Advisor Showcase

Get to Know Jim Shagawat, CFP®

I help you define and seek to achieve your highest financial goals!

24 Certified Advisor Reviews™

📍 Paramus, NJ | Helping Clients Enjoy a Well-Planned Retirement

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20+

Years of Experience

40+

Clients Served

Ideal Client Profile

Who we serve

I work with folks who have saved well and are approaching or navigating an important financial transition — retirement, early retirement, a career change, concentrated company stock, inheritance, divorce, widowhood, or making sure their spouse and family are protected.

Retirees

Already retired and focused on making your money last

Near-Retirees

Getting serious about the transition ahead

Career Changers

Navigating a job change, exit, or new chapter

Life Transitions

Divorce, widowhood, inheritance, or making sure your family is protected.

Get to know us

Get to Know Jim Shagawat, CFP®

My clients are people who've done the hard work of saving. What they often need now isn't more products — it's clarity. I help them get organized, understand their options, and feel confident about the decisions ahead, whether that's retiring on their own terms, navigating a job transition, dealing with a lump sum or company stock, or making sure their family is protected.

I focus on financial planning, tax strategy, and retirement income — and because those things don't exist in isolation, when applicable, I coordinate with my clients' CPAs and attorneys to help ensure everything is working together. I've been quoted in Barron's, CNBC, AARP, and Kiplinger.

My goal is straightforward: make things simpler, so you can make decisions with confidence and feel good about your future.

(201) 509-4323

Website

What Our Clients Are Saying

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I have worked with Jim for 10 years where he has provided excellent support to grow my investments. He provided great advice on portfolio management during significant changes in my life (post divorce, retirement) and regularly checks in on my financial needs.

Linda S

Jim has been a lifesaver, he is so thorough and explains every option available to us. He provides us with the pros and cons of each option. He is very detailed oriented, and remembers to follow up with us when he says he will.

Sunita G

Jim is very intelligent and has a very calming personality who makes my wife and I very comfortable and secure, knowing that Jim is handling our finances. Jim frequently reaches out to us to schedule a review and see if we have any question or changes that we may have.

Stephan Dermangian

Testimonials provided by current clients and may not be representative of the experiences of other clients. The clients were not compensated, nor are there material conflicts of interest. View a complete list of reviews on my Wealthtender profile.

What We Do

Services

Because your finances don't exist in isolation, I help you bring them together — and coordinate the rest.

  1. Retirement income

    Helping turn savings into retirement income

  2. Financial planning

    A clear, organized plan for the whole picture

  3. Tax strategy

    Looking for ways to reduce taxes over time

  4. Investment management

    Thoughtful, disciplined portfolio guidance

  5. Estate coordination

    Working with your attorney, when applicable, to help protect your legacy

  6. Asset protection

    Planning for the unexpected, not just the expected

  7. Social Security

    Timing and strategy to help maximize your benefits

  8. CPA & attorney coordination

    Coordinating with your CPA, attorney, and other professionals, when applicable, to help keep everyone on the same page

Get in touch

Watch

Meet Jim

A quick introduction: Who I help, and how I approach working together.

Let's chat

Conversation

In conversation with Jim Shagawat, CFP®, ChFC®, MBA

Partner Advisor, AdvicePeriod

WT

Wealthtender

Who do you do your best work for?

Jim Shagawat

People who have saved well and are getting serious about what comes next. That might mean they're a few years from retirement and want to know they're on track. Or they just left a job with a large 401(k) and aren't sure what to do with it. Or they're already retired and realizing that spending down is a very different challenge than building up. What they all have in common is they want to understand what they have, feel organized, and make decisions they're confident in.

JS
WT

Wealthtender

What does working with you actually look like?

Jim Shagawat

We start by getting everything in one place — your investments, income, taxes, insurance, and estate documents. A lot of people haven't seen it all together before, and just doing that changes the conversation. From there we build a plan and review it regularly. You can come to me with a scenario — "what if I retire two years early?" or "what happens if we sell the house?" — and we'll work through it together. When applicable, I also coordinate with your CPA and attorney to help ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

JS
WT

Wealthtender

What's something people are surprised to learn once they start working with you?

Jim Shagawat

A lot of people expect the first conversation to be about the markets. It rarely is. We spend most of our time early on getting organized — understanding what you have, what your lifestyle costs, what you want retirement to look like, and what risks we need to plan around. Once that foundation is clear, everything else, including the investment decisions, makes a lot more sense.

JS
Get to know Jim Shagawat

Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

A few of the questions I hear most often from people considering working with me.

I work mostly with people approaching or navigating a major financial transition — retirement, a career change, an inheritance, or a liquidity event like concentrated company stock. Many are Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, including corporate executives and dual-income households, as well as people already living in retirement. They tend to want to understand their finances rather than simply hand them off.

I provide comprehensive financial planning with an emphasis on retirement income, tax strategy, and investment management. I also help with estate planning coordination, insurance and asset protection, Social Security planning, and equity compensation. One thing I'm deliberate about is coordinating with my clients' CPAs and attorneys, when applicable, so everything is aligned rather than siloed.

I'm a fee-only advisor at AdvicePeriod, and I charge either a flat fee or a percentage of assets under management, depending on the scope of services and your situation. I don't use commission-based compensation for planning advice. The best way to learn more is to book a free Get Acquainted Call — no pressure, no commitment.

Meet the Founder

Jim Shagawat, CFP®, ChFC®, MBA

I work with people who have saved well and are approaching or navigating an important financial transition — retirement, a career change, a large lump sum, concentrated company stock, an inheritance, or helping to ensure their spouse and family are protected if something happens. My clients tend to be Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, corporate executives, dual-income families, and people already in or nearing retirement. What they share in common: they want to understand their finances, not just hand them off, and they’re looking for a long-term relationship built on trust.

Next Steps

You've saved well. Now what?

Let's spend a few minutes getting to know each other.
No pressure, no obligation — just a conversation about where you are and what you're trying to figure out.

Schedule a Get Acquainted Call

Client reviews are based on unique experiences from current clients and are not representative of all client experiences. We reached out to clients via email requesting voluntary feedback. Clients were not provided any compensation for their review. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Jim Shagawat is an investment adviser representative of AdvicePeriod, a business name of Mariner Platform Solutions, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Testimonials may not be representative of other clients’ experiences and are not a guarantee of future performance. Reviewers were not compensated and there are no material conflicts of interest.