| Stage | What happens | What you receive |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Discovery | We review pension estimates, salary history, and district account statements. | A written gap analysis detailing your projected income shortfall. |
| 2. Fee audit | We inspect mutual fund expense ratios, sub-account charges, and riders. | A line-by-line inventory showing total annual percentage costs. |
| 3. Strategy design | We coordinate pension options, Social Security timing, and tax brackets. | A step-by-step roadmap specifying annual income draw sequences. |
| 4. Implementation | We establish custodial accounts and initiate clean asset transfers. | A written agreement confirming service scope and transparent costs. |
About Harbourfront Wealth Management and who we serve
Everything about Harbourfront Wealth Management is built around wealth management for teachers with a state pension, a 403(b) or 457(b), and retirement timing questions. Fund expenses, taxes and advisory fees are the parts you control, so all of them are on the table from the start.
As of 10/5/2026, Harbourfront Wealth Management serves 290,000 clients and $3.8 billion in client assets. Based out of 77 Taylor Street, Hartford, CT 06106, United States, our advisors meet with families nationwide over phone and private video calls.
What Harbourfront Wealth Management handles for school staff
Public education professionals spend decades contributing to mandatory retirement systems without clear guidance on how those defined benefits fit alongside supplemental accounts. We evaluate state pension formulas alongside elective 403(b) or 457(b) plans to determine realistic retirement dates.
Our team reviews the actual contracts inside school district vendor lists. Many educators carry variable annuities with layered mortality charges, administrative riders, and expensive mutual funds. We identify those drag points and arrange cleaner investment structures.
Decisions and documents settled during the first twelve months
The first year focuses on organizing records and eliminating unnecessary account friction. We begin by collecting your pension estimates, recent tax returns, and benefit statements to build a consolidated balance sheet.
Next, we audit your payroll deferral selections. If your district vendor charges 1.20% in custodial fees alongside fund expenses above 0.85%, we identify lower-cost options on your approved employer roster. We also evaluate the timing of income draws and verify primary and contingent beneficiary designations across all accounts before your first annual review deadline.
Who gets the most value from our team
Our advisory work is specifically intended for career teachers, administrators, and school staff who hold at least $500,000 in investable assets. We deliver the greatest value to educators who want a disciplined review of every internal fee and want to coordinate pension payouts with private savings.
We are deliberately not the right match for day traders or individuals seeking speculative stock picks. If a single asset represents more than 20% of your total balance, our decision rule requires establishing broad diversification before implementing other distribution strategies.
- Public-school employees with at least $500,000 in accumulated retirement savings
- Educators deciding between single-life and survivor pension annuity elections
- Staff wanting an audit of high-cost 403(b) annuity contracts and sales loads
- Families seeking multi-year tax planning prior to mandatory distribution age
How the structured planning process unfolds
Working together follows a methodical schedule where you understand each action and the exact cost of services from a written agreement before any investment work starts. The table outlines what happens during each phase and what records you walk away with.
Frequently asked questions about Harbourfront Wealth Management
What kind of wealth practice is Harbourfront Wealth Management for educators?
Harbourfront Wealth Management is a specialized wealth management firm serving public-school teachers and administrators. We focus on integrating state defined-benefit pensions with supplemental 403(b) and 457(b) plans while reducing investment expenses.
What portfolio balance is required to work with Harbourfront Wealth Management?
Harbourfront Wealth Management maintains a minimum asset requirement of $500,000 in investable assets. This asset level allows our team to perform thorough account audits and provide structured multi-year retirement tax planning.
How does Harbourfront Wealth Management conduct reviews with educators outside Connecticut?
Advisors connect with families across the country through scheduled video meetings and phone appointments. While our primary office is at 77 Taylor Street in Hartford, our planning process and document delivery operate seamlessly regardless of where you teach.
Can coordinated services lower total lifetime expenses?
Coordinating teacher retirement planning, 403(b) fee reviews, and retiree tax planning prevents expensive mistakes where reducing costs in one area triggers an unneeded tax bill in another. These three disciplines function together to protect your net take-home cash flow.
Consider a hypothetical educator retiring at age 62 with $600,000 in a traditional 403(b) annuity and a state pension of $3,500 a month. If that 403(b) carries combined internal expenses of 1.65% a year, shifting into low-cost index options at 0.20% saves 1.45% annually, which amounts to $8,700 every year in avoided fees on that $600,000 portfolio before growth.
At the same time, we map Roth conversions between age 62 and age 67 to fill lower federal tax brackets before full Social Security benefits begin. All investments can lose value and you may get back less than you invested, but keeping internal fund costs low provides tangible savings you can measure immediately.