facebook twitter instagram linkedin google youtube vimeo tumblr yelp rss email podcast phone blog external search brokercheck brokercheck Play Pause


Financial Planning For Your Family 

Organize your finances, build wealth, and Minimize taxes


Schedule a Complimentary Consultation

FEATURED iN


The Inside Scoop

ON DREAM FINANCIAL PLANNING


Our Pillars Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

Our Pillars


Fee-Only

+


Fiduciary

+


Independent

+

Our Benefits Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

Our Benefits


Objective Advice

+


Flexible Engagements

+


Collaborative Approach

+

As your dedicated partner, we always welcome your input and questions because we value teaming up to create a personalized roadmap for your future — one that’s aligned with your vision.

Who We Work With


Young Professionals in their 20s Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

+

Young Professionals in their 20s Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

Young Professionals in Their 20s

Maybe you just graduated from college and have a mountain of student loans to navigate. Or, maybe you’ve been working for a couple of years and want to know what to do next. Wherever you’re at, we’ll meet you in the middle to determine the optimal course of action for you to transform your dreams into your reality, all while eliminating the mystery behind financial terms and best practices.

Young Professionals
in Their 20s

Young Professionals in their 30s Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

+

Young Professionals in their 30s Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

Young Professionals in Their 30s

Now that you’ve been working for a few years, it’s time to get down to business. Investing, insurance, a baby on the way. During this pivotal period of your life, we’ll be here to lend a helping hand as you navigate new decisions and challenges that can all affect your financial future. Through it all, we’ll offer objective advice that caters to your unique needs and goals.

Young Professionals
in Their 30s


Established Professionals Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

+

Established Professionals Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

Established Professionals

Do you know how much you need to retire? As we mature, it becomes more and more important to focus on the aspects of your finances that affect your retirement. With a multitude of ways to invest your money, secure your legacy and protect your family, our firm is here to be the guiding light as you prepare for your exit from the workforce. Dedicated to your success, we’ll identify the opportunities that are most beneficial to your future.

Established
Professionals

Minorities Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

+

Minorities Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

Minorities

With a founder who’s a minority himself, we understand the unfair biases prevalent in the financial services industry. There are currently 1,300 African-American CFP® professionals, representing only 1.5 percent of CFP® professionals overall. With this in mind, we’re dedicated to eliminating existing stereotypes of African-Americans and creating an all-inclusive environment where everyone receives the same level of attention and respect.

Minorities


Let's Get Started

Offering Strategic Financial Planning Solutions

Supported by a variety of esteemed alliances and affiliations.


CFB Board Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

TD Ameritrade Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

XY Planning Network Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

NAPFA Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

Fee Only Network Member Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

Subscribe to Our Email Updates

For tips, tricks and tools on how to make smart financial decisions.

Our Background and Beliefs

Lamar Watson, CFP® Photo

Lamar Watson, CFP®

Founder & Financial Planner


Lamar Watson founded Dream Financial Planning with the goal of serving the needs of young professionals and minorities who typically don’t have access to Fee-Only and fiduciary financial services. Prior to founding Dream, Lamar worked at a wealth management firm in Reston, VA for over a decade. At his most recent firm, he served as a lead research analyst on a team of advisors that managed approximately $2 Billion in assets. He also served as a Vice President and Financial Advisor in the Private Wealth Management division. In this role, he worked with hundreds of clients across the country to help them meet their financial goals. Lamar’s proprietary process, the DREAM Financial Planning Process™, is the culmination of 17+ years of industry insight and experience.

Born in Washington D.C. and a lifelong resident of Virginia, Lamar is a die-hard fan of many Washington D.C. area sports teams, most notably the Washington Football Team. His love for the team began when his grandfather started taking him to games when he was just eight-years-old. Previously, Lamar served as a volunteer basketball coach for the Chantilly Youth Association and Frederick County Parks and Recreation. In his free time, Lamar enjoys working out, biking on the Washington & Old Dominion Trail, and traveling.

