North Carolina Retirement Planning
Arista Financial
As a founder of Arista Financial, Matthew Ponder specializes in helping retirement savers eliminate risk, fees and taxes, so they can keep 30-40% more of their income.
For over a decade, he has taught and helped those who understand the importance of efficient retirement planning, especially with the fact that tax-deferred savings, bound by risk, fees, restrictions, limitations and penalties is not ideal for today’s saver.
Whether their savings strategy came from their employer or from their advisor, it wasn’t solving their real problems. And that’s when it hit me – the clients were actually number five on the totem pole of importance! Think about it: the money manager benefits first, then the broker dealer, then Wall Street, then the IRS. Only after all of them take their share does the client – the person whose money it actually is – get what’s left.
Just to give a little more background, our agency is well known for specializing in ONE thing. We don’t claim to do everything under the sun, but we are known to be probably the best in what we do. It’s a simple acronym called ERFT and that stands for Eliminating Risk, Fees & Taxes. Now it doesn’t apply to everybody or every scenario, but that’s the lens we look through when it comes to HOW we can possibly help someone gain better efficiency with their money.
01
Start Smart
Get a Clear Understanding of Your Financial Life
First, we gain a thorough understanding of your current financial situation, goals, objectives, risk tolerance, and the key considerations that should be addressed in your retirement strategy.
Six Fundamental Financial Planning Considerations
Six key financial planning considerations can impact your financial goals now and in the future. The question is not if these will affect your finances, but to what degree. We evaluate your sentiment toward each consideration and quantify the potential effects on your assets over time. This allows us to build customized strategies to help you achieve your financial objectives for retirement.
Longevity
Outliving financial assets as the result of a longer life.
Inflation
Reduction in real purchasing power as the result of increasing cost of living.
Mortality
Loss of financial assets as the result of a partner’s or spouse’s death.
Liquidity
Limited access to assets to meet life’s unexpected financial needs.
Market
Unexpected reduction in the value of financial assets at the time of withdrawal.
Taxes
Decreasing income and assets and/or the impairment of legacy assets from increasing taxes.
02
Apply Discipline
A Retirement Strategy Designed for You
Next, we design a retirement strategy that actively works to help optimize your wealth and protect your finances, keeping your goals and objectives at the forefront of our planning process.
03
Communicate Progress
Our Commitment to You
Lastly and continually, we work to ensure transparency of your income plan by providing visibility, proactive
outreach, and accessibility to our team throughout our working relationship.
Request Your
Receive Our
Have a Question?
Here For You
Meet The Advisor
Matthew J. Ponder
Founder
From farm, to fashion, to finance, to helping others with their family, finances and future.
As a founder of Arista Financial, Matthew Ponder specializes in helping retirement savers eliminate risk, fees and taxes in the way they save money and how they park it.
For over a decade, he has taught and helped women and married couples who understand the importance of efficient retirement planning, especially with the fact that tax-deferred savings, bound by risk, fees, restrictions, limitations and penalties is not ideal for today’s saver.
Matthew grew up in ministry while simultaneously being raised in entrepreneurship. He went from animal science studies, to earning a B.S. Degree in Fashion Marketing and Management, to a 3-year internship at his 46-year-old family business. He decided that he wanted to take the initiative in making other families aware of a liquid asset, safety earning returns without internal revenue service involvement.
From this experience, wisdom, and resourcefulness you will appreciate his approach to retirement income strategies, values, straightforwardness, honesty, and direct communication.
RR
Retirement Resources
Complimentary Educational Resources
Lastly and continually, we work to ensure transparency of your income plan by providing visibility, proactive outreach, and accessibility to our team throughout our working relationship.
Our Upcoming Events
Events in August 2025
- There are no events scheduled during these dates.
Our Downloads
Tips to Avoid a "Market Panic" Reaction
Planning for retirement is never a “set it and forget it” activity: There are unexpected disasters, market drops, and changing laws that invariably cause retirees to reevaluate their plans. Diseases, natural disasters, or political instability are examples of things that can cause market downturns or drops. Such occurrences are difficult to predict, and their consequences can cause people to make hasty decisions with their finances.
Our Blog
Financial Calculators
PLEASE NOTE: The information being provided is strictly as a courtesy. We make no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided via these calculators. Nor is the company liable for any direct or indirect technical or system issues or any consequences arising out of your access to or your use of third-party technologies, information and programs made available through the use of these calculators.
