Robert Lindstrom, CFP®, EA

The path that brought me here wasn't linear. But every turn taught me something essential.

I caught the investing bug young—my grandfather gave me stock certificates for birthdays and Christmas, and I was hooked. I knew I'd do something in finance, but graduating into the 2010 post-recession job market meant taking whatever I could find.

I landed in "wealth management" at a bank. It planted a seed: there was more to financial planning than just picking investments. So I pursued my CFP® designation, which opened my eyes to comprehensive planning—taxes, estate, insurance, retirement income. This was what I
wanted to do.

But my next role was primarily commission-based sales. I learned a lot about how products work (and how they're sold), but it wasn't a fit. I'm not built to sell. I'm built to solve problems.

Then I found my home: a fee-only firm with deep tax expertise. No commissions. No product sales. Just advice. This felt right. I could focus on what actually mattered: helping people make better decisions.

I also became an Enrolled Agent and dove deep into multi-year tax planning. I realized most advisors think about taxes annually—but retirement tax planning needs to span 5, 10, even 20 years. Roth conversions today affect Medicare premiums in two years. Social Security timing affects tax brackets for decades. Everything connects.

That systems thinking—seeing how decisions ripple across retirement, investments, taxes, insurance, and estate planning—became my superpower. An attorney once told me I "think like an attorney," always asking "what if this happens?" It's how my brain works automatically, and it's invaluable for retirement planning where there are no do-overs.

In 2019, I founded Provision Financial Planning to serve retirees the way I believe they deserve: with institutional-grade income engineering methods (Asset Liability Matching), multi-year tax optimization, and comprehensive coordination across every planning area.

The name "Provision" is intentional. It means preparing ahead of time for what will or may happen. That's my entire philosophy: long-term optimistic, short-term realistic. We plan for the retirement you want and prepare for everything that could threaten it.

I've discovered I do my best work with independent retirees—especially women navigating retirement solo (widowed, divorced, or never married). They appreciate the depth, the thoroughness, and the collaborative "thinking partner" approach. If I could fill my entire practice with that client profile, I'd be thrilled.

Outside the practice: My wife Laura and our three boys are the center of my life. Starting my own firm gave me the flexibility to work from home and be present for them—something I don't take for granted.

And golf? It's been my passion since age 10. Played competitively through college, still play amateur tournaments when I can (though three young kids have limited my tee times). Never quite good enough to go pro, but still chasing improvement. The patience and strategic thinking golf requires probably makes me better at what I do.

The work matters to me because retirement is high-stakes and one-directional. You can't restart at 75 if you get it wrong. My clients have saved diligently for decades. They deserve more than generic portfolios and hopeful probabilities. They deserve engineered certainty and the confidence to actually enjoy what they've built.

That's what I do. That's why Provision exists.