At Dream Financial Planning, our services are rooted in several key beliefs that serve as the foundation for everything we do:

Financial planning should help you live the life you ultimately want.

How we help you do this: by guiding you to the decisions that will lead to the acquisition of the all resources needed to accomplish your goals.

Your financial plan should adapt as your needs and goals evolve.

A living, breathing document, your financial plan is meant to mature as your life does. Therefore, we are constantly looking for ways to keep it optimized.


The most important thing we do: truly listen to you and your story.

More than other financial advisors, we enjoy getting to know you on a personal level because your story ultimately drives our recommendations.

Our value stems from our services and the ongoing education we provide.

In addition to providing objective advice, we pride ourselves on simplifying the complex so you can apply our insights to your everyday life.


Secure Your Financial Future

The DREAM Financial Planning Process™

The DREAM Financial Planning Process™

For Young Professionals


Whether you’re managing student loan debt, starting a family or considering buying a house, the DREAM Financial Planning Process™ is tailored to your unique needs and goals as a young professional.

Catered specifically to those who in their late 20s or 30s, this process focuses more on short and intermediate-term goals while you grow and evolve in your personal and professional life. Since this is a comprehensive process, we typically devote a minimum of 25 hours to individuals and families utilizing this service in year one of our relationship.

Does This Sound Like You?


Stephanie Pharmacy Graduate Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

+

Meet Stephanie

Pharmacy graduate


  • 28 years old
  • High income and high student debt
  • Single, no kids

Goals

  • Develop a Budget
  • Debt Management
  • 401k and Employee Benefits
  • Buy a House in 5 Years

Situation

Stephanie recently started her first job after pharmacy school making a $125,000 annual salary with a student loan balance of $175,000. As a new graduate, she would like to buy a home right away but doesn’t know if it’s a feasible plan.

Challenges

Stephanie is most concerned with balancing the need to pay down high student loan balances and credit card debt while still enjoying life today. As a busy young professional, she doesn’t have the time or expertise to manage her own finances. After meeting with larger firms, she was turned away because she didn’t have a minimum of $300,000 to invest.

How we helped

  • Developed budget and balance sheet and eliminated unused monthly subscription services
  • Developed a savings plan to establish an emergency fund equivalent to 6 months’ worth of monthly expenses
  • Refinanced student loan to lower monthly payment and increased monthly cash flow
  • Referred her to a loan officer to evaluate first time home buyer programs and determine necessary down payment needed to purchase her first condo
  • Recommended basic estate planning documents and introduced her to an estate attorney
  • Signed Stephanie up for ongoing financial planning for a $650 initial fee and $375 ongoing monthly subscription

Summary

We helped her save $500 per month by refinancing her student loans and eliminating various monthly subscription expenses she was no longer using. We introduced her to a Loan Officer to see if buying a home was a feasible plan. After meeting with the Loan Officer, we discussed the factors that could keep her credit score in good standing. Due to a lack of an emergency fund or sufficient savings for a down payment we suggested delaying the purchase of a condo for a few years.

We also helped her evaluate all the options in her employee benefits package, including long and short-term disability, health, and life insurance. We also helped her analyze and select the best investment options in her 401k plan.

After she received our recommended action plan, we set a quarterly check-in schedule. Stephanie now has a trusted advisor to monitor her progress and hold her accountable on a regular basis.

Disclaimer: Case studies are hypothetical client scenarios. Planning recommendations may differ from your situation. Please consult with your own advisor before making any changes to your Financial Plan, Investments, or Insurance coverage.

