James Blue (CFP®)

Planning Specialties

Blue Advisors is a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm serving clients in Columbus, Ohio and across the country. I work with individuals and families who are retired or approaching retirement and want objective, fiduciary guidance as they transition from saving to living off their wealth. As a fiduciary, I act solely in my clients’ best interests and do not accept commissions or product-based compensation. My primary planning specialty is retirement income planning. I help clients evaluate when and how to retire, design sustainable withdrawal strategies, and coordinate investment portfolios with Social Security claiming decisions, pensions, and other income sources. A central focus of my work is managing sequence-of-returns risk and ensuring portfolios are structured to support reliable cash flow throughout retirement. I also specialize in tax-efficient retirement planning, including forward-looking tax projections, Roth conversion analysis, capital-gain management, and required minimum distribution (RMD) planning. I regularly coordinate with clients’ CPAs to reduce lifetime tax exposure and improve after-tax retirement outcomes. My investment management approach is disciplined and risk-aware, emphasizing diversification, downside management, and alignment with each client’s spending needs, time horizon, and overall balance sheet rather than short-term market forecasts. Additional planning areas include estate and legacy planning coordination, beneficiary and account titling reviews, insurance and long-term care planning considerations, charitable giving strategies, and ongoing guidance through life transitions such as retirement, health events, or the loss of a spouse. Clients work directly with me throughout the engagement, ensuring continuity, accountability, and a consistent long-term planning relationship.