What’s your retirement
income plan?

Many people have savings. Fewer have a plan for turning those savings into income that lasts as long as retirement does. For more than 23 years, Jason Taylor has helped families and federal employees build that plan, one built around your whole financial life, not one account at a time.

Grandmother teaching her granddaughter to ride a bike
23+
Years of retirement planning experience
2007
Working with federal employees since. Certified Federal Employee Benefits Consultant
40%
Of pre-retirement earnings replaced by Social Security, on average (SSA, 2025)

Every piece of your retirement, working together

Retirement isn’t one decision: it’s many that all touch each other. We look at the complete picture so each strategy supports the rest.

Income Planning

How do I turn my savings into retirement income?

Turning savings, Social Security, and pensions into guaranteed* income that lasts.

Retirement Planning

When can I retire?

A clear roadmap from where you are to the retirement you actually want.

Asset Allocation & Risk

How should my investments change as I get closer to retirement?

The right mix for your timeline, adjusted as markets and life change.

Social Security Maximization

When should I claim Social Security?

When and how to claim, coordinated with the rest of your income.

Tax Minimization Strategies

How can I lower my taxes in retirement?

Keeping more of what you’ve saved through tax aware withdrawal sequencing.

Life Insurance

Do I still need life insurance in retirement?

Protection that fits your plan, offered through Ascend Financial Advisors.

*Guaranteed lifetime income available through annuitization or the purchase of an optional lifetime income rider, a benefit for which an annual premium is charged. Annuities are long-term, tax-deferred vehicles designed for retirement and contain some limitations.

However you built your career, retirement comes down to income that lasts

On average, Social Security replaces about 40% of pre-retirement earnings, according to the Social Security Administration. The rest has to come from a plan, and what that plan looks like depends on where your career happened.

Retired couple out walking their bikes

Federal employee? Your retirement system is different. Your plan should be too.

FERS, TSP, survivor benefits: the federal system has its own rules, and getting one piece wrong can cost you for the rest of retirement. Jason has worked with federal employees since 2007, presenting at agencies including the VA, BLM, Bureau of Reclamation, BOP, Postal Service, and FAA, and co-authored The Smart Fed Retirement Handbook.

Couple dancing together at home

Building retirement from a career in the private sector?

401(k)s, IRAs, a business you built, equity you earned: your savings live in different accounts with different tax rules, and retirement is when they all have to start working together. We help families turn what they’ve built into income that lasts.

Grandmother swinging her granddaughter outdoors
Investment philosophy

We manage on momentum, not headlines

What does that mean? Your portfolio starts with a base strategy built around your goals and timeline. That part doesn’t change with the news cycle. What does change is how we position within it, adjusting as market momentum shifts. Disciplined, not reactionary: we move when the data moves, not when the noise does.

“You want to have a base strategy. But from there we adjust depending on the momentum of the markets. We’re not reactionary.”

R. Jason Taylor
R. Jason Taylor
Meet Jason Taylor

R. Jason Taylor

Wealth Management Advisor · Retirement Income Specialist · Certified Federal Employee Benefits Consultant

Jason has spent 23+ years helping families organize their finances and build strategies for the future. He’s based in Eagle, Idaho, and works with clients throughout the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah. He is president of Ascend Wealth Management and Ascend Financial Advisors, and co-author of The Smart Fed Retirement Handbook.

Review our ADV Part 2A and Form CRS, or verify Jason’s registration through the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site.

More about Jason →

What working together looks like

0 1

A no-cost conversation

We talk about where you are, where you want to be, and whether we’re the right fit.

0 2

Your plan

We build your retirement income plan around your complete picture: investments, Social Security, tax efficiency strategy, insurance, and (for federal employees) your federal benefits.

0 3

Ongoing adjustments

Markets move and life changes. We review together and adjust on momentum, not emotion.

Common questions before a first meeting

What does the first meeting cost?

Nothing. The initial consultation is no-cost, and its purpose is fit — for both of us.

Do I have to live in Idaho to work with you?

No. Jason is based in Eagle, Idaho, and works with clients throughout the Pacific Northwest, Nevada, Arizona, and Utah, meeting by phone or video.

Do you only work with federal employees?

No. Federal employees are a specialty, but Jason works with families and pre-retirees from all backgrounds.

How are you paid?

Advisory services are provided under a fiduciary duty through Ascend Wealth Management LLC. Insurance and annuity products are offered through Ascend Financial Advisors, an affiliated company, and may pay a commission. Full details are in our ADV Part 2A and Form CRS.

What should I do with my 401(k) or TSP when I retire?

You generally have options: leave it where it is, move it into an IRA, or begin drawing from it directly — each with different costs, investment choices, and tax consequences. The right move depends on your income plan, not a default.

Is it too late to start retirement planning in my 60s?

No. The levers change — claiming strategy, withdrawal order, and tax sequencing matter more than savings rate at that point — but they’re real levers, and coordinating them is exactly what a plan is for.

What is the FERS supplement, and will I get it?

It’s a bridge payment for many FERS employees who retire before 62 with an immediate annuity, designed to approximate the Social Security earned during federal service until you can claim at 62. Eligibility and amount depend on your age, years of service, and retirement type — it’s one of the first things checked in a federal retirement plan.

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Still can’t say what your retirement income plan is?

That’s exactly the reason to have a conversation.

Schedule your no-cost consultation