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Helping You Live an Intentional Life

David Fulton is a Colorado Springs, CO fee-only financial planner providing  comprehensive financial planning and Investment Management. While he works with a broad range of clients, David specializes in working with active and retired Military, Federal Employees, and Families with Special Needs Children.

Why Financial Planning?

We meet people all the time who haven't thought about what it will take to reach their goals and without a plan in place they spend their time, money, and talents  on pursuits that won't get them where they really want to go.

We offer financial planning services that empower our clients by instilling confidence in the decisions they make. Our planning process will help you become intentional with your financial decision making and ensure you are on the right path towards accomplishing your goals.

Schedule a complimentary phone call  by clicking "Get Started" below, so we can better understand how to help and answer any questions you may have.

Get Started⟶


Why choose us?

Because we are...


Who We Serve


Our Clients

  • Have neither the time nor emotional energy to exclusively manage their increasingly complex financial situation.
  • Are concerned about their future and want to ensure their needs will be met.
  • Want to find someone to partner with who has expertise in the areas they care about.
  • Want the convenience of meeting in person or virtually to help meet their goals.
  • Are eager to find a trusted expert who can help with their financial planning, portfolio management, and critical life decisions 


Specializing in


Military and Government Professionals

  • Military Service Members  and Federal Employees face many unique elements of organizational culture, pay, benefits, and career development. Understanding those nuances are critical in offering sound financial advice.
  • As a Civil Servant or Military Professional, your benefits are complex.  You need tailored solutions that generic financial planning just doesn’t address.
  • Let us help you find the right balance between your financial future and the competing demands of your current duties and responsibilities, career goals, and family.
  • For those getting ready to retire,  we can help you plan and prepare for what will inevitably be a transition from a career of service to the next great life venture.

Families of Children with Special Needs

  • Caregivers routinely say they need professionals in their life who understand their challenges and environment and can speak their language.
  • They often want to know how much raising a child with a disability will cost and may wonder what strategies are most effective to account for what in many cases may be a lifetime of care for their loved one.
  • Most of all, they want confidence and peace of mind in knowing that they are not alone in what can be a very isolating and lonely experience. 
  • We help special needs families create a sustainable plan so they can feel confident their child can meet their potential and enjoy a high quality of life.

Trustees, Guardians, and Conservators

  • Being a trustee can often feel overwhelming and full of risk.  A trustee is legally obligated to make appropriate decisions for the good of their beneficiary.  But how do you know if they are the right decisions?
  • Having the support of a professional can be very reassuring.  We can partner with you to meet your obligations as a trustee and help you make the right financial decisions for your beneficiary. 
  • Our investment strategy is designed to ensure you are meeting your obligations with the right amount of risk, return, and diversification stipulated in the Uniform Prudent Investor Act (UPIA). 
  • We will help ensure you are making the best use of the resources available.



What We Do

Our Process

We use our Financial Decision Making Process to painstakingly analyze our clients situation, build a plan that will allow them to achieve their objectives, optimize their resources efficiently, and make the right decisions.

We offer financial planning services that empower our clients to achieve their goals and feel confident in the decisions they make. We provide tailored financial planning for all types of clients. Here are some of the topics we cover as we put your plan together.

SPENDING AND SAVING

  • Does your income support your lifestyle?
  • Are you spending intelligently?
  • What percentage of your income should you save? 
  • What should you do with your savings?
  • How much do you need for emergencies?

GOAL CREATION

  • What do you value, or want more of in your life?
  • What's worth saving for?
  • What are your 1, 5, 10+ year goals? And are you on track to achieve them? Who holds you accountable for these goals?

RETIREMENT

  • What does retirement mean to you?
  • How much money do you need to retire?
  • What will your lifestyle be like and how much will it cost?
  • When can you quit working?
  • When should you plan to take Social Security?

DEBT MANAGEMENT

  • How do you prioritize which debt to pay down first?
  • Should you be paying more or saving and investing?
  • How do you become intentional and proactive with your debt and savings?

HOUSING

  • Should you buy or continue to rent?
  • How do you determine your down payment?
  • When should you refinance your mortgage?

EDUCATION PLANNING

  • How much should you be saving for college?
  • Are there other ways to fund a college education?
  • What are the benefits and limitations of a 529 plan?

TAX PLANNING

  • Are you taking advantage of all tax savings opportunities?
  • Does a Traditional or Roth IRA make more sense for your situation?
  • What are your tax implications in retirement? 


