What is a flat-fee fiduciary financial planner?

A flat-fee fiduciary financial planner charges a transparent, fixed fee for financial planning services — not a percentage of your assets under management. As a fiduciary, we are legally required to act in your best interest at all times. Awaken Financial Designs charges a flat planning fee with no AUM percentages. When insurance products are appropriate, compensation structure is always disclosed before any recommendation is made.

Can I retire before 60?

Retiring before age 60 may be possible for many individuals and couples through coordinated retirement planning, tax sequencing, Roth conversion strategies, and intentional income bridge design. Awaken Financial Designs helps clients explore what may actually be possible through visual, comprehensive retirement planning — including retirement timing at multiple ages.

What is the difference between a flat-fee advisor and an AUM advisor?

An AUM advisor charges a percentage of your assets under management — typically around 1% per year — meaning their compensation grows as your portfolio grows regardless of the planning work performed. A flat-fee advisor like Awaken Financial Designs charges a fixed planning fee regardless of portfolio size. This removes the financial incentive to prioritize portfolio growth over tax efficiency, retirement timing, or other decisions that may matter most to you.

What is a Roth conversion strategy and how does it help with retirement?

A Roth conversion strategy involves moving funds from a traditional pre-tax retirement account into a Roth IRA, paying tax now at a potentially lower rate to reduce taxes later in retirement. This strategy can reduce required minimum distributions, lower lifetime tax burden, and create tax-free income in retirement. Roth conversion decisions are rarely one-size-fits-all and often require thoughtful multi-year analysis. Awaken Financial Designs integrates Roth conversion analysis into retirement planning engagements.

What is a one-time financial plan and how does it work?

A one-time financial plan is a comprehensive retirement and financial planning engagement with a fixed flat fee and no ongoing obligation. Awaken Financial Designs builds a coordinated plan covering retirement timing at multiple ages, after-tax income projections, Roth conversion analysis, tax sequencing strategy, Social Security timing, healthcare bridge planning, and account coordination. You receive a written plan and leave with greater clarity — without transferring assets or committing to ongoing management.

Is Awaken Financial Designs a registered investment adviser?

Yes. Awaken Financial Designs LLC is a Registered Investment Adviser with the North Carolina Securities Division and the Arizona Corporation Commission. CRD #339725. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

Where is Awaken Financial Designs located and who do you serve?

Awaken Financial Designs is headquartered in Cary, North Carolina and serves clients across the greater RTP area including Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Apex, and Morrisville. We also serve clients in Arizona and operate as a virtual-first firm, offering retirement and financial planning services remotely across select states where we are registered or exempt from registration.

What makes Awaken Financial Designs different from other financial advisors?

Awaken Financial Designs is a flat-fee fiduciary firm with no AUM fees. We specialize in helping individuals and couples make important retirement decisions with greater visual clarity — including retirement timing, tax strategy, Roth conversion analysis, and coordinated income planning. We are Veteran and Woman Owned, founded by a married couple with over 20 years of combined experience. David and Ashley also bring Yoga Teacher certification and Pranayama breathwork practice into a grounded, emotionally intelligent planning experience.

One-Time Financial Plan for Early Retirement | Flat-Fee Fiduciary (No AUM Fees) — Awaken Financial Designs Flat-Fee Fiduciary Financial Planner in Cary, North Carolina

Most Couples Have Done Everything Right, but Earlier Retirement Still Feels Unclear.

Key Outcomes

• Understand when you can realistically retire and not just hope
• See your after tax net income clearly across multiple stages of life
• Align as a couple around your future, not just your finances
• Move from uncertainty into a grounded, intentional plan

Flat-Fee Fiduciary | MBA, MSCJ, MSBL | No AUM Fees | No Minimums | Veteran & Woman Owned

Based in North Carolina and Arizona, serving clients Virtually Nationwide where appropriately licensed.

A calm, one time planning experience that finally shows you how your income, taxes, accounts, and retirement timing can actually fit together. This way you can move forward with clarity instead of uncertainty.

Start with Clarity

David and Ashley Lundberg, founders of Awaken Financial Designs, flat-fee fiduciary financial planners in Cary NC

A Different Way to Understand What’s Possible

Some people prefer to read. Others prefer to visually see how retirement, taxes, Roth IRA conversions, healthcare planning, and income strategies actually come together in a real plan.

Below, you’ll find several in-depth “videos” including:

• Early retirement timing and Roth IRA conversion analysis
• Tax strategy, healthcare planning, and retirement income design
• Couples navigating RSUs, investing, and intentional retirement planning
• Situations where a Roth IRA conversion may NOT be the right choice

Just explore what resonates with you.

You may have done many things right. You have saved, invested, and made thoughtful decisions over time. Yet, there is still a quiet question underneath it all: When can we actually stop? Not someday, not when the number feels big enough, but when with clarity.

For many couples, the challenge is not a lack of resources. It is a lack of integration: different accounts, different strategies, and different assumptions. No clear understanding of how everything works together. Most advisors only solve one piece of the puzzle.

We are here to help bring all of it together.

Most Couples Are Not Behind, They Are Unclear.

