Tax Efficient Retirement Income Planning for Individuals and Couples Over Age 50
We design, build, and manage personal retirement income plans
– so you can arrive at that moment feeling confident and prepared –
knowing your money will keep working for you long after you stop.
At Kraus Capital, we understand that your financial well-being is more than just numbers on a balance sheet. It’s about achieving your goals, securing your future, and finding peace of mind.
That’s why we provide comprehensive wealth management services tailored to your unique needs and aspirations.
Why You
We know that you are the hero in this story. It’s your retirement.
We are here to serve as your guide and help you envision all that is possible. We felt the best way to serve you was to empower you with as much information as possible about the role we play, our processes and services all built around supporting you, your family, and your best retirement.
Our Commitment
At the core of our approach is a commitment to building long-lasting relationships with our clients. We believe that understanding your values, priorities, and financial objectives is essential to creating a customized roadmap for your financial success. Whether you’re planning for retirement or preserving your wealth for future generations, we’re here to guide you every step of the way.
Most importantly, I feel that clients and their advisors get along and work as a team. Good financial planning and investment management doesn’t work overnight. It takes time, patience, and trust. I’ve done the best I can at structuring my work and services in a manner that gives clients personal attention and financial management support. I know there is always room for improvement, and I always strive to get better at what I do each day. My uncompromising promise is to take the thousand plus hours of research I do each year and leverage it to benefit those who place their trust with me and my firm.
Comprehensive Wealth Management
Our services are tailored to your unique needs and aspirations. Discover how we can help you achieve your financial goals and safeguard your future.
Retirement Income Planning
Our retirement planning services help you envision your ideal retirement lifestyle and create a comprehensive plan to make it a reality.
Investment Management
Our investment portfolios are carefully designed to help retirement investors reduce risk, improve returns, and create a reliable income stream.
Social Security Optimization
Social Security is a valuable resource that provides a steady stream of income during retirement. However, many individuals are unaware of the various claiming strategies and opportunities available to maximize their benefits.
Tax Planning
Taxes are an inevitable part of life, but with the right approach, you can minimize their impact on your financial well-being.
Insurance Planning
Life is unpredictable, and unforeseen events can have a profound impact on your financial stability. Insurance planning is a proactive approach to safeguarding your assets and ensuring that your family’s financial needs are met in the event of the unexpected.
Estate Planning
Estate planning is about much more than just distributing your assets after you’re gone. It is a strategic process that allows you to control and manage your wealth during your lifetime, plan for potential incapacity, and efficiently transfer your assets to your beneficiaries.
The Kraus Capital Approach
You are unlike anyone else. That’s why we utilize a comprehensive process to ensure we are understanding, prioritizing and acting on what’s most important to you.
Individuals, Couples and Families
Maximizing benefits, ensuring legacies and protecting loved ones through retirement income and estate planning.
Business Owners
Crafting smooth transitions for the next generation or chosen successors.
Retirees & Pre-retirees
Retirement timing, navigating pension and social security benefits and retirement income planning
Philanthropists
Designing estate plans that champion charitable causes close to their hearts.
Everyone In-Between
Because financial planning isn’t just a retirement endeavor. It’s a life journey.
At Kraus Capital, we understand that investors often prioritize the urgent over the important, and our focus is on helping you establish a secure investment strategy for your retirement. If you’re in search of a trusted financial advisor to guide you through the complexities of investment and financial planning, we might be the right fit for you. We’re happy to invest an hour of our time to learn about your financial goals and explore the value we can bring to your life. All initial appointments are conveniently conducted via phone or web conference.
You’re planning for retirement and need expert guidance.
You want to maximize your social security benefits.
You seek independent, objective advice to exhibit ideal investor behavior.
You desire a clear action plan for your retirement timeline.
You prefer personalized financial guidance over online calculators.
You’re uncertain if your investments align with your financial goals.
You’re uncomfortable with your current financial situation and need clarity.
You want an expert’s second opinion on your investments.
You’re considering a switch from your current advisor and seek a client-centric approach.
You’re already retired and want to ensure your strategy is optimized.
You’ve come into sudden wealth and need proper investment management.
Discover our streamlined 3-step process that transforms retirement planning into a manageable journey. From initial consultation to a customized retirement plan, we’ll guide you towards a more confident and predictable retirement. Take control of your future today.
Discovery
We talk. Either a face to face meeting in our office or something as easy as a 15-minute phone call or zoom.
Strategize
Choose a program and build a plan. Are you still working, or are you already retired?
Implementation
Check it off the to-do list – you have a retirement plan in place.
Review
24 Years of Experience
Our Story
Kraus Capital – Guided by Research and Principles
At Kraus Capital, our investment methodology is deeply rooted in the bedrock of academic research, led by some of the brightest minds in the industry. We take immense pride in the portfolios we manage on behalf of our valued clients. Our mission is to construct goal-oriented portfolios with a steadfast commitment to historical context, situational awareness, and a heavy dose of common sense. We place a premium on empirical evidence over fleeting excitement and prioritize durability above all else, ensuring that our strategies stand strong in diverse market environments. – Brian Kraus
Resources & Insights
Expand Your Financial Knowledge with Our Comprehensive Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
How are you different from other financial planners?
- Individual attention
- Personalized planning
- Safer money management
- Reduced stress
- Continuous planning
- Structure for your life, investments, Insurance, Legal and Tax
What sets us apart is our personalized approach and frequent communication. We’ll take the time to understand your unique financial goals and design a tailored plan, rather than applying a one-size-fits-all strategy. Our firm is also independent and a fiduciary, which means we only exist to serve our clients with unbiased advice that’s always focused on their best interest.
