Question 1

What does John Koyle's retirement calculator actually do?

Accepted Answer

John Koyle's retirement calculator runs 500 randomized Monte Carlo simulations against your actual savings, retirement age, spending plan, and account mix. It returns a single percentage showing how often your plan ends with money still in the account, then identifies where sequence-of-returns risk, tax drag, and withdrawal order would most likely break it. Running the calculator and viewing results is free and does not require an email. A printable PDF of the plan is available in exchange for an email address, but that step is optional.

Question 2

Is John Koyle a fiduciary financial advisor?

Accepted Answer

Yes. John Koyle is a fiduciary on every engagement in his role as an Investment Advisor Representative of Osaic Advisory Services, LLC. A fiduciary is legally required to put the client's interests ahead of their own, disclose conflicts of interest, and recommend only what genuinely suits the client's situation. John also holds the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) designation, which requires specific training in fiduciary best practices.

Question 3

How are advisory fees charged?

Accepted Answer

Advisory fees are charged as a percentage of assets under management on the advisory portion of client accounts. The fee is disclosed in writing before any client signs an agreement, and again in Osaic Advisory Services' Form ADV Part 2A, which is publicly filed with the SEC. Securities transactions through Osaic Wealth, Inc. may involve commissions on certain insurance or securities products, disclosed separately. If the math doesn't work for a prospective client, I'll say so directly.

Question 4

What does the first call with John Koyle cost?

Accepted Answer

The first call with John Koyle costs nothing. It runs 30 minutes, with no pitch deck and no follow-up sales sequence. John walks through the caller's retirement calculator results and identifies the two or three changes most likely to improve their plan. If Red Cedar Wealth Advisors is a fit, the next steps are discussed at the end of the call. If not, the caller still leaves with specific, actionable advice.

Question 5

Who does John Koyle typically work with?

Accepted Answer

My team works with clients starting at $500,000 in investable assets, served through a coordinated team approach that gives every client access to our advisory bench. As a client's investable assets scale up, my direct involvement in the day-to-day planning, tax strategy, and portfolio work increases. The right level of engagement for each client is decided in conversation, not by a published threshold. Many clients are navigating a transition: planning retirement, receiving an inheritance, adjusting a plan after divorce or the death of a spouse, or managing a concentrated position from a long career at one company.

Question 6

Can John Koyle help me after a divorce, the death of a spouse, or a large inheritance?

Accepted Answer

Yes. John Koyle regularly works with clients navigating divorce settlements, widowhood, and inheritances. These events change tax brackets, Social Security strategy, required minimum distribution timing, and investment risk tolerance, often within the same year. Red Cedar Wealth Advisors helps clients reassess their full plan after the transition, including re-titling accounts, updating beneficiaries, sequencing tax-efficient withdrawals, and projecting what the new household picture looks like over 30 years.

Question 7

Does John Koyle work with clients outside of Idaho?

Accepted Answer

Yes. John Koyle is based in Pocatello, Idaho, and is registered to work with clients in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Washington. Most client meetings with Red Cedar Wealth Advisors happen by video call, so geography rarely affects how the relationship works day to day. Prospective clients outside these ten states cannot be onboarded until John obtains registration in the relevant state.

Question 8

How is working with me different from a typical broker relationship?

Accepted Answer

Three structural differences matter. First, when I'm providing advisory services as an Investment Advisor Representative, I operate under the 1940 Investment Advisers Act fiduciary standard. That means a legal obligation to put the client's interests ahead of my own. Brokerage transactions through Osaic Wealth, Inc. operate under Regulation Best Interest, which is a different standard. Second, ongoing advisory work is compensated through an asset-based fee, not product commissions, which keeps my incentives aligned with the plan rather than with any specific transaction. Third, my practice is built around holistic retirement planning: tax strategy, withdrawal sequencing, estate coordination, not just portfolio management.

Question 9

What is sequence-of-returns risk?

Accepted Answer

Sequence-of-returns risk is the danger that poor investment returns in the first five to ten years of retirement permanently damage a portfolio, even if long-term average returns are strong. When a retiree withdraws income during a market downturn, those shares are sold at depressed prices and cannot recover. Two retirees with identical savings and identical 30-year average returns can end up with dramatically different outcomes if one experiences losses early and the other experiences them late. This risk is the primary focus of John Koyle's retirement stress test.

Question 10

Can John Koyle help with Roth conversions?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Roth conversions are a core area of tax planning at Red Cedar Wealth Advisors. A Roth conversion moves money from a traditional IRA or 401(k) into a Roth IRA, paying income tax in the conversion year in exchange for tax-free growth and tax-free qualified withdrawals afterward. John Koyle models conversions year by year, looking for low-income years between retirement and age 73 when a portion of pre-tax savings can be converted at lower tax rates before required minimum distributions begin.

Question 11

Is John Koyle's retirement calculator free?

Accepted Answer

Yes. John Koyle's retirement calculator is free to use. No email address, phone number, or account creation is required to run the calculator or view results. The tool runs entirely in the browser and never shares data with third parties. If a user wants a printable PDF of the plan to save or share, an email address is required at that point, but the PDF is optional, and using the calculator creates no obligation to book a call or engage Red Cedar Wealth Advisors for any service.

Question 12

Where can I check John Koyle's background?

Accepted Answer

My professional background, licensing history, and any reported disclosures are publicly available through FINRA BrokerCheck. My individual record can be accessed directly at brokercheck.finra.org/individual/summary/4409795. Osaic Advisory Services' Form ADV Part 2A, which governs the advisory relationship, is available through the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database at adviserinfo.sec.gov. Both records are free to search and are updated regularly. Checking an advisor's background before a first meeting is standard practice and takes under a minute.

Question 13

How does this calculator compare to other free retirement calculators?

Accepted Answer

This calculator differs from most free online retirement calculators in three specific ways. First, it runs a true Monte Carlo simulation across 500 randomized market paths, rather than projecting a single average return. Second, it models sequence-of-returns risk, tax drag across pre-tax, Roth, and taxable accounts, and withdrawal sequencing in one integrated output instead of treating each as a separate tool. Third, it's built by a fiduciary financial advisor for the express purpose of surfacing planning gaps, so every result ties back to a specific actionable change, not just a projected account balance. The calculator is free, requires no email, and takes about five minutes.

Retirement Calculator