Meet
Stephanie

Pharmacy graduate

Matt and Karen New Family Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning

+

Meet Matt and Karen

New Family


  • 36 years old, dual income
  • Recently married
  • New baby
  • Multiple old 401ks still held at previous employers

Goals

  • Merging Finances
  • Estate Planning and Education Savings
  • Stock-Based Compensation
  • Insurance

Situation

Matt and Karen are both Senior Directors at large consulting firms in the Washington, DC area. Matt was recently offered a promotion with another company and equity compensation will make up a significant portion of the total compensation package. He wanted our expertise in evaluating the entire compensation package including the taxability of employee stock options. They were previously clients of a large firm, but their advisor who wasn’t a CFP® invested them in high-cost proprietary products and didn’t provide the level of service they were looking for.

Challenges

  • No Financial Plan
  • Previous advisor was an insurance salesman
  • What to do with 401ks
  • Owns an expensive whole-life policy, no umbrella insurance policy
  • Establishing an education savings plan

How we helped

  • We worked with them to develop a combined balance sheet and budget
  • Used Riskalyze to help them understand their risk tolerance to evaluate old 401ks
  • Compare the benefits of working with an Independent, Fee-Only, Fiduciary Advisor
  • Reviewed their insurance coverage and referred them to a new insurance advisor for term life insurance and an umbrella insurance policy

Summary

Combining finances is always difficult. We worked with Matt and Karen to develop a combined budget and balance sheet taking into account their shared priorities.

Matt and Karen had approximately $400,000 in combined old 401ks and IRAs. We completed a review of their current portfolio and given their age and long time horizon until retirement we recommended a more aggressive portfolio. To take the guesswork out of the equation we used Riskalyze® to determine their risk number and built a portfolio that was more aligned with their risk tolerance.

They were underinsured and owned an expensive whole life insurance policy. As an Independent, Fiduciary, Fee-Only advisor we don’t charge commissions or sell insurance. However, we were able to refer them to an insurance advisor who is a trusted partner and recommended swapping their whole life insurance policy for two term life policies and recommended adding an umbrella insurance policy.

Disclaimer: Case studies are hypothetical client scenarios. Planning recommendations may differ from your situation. Please consult with your own advisor before making any changes to your Financial Plan, Investments, or Insurance coverage.

Meet
Matt and Karen

New Family

How It Works


Discovery & Debt

+


Real Estate, Recreation & Retirement

+


educate & Evaluate

+


Action Plan

+


Mutual Commitment & Monitoring

+
  • Review and agree upon Action Plan. 
  • Schedule quarterly check-ins to ensure Action Plan is being followed. 
  • End of the year benefit elections: Evaluate 401(k) match and employee benefits.
  • Tax season: Ensure you’re taking advantage of tax deductions for student loan repayment, IRA contributions and 529 plans if applicable. 
  • Referral to an accountant if needed. 
  • If we’re managing assets on your behalf, we’ll handle investment selection, portfolio rebalancing and communicate quarterly via email with our thoughts on the market.


Contact Us Today

The DREAM Financial Planning Process™

For Established Professionals


The DREAM Financial Planning Process™ for established professionals differs from our young professional process in that every phase of our approach has a significant focus on retirement planning.

Do you know how much you need to retire? Since many established professionals are approaching retirement age, we wanted to create a more customized way of tending to your financial needs and goals. With this process, we’re able to uncover untapped opportunities, as well as discover gaps in your current strategy that could be preventing you from enjoying a long and fulfilling retirement. This process is appropriate for those who are 20 years or less away from retirement.

Does This Sound Like You?


+

Ryan

Established Professional


  • 55 years old
  • Recently divorced
  • $3 million-dollar portfolio

Goals

  • Retire in 10 Years
  • Investment Portfolio Analysis
  • Updating beneficiaries
  • Estate Planning and leaving a legacy for his grandchildren

Situation

Ryan is a VP at a local technology company. Ryan came to Dream Financial Planning as a referral from a divorce attorney. His previous advisor was more focused on investments and had never done a financial plan. More importantly, after working with his previous advisor for several years, he still didn’t know how much he needed to retire.