INSURANCE

  • Do you need life and/or disability insurance?
  • If you do, what kind of policy is right for you?
  • How do you know where to go to buy a policy?
  • How does long-term care insurance factor into the plan?

MILITARY

  • Will your military retirement be enough?
  • How do you best optimize your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)?
  • How do you coordinate your Individual Retirement Account (IRA) with your TSP allocation? 
  • Should you roll-over your TSP when you retire, what other options are there?
  • How much do you need to save before you transition?
  • Is the Servicemember's Group Life Insurance (SGLI) enough coverage for your family? What about after you retire?
  • How does the Survivors Benefit Program (SBP)  work and does it make sense for your situation?

FEDERAL EMPLOYEES

  • Should you defer or postpone your FERS Annuity?
  • What about the FERS Retiree Annuity Supplement (RAS)?
  • What should you do with your TSP when you retire?
  • Is your TSP match enough? How much should you be saving?
  • Does your Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) provide enough coverage? What do you do with it after you retire?
  • Should you  select the Spousal Benefit Survivor Annuity (SBSA) when you retire?
  • What happens to your Federal Employee Health Benefits Program (FEHBP) when you retire?


Get Started⟶

Many people don't know if their investments are truly meeting their needs.  As your investment advisor we help you align your investment strategy to your goals and objectives so you can have peace of mind knowing you're on the track to success.

  • Our investment philosophy is centered around a long-term approach and a sound, consistent, investment strategy. 
  • We provide professionally managed portfolios with a focus on risk management, tax efficiency, and controlling costs.
  • Our portfolios avoid expensive front and back loads and other hidden costs that will likely cancel out your gains. They are constructed to maximize returns while staying within your risk tolerance.
  • We are committed to the financial planning process as a precursor to asset management.
  • We believe in investing in human potential rather than just focusing on assets available; Therefore, we do not impose a minimum account size which makes our investment services accessible to almost everyone.

We can help answer the important questions:

Are you following a strategic investment plan?
Are you paying too much for your current portfolio?
Are your investments performing adequately to achieve your retirement needs?
Is your strategy aligned with your goals and vision for life?
Are you taking on too much risk or not enough?


Get Started⟶


Many parents of special needs children are afraid about what will happen to their child when they are no longer around to care for them. As a financial planner who specializes in helping families like yours, I help you create a sustainable plan so you can feel confident your loved one can meet their potential and enjoy a high quality of life.

  • We generate a Lifetime Financial Needs Analysis (LFNA) to ensure your loved one will be well cared for throughout both yours and their lifetime.
  • We ensure Life Insurance and other assets are structured appropriately to provide ongoing support when you are no longer able to.
  • We help protect eligibility for government benefits (SSI, SSDI, DAC).
  • We develop a plan for funding a special needs trust and help ensure the right assets are transferred into the trust at the right time.
  • We can help you establish an ABLE 529a account and incorporate other disability-related savings mechanisms into your financial plan.

we can help you answer the important questions:

What do you see your loved one accomplishing in their lifetime? What do you need to do to allow them to achieve their potential?How does an ABLE 529a account work and what are the best strategies to use it?
What does your loved one’s life look like when you are no longer able to support them?Is your family fully protected should something happen to you today?
How do you want to support your loved one when they reach adulthood?  When you retire?  When you are no longer around?What documents do you need in place now to make sure they are cared for?
How much is required to save for a lifetime of care? Do you have reasonable estimates for the growth in personal, disability, and professional services?Why is a Letter of Intent so important and how do you create one?
Do government benefits provide the best quality of life? How do you ensure your loved one retains eligibility for government benefits while still maximizing their quality of life?How should you best structure your beneficiary designations to ensure no loss of benefits?
Is Life Insurance an appropriate funding mechanism for a special needs trust? What are some other solutions?What other professional relationships should you develop and who can you trust?


Get Started⟶

Many trustees are overwhelmed with the responsibility of caring for their beneficiary. We help trustees, guardians, and conservators meet their fiduciary duty by providing independent, objective advice, and investment strategies aligned with the trust's directives that meet the needs of the beneficiary.  

  • We assist with the development and management of an investing strategy that meets the Uniform Prudent Investor Act (UPIA) mandates and ensures trust assets are optimized to maintain a high quality of life.
  • We hold regular meetings with trustees which allow us to provide the documentation a trustee may need to demonstrate that he or she is fulfilling their fiduciary responsibilities.
  • We coordinate with legal entities, certified public accountants,  and professional or corporate trustees to ensure a cohesive and comprehensive strategy is in place.
  • We provide fiduciary distribution guidance of trust accounts.
  • We structure all of our plans to ensure the preservation of government benefits.
  • We have integrity in carrying out the grantor’s wishes

Get Started⟶

How We Do It


"Plans are useless; but planning is indispensable!"