A retirement planning infographic titled 'Josh & Sarah's Retirement Options'. It compares different retirement ages, projected balances, and strategies for May 2028, 2031, and 2035, with icons and color-coded sections for each option.

Roth IRA conversion breakeven analysis showing long-term tax savings comparison between converting now versus waiting, for retirement planning purposes

This Is Not Another Financial Plan.

This is a calm, one time financial, tax, and retirement planning experience designed to help married couples understand how all the pieces of their financial life actually fit together.

This is not an investment product, not an ongoing commitment, and not investment management.

It is clarity around your income, taxes, retirement timing, accounts, and future decisions, so you can move forward with greater confidence, awareness, and intention.

A graphic displaying a comprehensive retirement plan with key features such as HSA, Roth IRA, 401(k), 401(k) Roth, and taxable brokerage, emphasizing flexibility, tax advantages, and support for retirement goals.

What You Will Walk Away With

•A clearer understanding of when retirement may realistically become possible
• Projected after-tax net income across multiple stages of life
• A coordinated strategy across your major account types
• Insight into tax opportunities many couples overlook
• Guidance around Social Security timing and long-term income planning
• Planning considerations for RSUs, bonuses, and variable income where applicable
• A calming breathwork and mindset practice to help support clear decision-making
• A comprehensive written plan you can revisit and act on over time

This is not just information. It is a clearer understanding of how the pieces of your financial life can actually work together.

A Different Kind of Financial Planning Experience

Built by a Married Couple for Couples
We have been married for over 20 years and understand the conversations behind the numbers; not just the numbers themselves.

Flat Fee Fiduciary Model
No AUM fees. No investment minimums. Just objective planning aligned with what is right for you.

Wellness + Financial Clarity
We believe the best financial decisions are made from a grounded, clear, and aligned state not from stress or pressure.

Personal, Intentional Experience
We intentionally work with a limited number of couples so every plan receives meaningful depth and attention.

A comparison chart titled 'We’re 58 & 60. Can We Retire?' outlining four retirement plans based on different ages and financial assumptions, including details on retirement ages, starting assets, monthly income, and taxes.

Financial plan comparison for ages 60 and 62 featuring a photo of a man and woman practicing meditation, with details on social security, cash flow, taxes, account values, home value, and plan benefits.

Is This the Right Next Step for You?

This May Be a Good Fit If:

• You are a married couple thinking about retiring before 60
• You want clarity instead of guesswork
• You are ready to make thoughtful, intentional financial decisions
• You value comprehensive planning beyond just investments
• You want a plan built around your life not a generic template

This May Not Be the Right Fit If:

• You are only looking for free or generic advice
• You are not yet ready to take action
• You are focused only on investments without broader planning

A One Time Investment in Clarity

Our one-time comprehensive plan typically ranges from $3,000 to $5,000, depending on the complexity of your situation. The exact fee is always clearly outlined before any engagement begins.

There are no:

• AUM fees
• Ongoing commitment
• Long term obligation

This is a one-time planning engagement designed to provide clarity not pressure.

For many couples and individuals, this becomes the first time they have fully seen how all the pieces of their financial life actually fit together.

About David & Ashley

David and Ashley are the founders of Awaken Financial Designs and the people you will actually work with directly, not a sales team and not a handoff. David has worked with individuals and families in financial planning and investment services since 2015. Ashley brings a background in financial education, wellness practices, and intentional living. Together, they built Awaken Financial Designs to help couples create greater clarity around retirement, taxes, investing, and life itself.

David Lundberg
Flat-Fee Fiduciary Financial Planner | MBA, MSCJ | Certificate in Financial Planning | Marine Veteran

Ashley Lundberg
Financial Educator & Wellness Guide | MSBL

Both David and Ashley are also Certified Yoga Teachers for true wealth and wellness alignment.

If you are sitting together realizing you have not fully had this conversation yet, this may be the right place to begin.

If you feel ready to move from uncertainty into a clearer and more intentional plan, you can apply below. We will ask a few short questions to determine whether this is a good fit and, if appropriate, you can schedule a conversation directly.

Start With Clarity

Start with Clarity

A Quiet Reflection Before You Decide

If nothing changed over the next 5 to 10 years and life simply continued as it is today, would that path actually lead you toward the life you’ve been telling yourselves you want?

Or would it quietly lead somewhere else?

For many couples and individuals, the challenge is not simply money. It is creating the space to clearly understand what is working, what is not, and what they truly want this next chapter of life to become.

Most people do not fall short financially. They drift quietly over time.

The real question becomes:

Are you actively designing your future or slowly inheriting a version of life you never consciously chose?

Ashley and David Lundberg, co-founders of Awaken Financial Designs, a Veteran and Woman Owned flat-fee fiduciary financial planning firm in Cary, North Carolina

A calm, thoughtful conversation about your future, your finances, and the life you want to intentionally create.

The examples and visuals shown above are for educational and illustrative purposes only. Actual retirement outcomes, tax strategies, Roth IRA conversion results, and financial decisions vary based on each individual’s situation, goals, assumptions, and future market conditions.