Challenges

  • Previous advisor had never completed a Retirement Planning Analysis
  • $3 million-dollar portfolio is invested entirely in high expense actively managed mutual funds
  • Current advisor is trying to sell him an annuity
  • Estate Planning and avoiding probate
  • Leaving a legacy for children and grandchildren

How we helped

We completed a thorough retirement planning analysis to help him feel more comfortable he wouldn’t run out of money in retirement. We also discussed the timing of taking Social Security benefits and how we’d turn the assets he’d accumulated into income-producing assets during retirement.

His portfolio was too aggressive given how close he is to retirement. We had a discussion and showed him how potential declines in the stock market would affect his 100% equity portfolio. On the equity side, we were able to reduce his fees by building a portfolio with a mix of individual stocks and passively managed exchange traded funds (ETFs). We also purchased individual bonds and other fixed-income investments to reduce the overall risk in his portfolio.

We worked with Ryan to update the beneficiaries on all of his investment accounts. We also introduced him to an Estate Attorney to update his Estate Planning documents. We recommended establishing a Revocable Living Trust so his assets can avoid probate upon his passing.

Helping pay for his grandchildren’s education was also a high priority for him, so we helped him established 529 Plans to get started. We also discussed starting to make annual gifts to his adult children up to the annual limit without triggering gift tax. The annual exclusion limit is $15,000 for 2019.

Disclaimer: Case studies are hypothetical client scenarios. Planning recommendations may differ from your situation. Please consult with your own advisor before making any changes to your Financial Plan, Investments, or Insurance coverage.

Meet
Ryan

Established Professional

What You Can Expect


Discovery & Data Collection

+


Retirement & Risk Management

+


explore & Enhance

+


Action Plan & Asset Allocation

+


Mutual Commitment & Monitoring

+


Get Retirement Ready

Our Clients Can Expect

  • A Personalized Investment Policy Statement.
  • Customized portfolio using globally diversified, tax-efficient, low-cost investments.
  • On-going monitoring and rebalancing of your investment portfolio.
  • Client assets are held at TD Ameritrade.


We don’t try to beat the market; we try to stop the market from beating us.

We work with our clients to help them take the emotions out of investing. There are several emotional and cognitive biases that negatively affect investor returns. Some of the biases that we think are most common are over confidence bias, confirmation bias and loss aversion.

With over 17 years of experience we’ve developed and refined a process to help our clients combat these biases and improve investment returns. Most importantly, we don’t try to time the market.

Don’t Try to Time the Market

+


Managing Risk

+


Riskalyze

+

Gain Clarity

Into Your Portfolio



What is The Risk Number®?

Your investment risk number is:


Objective

Mathematical

Calculated based on downside risk


When you work with Dream Financial Planning, we’ll craft a customized investment strategy that aligns with your preferred risk tolerance. Our free quiz evaluates a number of factors such as your portfolio size, goals and risk tolerance. In addition to explaining your risk score, the quiz will also provide insight into how to match your allocation with your preferences, as well as the performance you can expect based on your risk score.

Take the Next Step to Investment Success

Get Your Score

Solutions Designed with You in Mind

When it comes to money, there is a wide range of ways you can manage it. For some people, advice here and there is all they need. For others, comprehensive, long-term guidance is the most beneficial route.

That’s why we offer multiple ways to engage with us — because simplifying the complexities of your financial life is what we do best.


What We Offer


Financial Topic


three-Hour Ask Me Anything

Learn More >

Three-Hour Ask Me Anything


In just three one hour meetings, you can ask us about two to three financial topics you have on your mind. After discussing your concerns, we'll deliver actionable recommendations you can utilize immediately to resolve any issues or challenges. These meetings can be used any way you would like; you will have our complete and undivided attention.


What's Included


  • Prior to scheduled meeting we’ll e-mail a one-page questionnaire to help set the agenda.
  • Three one hour meeting will take place via video conferencing.
  • One round of follow up via e-mail after meeting.

