Retirement Planning From a CPA and Financial Advisor
Most retirement plans are written in two separate offices. An advisor manages the investments, a tax preparer files the return, and the decisions that connect the two, like when to convert to a Roth or which account to draw from first, fall through the gap. CPA Financial Group, Inc. was built to close that gap. Christopher Jenkins is a CPA with a Master's in Taxation who also serves clients as a financial advisor through LPL Financial, so the tax side and the investment side of your retirement are planned together.
The firm has served clients since 1984 from its office in Laguna Hills and works with families and business owners across Orange County. Whether you are ten years out and wondering if you are on track, weighing a 401(k) rollover after a job change, or already retired and managing withdrawals, the goal is the same: a clear written plan for where your income will come from and how much of it you keep after taxes.
Why Retirement Planning Matters
When you have spent decades building a substantial portfolio, a business, or both, retirement is less about whether the money will last and more about how much of it survives taxes, transfers to the next generation, and stays invested the way you intend. At that level, the cost of an uncoordinated plan is measured in six and seven figures.
Taxes Become Your Largest Expense
The top federal bracket is 37 percent, and the IRS adds a 3.8 percent net investment income tax on investment earnings above certain thresholds, before California claims its own share. For a large portfolio, the order in which you realize gains and draw from accounts often matters more than the return itself.
Required Distributions Arrive on a Schedule
A seven-figure pre-tax balance eventually produces required minimum distributions large enough to fill the upper brackets on their own, and the Social Security Administration uses that reported income to set Medicare premium surcharges. Roth conversion windows in lower-income years are how that future tax bill gets managed, and they close each December.
The Estate and Gift Exemption Is a Planning Window
For 2026, the IRS sets the federal estate and gift tax exemption at $15 million per individual, or $30 million for a married couple. Amounts above it face a 40 percent federal tax, which makes lifetime gifting, trust design, and the income tax side of your plan decisions to coordinate rather than handle separately.
Your Portfolio Carries the Weight
According to the Social Security Administration, benefits replace about 40 percent of pre-retirement earnings for an average earner, and a smaller share for higher earners. Nearly all of your retirement income will come from what you have built, so withdrawal sequencing, concentrated positions, and asset location deserve the same rigor that built the portfolio.
Our Retirement Planning Services
Every engagement starts with your goals and your tax return, then builds the pieces below into one coordinated plan. The aim is a retirement you can enjoy without wondering whether the details are handled.
Retirement Income Planning
A written plan for turning savings into a monthly income: when to retire, when to claim Social Security, and which accounts to draw from in which order so the money is positioned to last.
401(k) Rollovers
Changing jobs or retiring with an old employer plan? We compare your choices side by side, including costs and tax consequences, before anything moves. Read our guide to 401(k) rollover options.
IRA Planning and Selection
Traditional, Roth, SEP, or SIMPLE: the right IRA depends on your income, your taxes, and your timeline. See how the account types stack up in our IRA plan comparison.
Roth and Backdoor Roth Conversions
Conversions trade a known tax bill today for tax-free growth later, and the math is different every year. As CPAs, we model the tax impact before you convert. Learn more about Roth conversion planning in Orange County.
Tax-Aware Withdrawals and RMDs
Withdrawal sequencing, required minimum distributions, and charitable strategies planned with your bracket in view, so distributions satisfy the rules without surprising you in April.
Retirement Plans for Business Owners
As a Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist®, Chris helps Orange County business owners design and administer workplace retirement plans that serve both the business and the owner's own retirement.
Why Orange County Families Work With Us
Choosing whom to trust with your retirement is a decision you want to get right. Our value comes from experience, a tax-aware perspective, and a commitment to explaining your options in plain language.
As an independent firm in Laguna Hills, we are not tied to proprietary products. With a Certified Public Accountant leading the practice, we look at your savings and your taxes together, so a rollover, a Roth conversion, or a withdrawal decision fits the rest of your plan.
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Advice From a CPA
Our lead advisor is a Certified Public Accountant, so tax awareness is built into every recommendation, not added as an afterthought.
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Independent and Objective
As an independent firm, we are not limited to proprietary products and focus on the strategy that fits your goals.
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Rooted in Laguna Hills
We live and work in Orange County, on Peralta Drive in Laguna Hills, and we meet with local families face to face.
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Coordinated, Tax-Aware Planning
Investments, retirement income, and taxes are planned together, so no part of your plan works against another.
Chris Jenkins, CPA, MTax, CRPS®
A Certified Public Accountant with a Master's in Taxation and the Chartered Retirement Plans Specialist® designation, Chris has spent decades helping business owners and families across the country plan, preserve, and transition wealth with a tax-aware approach.
Faye Adl
An IRS Enrolled Agent who has worked alongside Chris since 2004, Faye brings deep technical and practical knowledge from a financial services career that began in 1990, and keeps client service running smoothly for every family we serve.
Request a Retirement Planning Consultation
If you would like a clear, tax-aware plan for your retirement, we would welcome a conversation. We meet at our Laguna Hills office or by phone or video anywhere in Orange County, at a time that works for you.
