Sanctuary Financial Planning, LLC

Alex Mathews is a financial advisor with Sanctuary Financial Planning, LLC and holds a Series 65 designation. He has experience in the United States Navy from 2018 to 2025 and currently serves as an O-3 Lieutenant in the United States Naval Reserve. Prior to his military service, he worked at La Crosse Lumber Company for four years. Sanctuary Financial Planning, LLC provides integrated financial planning and discretionary investment management primarily for individual clients, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm operates as a fee-only fiduciary and emphasizes long-term, evidence-based, globally diversified portfolios constructed mainly from low-cost mutual funds and ETFs.

Jim Charles, CFP®, CFA, CDFA® is the co-founder of Sanctuary Financial Planning, a flat-fee, fee-only firm specializing in retirement and major life transitions. He brings more than three decades experience in comprehensive financial planning, tax-efficient retirement income design, and evidence-based investment management. Jim is also the co-author of the best-selling book From Work to What’s Next – Designing a Life You Don’t Want to Retire From, a project rooted in his own “failed retirement.” After stepping away from work, Jim discovered firsthand that financial readiness and life readiness are two very different things. That experience inspired him to re-emerge with purpose and ultimately create Sanctuary — a firm dedicated to helping others design transitions that feel meaningful, not disorienting. At Sanctuary, clients receive ongoing financial planning, proactive tax strategy, and integrated wealth management — all for a single, transparent, flat fee. Our work focuses on: • Retirement income planning using dynamic, research-based withdrawal strategies • Tax-efficient portfolio management and multi-year tax planning • Social Security, Medicare, and transition decision support • Coordinated, ongoing financial planning across all areas of life and money Sanctuary’s model eliminates AUM fees, product sales, and asset minimums. Clients receive objective advice, continuous planning, and disciplined investment management designed to support a confident, purpose-filled transition into and through retirement — not just a financial plan, but a roadmap for what comes next.

Sarah Charles is a financial advisor at Sanctuary Financial Planning, LLC in Charlotte, NC, with 18 years of industry experience. She holds a Series 65 designation and has previously worked at FORVIS Wealth Advisors LLC and DHG Wealth Advisors. Sanctuary Financial Planning, LLC provides integrated financial planning and discretionary investment management for individual clients, trusts, estates, and charitable organizations. The firm operates as a fee-only fiduciary, emphasizing long-term, evidence-based, globally diversified portfolios primarily composed of low-cost mutual funds and ETFs, and offers specialized services including divorce consulting and educational speaking engagements.