinking, “Is this… anything?”
Hard pill to swallow 👇
 
I teach clarity for a living and yet my first drafts regularly look like a word soup.
 
The funny part? 

The messy draft is almost always the doorway to the one that 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 resonates.

In fact, most of the work that moves our business forward doesn’t start with confidence.
It starts with a tiny, wobbly “okay… let’s try.”
 
I wish it were cleaner than that.  
But every time I’ve grown, it’s because I backed myself 𝘣𝘦𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘦 I felt fully ready.
 
And honestly?  
That’s become my new definition of momentum
…the courage to take the next small step.
 
If you needed that reminder today too,  
I’m right there with you. 

💛🖤

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The Battle

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Natalie Hales

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Engagements

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