*Three-Hour Ask Me Anything meeting does not include a comprehensive financial plan.

Ongoing Financial Planning

Learn More >

Ongoing Financial Planning


After discussing your needs, goals, risk tolerance and more, we'll design a customized financial plan. Once this process is complete, we will meet to review our recommendations and provide you with detailed steps on how to achieve your objectives while remaining financially secure.


Throughout the year, we'll make periodic updates to this plan as your personal and professional affairs evolve.

Investment
Management

Learn More >

Investment Management


Investment management includes a financial plan (which we will continuously update and maintain), as well as ongoing investment management. This means that we will handle all investment-related decisions, as well as consistently ensure the securities you invest in align with your overall financial plan.


Our clients can expect


  • A Personalized Investment Policy Statement.
  • Customized portfolio using globally diversified, tax-efficient, low-cost investments.
  • On-going monitoring and rebalancing of your investment portfolio.
  • Client assets are held at TD Ameritrade.

Budgeting

✓

✓


Retirement Planning


✓


401(k) Analysis

✓

✓


Insurance Planning

✓

✓


Investment Management



✓

Investment Advice


✓

✓

Estate Planning Review

✓

✓


Tax Planning and Tax Preparation


✓


Additional support for life changes

✓

✓


Financial Position Statement

✓

✓


Employee Benefits Review

✓

✓


Quarterly Check-Ins


✓

✓

Annual Review


✓

✓


View Our Fees

What It Costs

Our Fees


Ongoing Financial Planning


Individuals

$999 initial fee and $400+/month

Couples

$1,499 initial fee and  $600+/month

  • Tax Preparation is included at no additional cost.
  • Six month minimum commitment for ongoing planning.
  • One time Financial Plans, with ongoing support for the the year, starting at $4,800 for individuals and $6,500 for couples.
  • No minimum assets under management requirement. 
  • Ongoing Financial Planning clients receive a 50% discount on Investment Management.
  • Prices vary based on complexity and will be quoted after a Complimentary Consultation. 
  • One-time plan or projects: $400 an hour. For every hour of meeting time there is at least one additional hour billed for meeting prep.  

three-Hour Ask Me Anything

$2,000
investment Management

Account Value
Annual Fee
$0 - $100,000
2%
$100,001 - $300,000
1.5%
$300,001 - $600,000
1%
$600,001 - $1,000,000
0.8%
$1,000,001 - $5,000,000
0.6%
$5,000,001 and Above
Negotiable

Financial Planning fees are waived for clients with a minimum of $1,000,000 in our Investment Management Program.




Work With Us
Discover Your Risk Score









































Frequently Asked Questions




























01



Who is Dream Financial Planning?


+ 




Dream Financial Planning is an independent, fee-only financial firm that offers a variety of financial planning services.









02



Who do you help?


+

















03



What do you offer?


+








04



How do I get started?


+

















05



I don’t live in the Washington DC area, can we still work together?


+








06



What is a CFP?


+

















07



What does Fee-Only mean?


+








08



How can you help me?


+

















09



I don’t have money to invest, can I still work with you?


+








10



I’m really busy, can we meet virtually?


+










































Our Professional Insights

























Loading Posts...
Read More









































Every Financial Plan Begins with a Dream





















The things you want out of life should not sit on a shelf and collect dust.

We’re here to breathe life back into your dreams so you can utilize your wealth to its fullest potential. With our support, your finances will no longer hinder your progress, but rather lay the foundation for all your future endeavors. We look forward to working with you!

















Dream Financial Planning
Market St, Reston, VA 20190
Phone:
571-910-1440
Email:
lamar@dreamfinancialplanning.com









































For Current Clients





















Track Your Progress



TD Ameritrade Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning
Sign In
Right Capital Washington, D.C. Dream Financial Planning
Sign In




























































    

        
  
Set Up a Time to Chat