Flat Fee Financial Planning & Investment Management in Dallas
Motif Planning provides ongoing financial planning and investment management for high-income families, typically dual-income households in their 30s and 40s earning $250,000+ with kids, meaningful investments, and increasingly complex financial decisions.
You may already be saving, investing, and making good financial decisions. We help bring taxes, investments, equity compensation, benefits, insurance, college, estate planning, and major life decisions into one coordinated plan.
A motif is a recurring idea that builds into something bigger. Your financial life works the same way.
Each decision around taxes, savings, investing, benefits, insurance, college, and estate planning shapes your family’s long-term options.
Our goal is to take as much financial work off your plate as possible while keeping you involved in the decisions that require your judgment.
What to expect
What we help with
You don’t need to start from scratch. Many families we work with already save consistently, contribute to retirement accounts, invest, own a home, and have built meaningful wealth. They hire Motif Planning because their finances have become more valuable, interconnected, and time-consuming to manage.
Cash flow
Strong income creates more choices for where your money goes.
We help you decide how much to spend, save, invest, give, and hold in cash while planning for bonuses, RSUs, raises, childcare, home projects, travel, and major purchases.
Tax planning
A high income can create a high tax bill.
We help you make tax decisions before the year is over. This may include 401(k) strategy, HSA planning, backdoor Roth IRA coordination, charitable giving, equity compensation timing, tax-loss harvesting, AMT exposure, and planning with your CPA.
Employee benefits
Your benefits package can be worth a lot. It can also be easy to overlook.
We review your 401(k), HSA, ESPP, insurance options, deferred compensation, open enrollment choices, and employer benefits so they fit your larger plan.
Executive compensation
Your compensation may include RSUs, stock options, bonuses, deferred compensation, or an ESPP.
We help you decide what to keep, what to sell, how to plan for taxes, and how to avoid letting one company stock dominate your family’s net worth.
Investment Management
Investment management is included as part of your ongoing financial planning relationship.
We can manage the accounts you choose to delegate, including portfolio design, implementation, rebalancing, tax-aware investing, and ongoing monitoring.
If you prefer to manage some accounts yourself, we can still coordinate those investments with the rest of your financial plan.
Investment advice is not offered as a standalone, hourly, or one-time service.
Insurance
Your family needs protection that matches your income, lifestyle, and risks.
We review life, disability, umbrella, home, auto, health, and long-term care insurance where relevant. The goal is simple: protect your family without overpaying for coverage you do not need.
College planning
College planning starts long before your child fills out an application.
We help you decide how much to save, which accounts to use, how 529 plans fit, and how education funding connects to retirement, taxes, and your family values.
Retirement & work optional planning
Retirement planning for high-income families often starts with one question: when does work become optional?
We help you understand how much you need, what accounts to use, how taxes may change, and how career choices today affect flexibility later.
Major life decisions
Money decisions get bigger when your family grows.
We help you think through home purchases, private school, childcare, career changes, parental leave, inheritance, family support, and one spouse stepping back from work.
Estate planning coordination
Your estate plan should protect your family if something happens.
We coordinate with your estate attorney around wills, trusts, guardianship, powers of attorney, beneficiary designations, account titling, and your family’s “red file.”
Charitable giving
Giving intentionally can reduce taxes and increase impact.
We help you build a strategy for annual giving, donor-advised funds, and estate-level gifts that reflect your values and fit into your overall financial plan.
Coordination with your financial team
Your CPA, attorney, insurance agent, and financial planner should not operate in silos.
We help connect the dots so your tax plan, estate plan, insurance, investments, and family goals work together.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“I feel so much more at ease with my finances thanks to Spenser and Motif Planning. Spenser is an incredible financial planner who truly takes the time to understand not just the numbers, but also my thoughts and feelings around money (which were a lot). He helps align my current situation with my goals for the future in a way that feels approachable and empowering.
He is very detail-oriented and goes in depth on all areas of our finances—from home and auto insurance, to retirement plans, household bills, and even setting aside “fun money.” His expertise makes me feel confident that no stone is left unturned, and that my financial future is bright.
Beyond his professional skill, Spenser is simply a good person. He’s easy to talk to, genuinely cares, and is someone I consider not only a trusted advisor, but also a friend. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for guidance and peace of mind with their finances.”
– Sara M., client since 2023
Disclosure: Motif Planning has not provided any compensation for the testimonials shown. The testimonials shown have been selected from among all client feedback. To our knowledge, no other conflicts of interest exist regarding these testimonials. Testimonials may not be representative of other clients’ experiences and do not guarantee future performance or success. View all reviews at Wealthtender.
The Motif Planning process
1. Discovery call
We start with a 15-minute video call to talk briefly about what prompted you to reach out, what kind of help you’re looking for, and if Motif Planning seems like a potential fit.
2. 60-minute conversation
We schedule a longer conversation to talk through the financial decisions on your mind, what you want help with, and what working together could look like.
If you’re married or partnered, both of you should attend this meeting.
3. Decide
If you decide you want to work together, we send the client agreement and begin onboarding.
4. Data organization
You upload your financial documents to a secure client portal.
5. Fact check + vision session
We review your financial information together, clarify anything that needs attention, and talk through your values, goals, tradeoffs, and what your money needs to support.
6. Plan development
We build your financial plan.
7. Plan presentation
We walk through your plan, answer questions, and prioritize next steps.
8. Implementation
We help implement your plan and transition the investment accounts you want us to manage.
9. Ongoing planning
We monitor your plan and investments, meet at least twice per year, and stay available when decisions come up.
Annual service calendar
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
“Spenser is an amazing financial planner! He took the time to not only learn everything about our finances, but to get to know us, our experiences with money, our goals, and our personalities. He is smart, kind, and a great person to have on your side. Our future feels more secure and stable with his advice and planning.”
– Hilary V., client since 2024
Disclosure: Motif Planning has not provided any compensation for the testimonials shown. The testimonials shown have been selected from among all client feedback. To our knowledge, no other conflicts of interest exist regarding these testimonials. Testimonials may not be representative of other clients’ experiences and do not guarantee future performance or success. View all reviews at Wealthtender.