Comprehensive Planning · Fee-Only · Fiduciary
Financial planning built on partnership, transparency, and your best interest.
Comprehensive, independent financial guidance from a fee-only fiduciary — covering retirement, tax, investment, insurance, and estate planning as a unified strategy.
Why Rock Financial Planning
Advice built entirely around you.
Rock Financial Planning’s only compensation comes from client fees. No commissions, no referral arrangements, no product sales — ever. Advice is always in your best interest, and planning covers every area of your financial life.
- Fee-Only
My compensation comes solely from client fees. I never receive commissions, referral payments, or compensation from financial products. That means every recommendation I make has one motivation: your best outcome. - Fiduciary
As a fiduciary, I am held to the highest standard of care in the industry — not just a “suitable” recommendation, but the best one. That standard isn’t a marketing claim. It’s a legal and ethical obligation I take seriously. - Comprehensive Planning
Retirement, tax, investment, insurance, and estate planning — coordinated as a single unified strategy. Because these areas don’t exist in isolation, and neither should your plan.
Meet Darren
About Me
Darren Rock holds a Master of Science in Financial Planning from New York University and an MBA from the University of South Florida. He founded Rock Financial Planning in 2026 and is registered as an Investment Adviser Representative in the State of North Carolina.
Prior to founding Rock Financial Planning, Darren spent over 20 years in the United States Marine Corps, serving in operational planning and command roles. After retiring, he moved into senior civilian roles at the U.S. Department of Defense, leading national-level cyber operations planning. From there, he transitioned into financial technology, managing complex Salesforce implementations for community and regional banks.
Darren’s exposure to financial planning began over 20 years ago when he hired his first financial advisor — a decision that proved to be one of the most consequential of his life. In the years that followed, working with fee-only planners taught him how to manage debt strategically, harness the power of compounding returns and dollar cost averaging, and understand the behavioral patterns that quietly undermine most people’s financial decisions. The establishment of Rock Financial Planning represents the full circle of that journey — the roles now reversed, with Darren in the advisor’s chair.
Darren resides in Wilmington, North Carolina. When he isn’t nerding out on financial topics, he enjoys gardening, traveling, spending time with friends, and pampering his Airedale Terrier, Moose.
- MS, Financial Planning — New York University, 2025
- MBA — University of South Florida, 2019
- BA, Sociology — SUNY Oswego, 1997
- Investment Adviser Representative, State of North Carolina
What I Do
Comprehensive planning across all areas.
Rock Financial Planning coordinates every dimension of your financial life into a single, unified strategy.
Retirement Planning
Retirement income strategies, Social Security optimization, and withdrawal sequencing to make your money last.
Tax Strategy
Current-year tax planning coordinated with your CPA — Roth conversions, tax-loss harvesting, and bracket management.
Investment Planning
Portfolio design, investment policy statements, and evidence-based allocation guidance aligned with your goals.
Insurance Planning
Objective review of life, disability, long-term care, and liability coverage.
Estate Planning
Beneficiary reviews, titling strategies, and coordination with your attorney to protect what you've built.
Cash Flow Planning
Spending plans, savings rate analysis, and liability management — the foundation everything else is built on.
How It Works
From first call to ongoing partnership.
A clear, structured process so you always know what comes next.
Intro Call
A conversation to understand your situation, goals, and what's on your mind. No obligation — just an honest discussion about whether we're a good fit.
Financial Plan
I onboard you, gather the full picture of your situation, then build a comprehensive plan across all five planning areas — delivered with clear action steps.
Implementation
Recommendations executed in prioritized phases — critical gaps addressed first, then structural changes, then long-horizon items. Guided step by step. Never overwhelming.
Continuous Monitoring
We stay engaged so nothing falls through the cracks. Two in-depth reviews per year, proactive portfolio rebalancing, tax minimization opportunities identified throughout the year, and ongoing support as your life and goals evolve.
Pricing
Simple, transparent fees
AUM-Based
Billed quarterly in arrears · Min. $500K investable assets
- Comprehensive financial plan
- Investment policy statement
- Tax strategy & 2 in-depth annual reviews
- Ad-hoc advisory & life event plan updates
- Estate & insurance planning
- Cash flow planning
- Portfolio rebalancing (advisor-executed)
- Real-time monitoring & drift alerts
- Tax-loss harvesting
Best for clients who want full-service portfolio management alongside ongoing planning.
Annual Fixed Fee
Billed monthly · Scales with complexity
- Comprehensive financial plan
- Investment policy statement
- Tax strategy & 2 in-depth annual reviews
- Ad-hoc advisory & life event plan updates
- Estate & insurance planning
- Cash flow planning
- Portfolio rebalancing (client-directed)
Best for clients who prefer to retain direct control of their accounts.
Hourly / Consulting
5-hour minimum · Billed upon completion
- Portfolio analysis & design
- Retirement readiness review
- Education funding plan
- Insurance review
- Major decision support
- Second opinion
Best for clients seeking focused guidance on a specific question without an ongoing engagement.
Let’s Talk
Ready to build a plan that actually works?
Schedule an intro call. A conversation about where you are, where you want to go, and whether we’re a good fit.
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