-Dwight D. Eisenhower


Financial Planning

$199 -$399 per month

*price based on complexity

 A stand-alone plan is only a snapshot in time; effective planning is a continuous process.  This service starts with a comprehensive financial plan and follows you through all your major life transitions. We'll meet throughout the year and will be there for you whenever things change in between.

MEETING SCHEDULE:

  • Year 1: 4-6 meetings, on average to build out your custom plan and get you on track.
  • Year 2+: 2 semi-annual reviews a year to update your overall financial objectives, track your progress, review your investment performance and, if necessary, reallocate your portfolio.

PLANNING AREAS:

  • Goal Setting
  • Personal Financial Summary 
  • Cash Flow Analysis
  • Emergency Funding
  • Debt Reduction
  • Retirement Needs and Savings
  • Investment Recommendations
  • Portfolio Construction
  • Insurance Needs Analysis
  • College Savings
  • Social Security / Medicare Optimization
  • Estate Planning
  • Tax Planning / Gifting

Focused Planning

$300/hour


Sometimes you only need a little help.  We offer hourly services to help you plan for specific problems. Before we begin you will know exactly what it will cost you up front. Contact us for a quote.

Investment Services

0.50% (50 BPS)

*Charged as a percent of Assets Under Management

INDIVIDUALS

We help manage and implement your investment strategy, asset allocation, fund selection, asset location, and re-balancing.

 

TRUSTS 

We protect and grow trust assets in accordance with the Uniform Prudent Investor Act while working with trustees to meet their fiduciary duty and the financial needs of their beneficiaries.





Get Started⟶

Maximize Your Time

We understand that time is often the most precious resource in what is an already busy daily schedule. We believe when you force clients to meet only in person, you are asking them to make a considerable commitment in time, resources, and convenience. We have purposefully structured our firm to alleviate those challenges by hosting virtual meetings using the latest technology to save time and stress and provide you an even better client experience.

Location Independent

We are happy to meet in person at our office in Colorado Springs or virtually based on your convenience.  Virtual meetings also allow us to be an ideal advisor for clients across the county, not just those that happen to live in the local area.

Who We Are

About Us

I am a Fee-Only Financial Planner with Lodestar Financial Planning offering tailored financial planning strategies and cost-effective investment management. 

Based in Colorado Springs, Colorado, I proudly serve clients both locally and across the country.

I believe helping people with their finances is a sacred duty.  As a fee-only advisory practice, we don’t sell investment or insurance products, so we don’t receive commissions for making recommendations. We feel this minimizes conflicts of interest and is the most objective way to provide financial advice to those we serve.

As a Fiduciary…I have an ethical and legal obligation to work for you, no one else, no other agenda. I take my oath seriously and my clients know it and benefit from it. 

BIOGRAPHY

As the son of a bush pilot, I spent a unique and exciting childhood overseas in Africa and Haiti. After returning to the United States, I decided to pursue a career of adventure and service and earned an appointment to the United States Military Academy at West Point.  

Upon graduation, I was assigned as an officer in the United States Army where I served a successful and rewarding career as an Armor Officer, commanding Soldiers at all levels from Platoon to Battalion, including four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.  During my military career I also served at the Department of State in Washington D.C. and the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) in Colorado Springs, giving me a broad and unique insight into the Department of Defense and Federal Service.

In 2014, at only 4 months old, my youngest son was diagnosed with a severe and catastrophic form of epilepsy called Dravet Syndrome.  Through the struggles of caring for a medically fragile child, I was forced to learn how to navigate the complexities of coordinating insurance, government benefits, and the many financial pressures facing parents of children with disabilities. My passion for solving these tough problems eventually led to my pursuit of financial planning as a career where I could continue serving others while capitalizing on my many experiences.

I have earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a Master of Arts degree in Economics from Vanderbilt University. I am a proud veteran and a special needs parent.  I live in Colorado Springs, Colorado with my wife Whitney and sons Avery (UC-Boulder Class of '24) , Bennett, and Hugh. 

EDUCATION:

USMABS, United States Military Academy at West Point

 MA, Economics, Vanderbilt University

LICENSING:

Series 65, Uniform Investment Advisor Law  

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