WaterColor is 499 acres of beachfront resort community built around Western Lake. Properties range from $1M condos to $10M Gulf-front estates. The amenities are exceptional. The carrying costs, rental restrictions, and special assessment risk require an advisor who understands the full picture.
The St. Joe Company built WaterColor in five phases, completing the community in 2022. It includes the WaterColor Inn, Camp WaterColor, retail, restaurants, and over 1,100 homes. The mix of investors, lifestyle buyers, and part-time residents creates a financial environment that is more nuanced than it appears from the outside.
Carrying costs on a $4M property run $50,000 to $56,000 annually between HOA fees and property taxes, before accounting for $4,000 to $10,000 in annual maintenance and elevated wind and flood insurance. There is also a 0.5% new buyer fee at closing -- $25,000 on a $5M purchase -- that does not apply toward the mortgage. These numbers shift retirement projections and cash flow plans materially.
Short-term rentals are allowed in Phases 1 through 4 but prohibited in Phase 5. That distinction creates a valuation gap between investor-oriented and owner-occupant properties that matters for acquisition strategy, income modeling, and estate planning. Seasonal rental income also means quarterly cash flow variability that needs to be planned around, not discovered after the fact.
WaterColor's infrastructure is aging. Sidewalks, street lighting, the beach club, and extensive common areas will require capital improvements. Special assessments are a realistic planning consideration, not a hypothetical. We help WaterColor families model these costs, manage rental income tax treatment, and coordinate property strategy with their broader financial plan. Our office is at Destin Commons.
We work across the full spectrum of financial planning, with particular expertise in the issues WaterColor property owners face most often.
When can you step back from work? How do pensions, Social Security, and investment income sequence together? We build a coordinated plan for year one and beyond.
Learn more →A coordinated portfolio aligned to your timeline, tax situation, and risk tolerance. Not benchmarks. Your actual life.
Learn more →College funding, estate coordination, insurance alignment, cash flow mapping. Everything connected to one strategy.
Learn more →ABLE accounts, special needs trusts, Medicaid coordination. If you have a child or family member with special needs, we have deep expertise and personal experience.
Learn more →Short-term rentals are phase-dependent at WaterColor. We model seasonal income, management fees, and tax treatment so your rental property works within your broader financial plan.
Learn more →Aging infrastructure across 499 acres means capital improvements are coming. We build reserve analysis and assessment contingencies into your long-term cash flow projections.
Learn more →Todd Sensing, CFA, CFP®, CEPA®, ChSNC®, leads FamilyVest with over two decades of experience across institutional portfolio management, fixed-income strategy, and private wealth advisory. He is a father of two sons with autism, which drives his deep commitment to special needs financial planning.
FamilyVest operates through Farther, combining the personal relationship of an independent advisor with the technology, compliance infrastructure, and custodial access of an institutional platform. You get both: someone who knows your name and your situation, backed by systems that manage your wealth with precision.
We are 100% fee-only. No commissions. No product sales. Our only incentive is to give you the best advice we can. That is how it should work.
NAPFA recommends asking these questions before hiring an advisor. Here are our answers.
Over 25 years in financial planning and portfolio management. That includes consulting community banks on asset-liability structure and risk management, hedging over $10 billion in fixed-income portfolios, and founding Aardvark Advisors in 2007 to manage a $120 million equity REIT portfolio. My experience across fixed income, equity, and real estate gives me a well-rounded perspective that informs every client relationship.
I hold four professional designations. I am a CFA Charterholder, which fewer than 1 in 5 candidates achieve. The Financial Times calls the CFA Charter the gold standard for financial professionals. I am also a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®), a Certified Exit Planning Advisor (CEPA®), and a Chartered Special Needs Consultant (ChSNC®). Each designation requires rigorous coursework, examinations, and ongoing continuing education.
FamilyVest is a comprehensive fee-only planning firm. During our planning process, we cover all facets of your financial life: estate planning, insurance reviews, income tax strategies, investment management, retirement planning, and special needs coordination. We get to know your goals and build a solution designed to help you achieve them. See our full planning approach.
We tailor strategies to meet the needs of each client specifically. We are not bound to any product or method. We construct portfolios that maximize the probability of long-term success while reducing ongoing volatility. Our emphasis is on controlling the things we can and preparing for the various probabilities of the outcomes we cannot. Learn more about our approach.
My practice ranges from single individuals and married families to those focused on wealth maximization and estate planning. I also specialize in planning for families with special needs. As a father of two sons on the autism spectrum, I bring a different level of understanding to the process. This combination of professional experience and personal experience gives me a unique ability to help families make the most of their future.
Clients of FamilyVest work directly with Todd Sensing. We bring in outside experts when appropriate. For example, when working on insurance planning, we engage fee-only actuaries with specific experience related to your situation. We do the analysis to help you get the right product at the right price.
I am a fee-only fiduciary financial advisor. I work for my clients and only my clients. I am independent, and my firm works with each client to develop a fee schedule that is fair and appropriate. I have adopted the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP) flat-fee retainer model of pricing, based on income, assets, and complexity. All fees are detailed in our Form ADV Part 2A.
Our clients typically find that our pricing model is lower and more transparent than both the traditional AUM percentage and commission-based pricing models. Our fee schedule: 1.00% on the first $2M, 0.85% on $2-$4M, 0.50% on $4-$10M, and negotiable above $10M. Advisory-only engagements are 0.25%. We deliver value, and we are transparent about what it costs.
Never. As a fee-only fiduciary, I receive no commissions, referral fees, or compensation from any product provider. The only people who benefit from my advice are my clients.
No. You can verify my regulatory record on FINRA BrokerCheck and the SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure database.
Let us review where you stand and where you want to go. If we are the right fit, we will tell you how we can help. If we are not, we will tell you that too.