WHAT WE DO
One year it’s a bonus and a new 401(k). A few years later, it’s stock options, a second property, a growing family, and retirement questions that didn’t used to feel urgent. Then a parent needs help. Or a business gets an offer. Or you realize you’ve been filing taxes the same way for a decade and something is probably off.
Your financial plan should account for all of it. And it should move with you as things change.
That’s why at Heritage Wealth Solutions, we build financial plans that pull everything together: retirement income, risk management, tax strategy, estate planning, investment management, and charitable giving. Every client’s situation is different. We take the time to understand yours before we build anything.
Partners Chris Hilyer and David Ayala bring deep knowledge across retirement planning, tax strategy, estate planning, investment management, and charitable giving. Both are proud fiduciaries who hold the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation, which holds them to the fiduciary standard, putting your interests first when providing investment advice. Chris also holds the Retirement Income Certified Professional (RICP®) and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) designations, bringing specialized depth in retirement income planning and charitable giving strategy.
The shift from saving to spending is the hardest financial transition most people will go through. So we build retirement income plans that address Social Security timing, Medicare coordination, RMD planning, Roth conversion analysis, and tax-efficient withdrawal sequencing. The goal is a plan that lasts as long as you need it to.
Tax decisions affect every other part of the financial plan: investment returns, retirement income, estate transfers, and charitable giving. That's why we build tax awareness into the plan from the start and coordinate with your tax professional so nothing falls through the cracks. We're not an accounting firm, and we don't prepare taxes. We work alongside your tax professional to make sure the financial plan and the tax plan are pulling in the same direction.
Estate planning is about making sure what you've built goes where you intend. We coordinate with your attorney to align your financial plan with your estate documents: beneficiary designations, ownership structures, trust funding, and gifting strategies. When those two plans aren't in sync, gaps show up that nobody catches until it's too late.
If giving is part of who you are, there may be ways to give more and improve the tax outcome at the same time. Most donors still default to writing checks. But donor-advised funds, qualified charitable distributions, and appreciated stock gifts can do more with the same generosity. With the 2026 changes to charitable deduction rules, planned giving matters more than ever.
Investment decisions don’t happen in a vacuum. They’re part of a bigger plan. So Heritage Wealth Solutions takes a hands-on approach to portfolio design, building portfolios around individual goals, risk tolerance, and timeline.
Knowing what to plan for is one thing. Here’s how we actually do it. Our process starts with understanding your full picture before we build anything, so the plan reflects your reality. As your goals shift and life moves into a new phase, the plan moves with you.
The right planning makes a real difference
It starts with a conversation about where things stand today and where you want to go.
When you’re ready to take the next step, we’re here.
Comprehensive financial planning means looking at your full financial picture and building a coordinated strategy across retirement income, risk management, tax planning, estate planning, investment management, and charitable giving. Instead of handling each area separately, a comprehensive plan connects them so one decision doesn’t accidentally work against another. At Heritage Wealth Solutions, that coordination is core to how we service our clients.
A financial advisor is the industry title for someone licensed to give financial advice, which typically includes the FINRA Series 7 and 66 (or the Series 63 and 65). Chris and David hold those licenses. But what sets them apart is the planning. They build long-term strategies that connect retirement income, risk management, tax planning, estate goals, charitable giving, and investment planning. And they adjust those plans as your life moves through new phases. It’s a relationship, not a transaction.
There’s no single right time, but a few situations make it especially valuable: your income or assets have grown more complex than a simple budget can handle, you’re within 10 to 15 years of retirement, you’ve had a major life change like selling a business or receiving an inheritance, or you want to coordinate tax strategy with estate and retirement planning. The earlier a plan is in place, the more room there is to make adjustments that compound over time.
Fees depend on the scope of work and the complexity of your situation. Heritage Wealth Solutions offers a complimentary consultation where you can discuss your goals, walk through your current financial picture, and learn what working together would look like. There’s no obligation, and it gives both sides a chance to see if it’s the right fit.