At Kraus Capital, we provide you the convenience of one-stop to deliver coordinated retirement income planning focused on investment management, tax planning, financial planning, insurance & estate planning to include gifting and charitable giving strategies, ultimately providing you a household CFO to help maximize your wealth.
Chances are whatever you are going through in life, we have already helped clients navigate those same issues and can share the strategies and results.
What is a fiduciary and why is it important to work with one?
A fiduciary is a person or organization that acts on behalf of another person or persons, and in our case, as it applies to investment management. Essentially, a fiduciary owes to that other entity the duties of good faith and trust. The highest legal duty of one party to another, being a fiduciary requires being bound ethically to act in the other’s best interests. Most advisors tailor their investment advice to individuals’ clients they work with, however, not all advisors are governed by the same standards. Fiduciary advisors work directly for clients and must place clients’ interests ahead of their own, according to the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. For example, advisers must do their best to make sure investment advice is made using accurate and complete information and that the analysis is thorough and as accurate as possible. Avoiding a conflict of interest is important when acting as a fiduciary, which means that advisers must disclose any potential conflicts. Advisors who are not a fiduciary, however, serve the broker-dealers they work for and must only believe that recommendations are suitable for clients. This suitability standard is set by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).
At Kraus Capital Management, we uphold the fiduciary standard. Our advisors are CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Investment Advisor Representatives, which binds them to the Fiduciary standard through the CFP® Board Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct as well as the Investment Advisers Act of 1940.
What is a Certified Financial Planner™?
Although many professionals may call themselves “financial planners,” CFP® professionals have completed extensive training and experience requirements and are held to rigorous ethical standards. They understand the complexities of the changing financial climate and know how to make recommendations in your best interest. Unlike many financial advisors, CFP® professionals must develop their theoretical and practical knowledge by completing a comprehensive course of study at a college or university offering a financial planning curriculum approved by CFP Board.
CFP® professionals must pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam, which tests their abilities to apply financial planning knowledge to real-life situations. CFP® professionals complete several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients prior to earning the right to use the CFP® certification trademarks. When it comes to ethics and professional responsibility, CFP® professionals are held to the highest of standards, as outlined
in CFP Board’s Standards of Professional Conduct. They are obliged to uphold the principles of integrity, objectivity, competence, fairness, confidentiality, professionalism, and diligence as outlined in CFP Board’s Code of Ethics. The Rules of Conduct require CFP® professionals to always put your interests ahead of their own and to provide their financial planning services as a “fiduciary”—acting in the best interest of their financial planning clients.
The CFP® certification is a voluntary certification; no federal or state law or regulation requires financial planners to hold CFP® certification. It is recognized in the United States and a number of other countries for its (1) high standard of professional education; (2) stringent code of conduct and standards of practice; and (3) ethical requirements that govern professional engagements with clients. – See more at: CFP Board
What type of clients do you typically work with?
Our clients are single or married. Most were, or are W-2 wage earners in, near or at retirement, likely own a home, sometimes a second home, whether it’s a rental or vacation property, have Social Security benefits, maybe a pension, generally a few financial accounts, legacy 401(k)s, IRAs, Roth IRAs, HSAs, may or may not have cash value life insurance, some may or may not have annuities, kids are usually all grown. Most have worked hard and saved well. They are charitably inclined. They value professional advice, are not big risk takers and would like to delegate the management of their investments. They are looking to maintain their standard of living throughout retirement, and many share similar hobbies like sports and travel. They are ready to clarify, simplify and organize their financial life. They see the value in partnering with an experienced, credentialed advisor focused on retirement income planning to help them define goals, analyze and test retirement scenarios and design/implement strategies to assist them in achieving their retirement goals. They want help answering questions, reduce worry and decrease complexity so they can focus on what matters to them most. They partner with us on a long-term basis to help them stay informed, access our expertise as needed, make adjustments as changes in their finances, markets, laws and life occur. We design and implement a completely integrated retirement income plan covering all and any unexpected aspects of their financial lives through ongoing communication and collaboration and a meeting schedule that may involve anywhere from 2 to 4 comprehensive planning meetings per year.
Clients generally begin working with us because they experience a life event that creates challenges or opportunities to their financial situation, and they are looking for a professional to help guide them through the critical decisions they have before them. These events commonly include such things as a new job or business opportunity, sudden wealth through company stock or inheritance, feeling like you are paying too much in taxes, preparing for retirement, or a death in the family.
Virtual or In-Person
Optimize Your Retirement Strategy… Anywhere.
Although Kraus Capital is headquartered just outside San Antonio, we are proud to serve clients across Texas via virtual meetings as well as our clients all over the United States. Thanks to technology, we’re able to make sure the experience for our out-of-the-area clients is as positive and personal as that of our local clients. We have a wonderful web-based virtual meeting process in place that allows me to work with clients in a very personal manner despite being hundreds or even thousands of miles apart. If you’ve never thought about working with an advisor virtually – I think you’d be pleasantly surprised how easy, efficient, and enjoyable it can be. Working with a financial advisor without having to drive to their office is actually very easy and convenient.
We utilize our website, weekly, monthly and/or quarterly updates, email communications, phone check-ins, social media and blog for announcements and to keep clients informed and up-to date between reviews.
Our local focus around San Antonio extends to areas including the following:
- Fair Oaks Ranch
- Boerne
- Spring Branch
- New Braunfels
- Austin
- Bee Cave
- Dripping Springs
- Blanco
- Horseshoe Bay
- Georgetown
- Fredericksburg
- Wimberley
- Johnson City
- Marble Falls
- San Marcos
- Canyon Lake
- Kerrville
- Comfort
- Lockhart
Always a click away via phone call or virtual meeting.
Visit us in person at our San Antonio or Austin office.