Charles Petitjean, CFP - Financial Planner at Barker Wealth Management, LLC

Charles Petitjean, CFP - Financial Planner at Barker Wealth Management, LLC Financial Planner helping people aged 60+ live better retirements while paying less taxes.

As a CFP®, I help you:
▪️Maximize Your Money & Retirement Spending
▪️Pay Less Taxes
▪️Have Less Money Worry

Quality prospect found me on Google from another state ✅Bought new hydrangeas, lavender and blueberries for the new hous...
07/22/2026

Quality prospect found me on Google from another state ✅
Bought new hydrangeas, lavender and blueberries for the new house, accidentally spent $300 ✅
Kids are enjoying their summers ✅
Got my annual physical done (which hasn’t been an annual thing..) ✅

Life is good rn 😌

What are you proud of this week??

07/22/2026

Charles, just pick up the darn phone and call!!

It’s so easy to send a quick email on something but people really, really appreciate a call these days.

Especially from my generation.. 😂

Called a client yesterday who I hadn’t heard from in a little while given that they’ve been going through a difficult health situation. Wasn’t sure if the timing was right but I called anyway.

Unsurprisingly.. they were so grateful!

Sure, it takes a little more time and effort depending on the stories exchanged but it’s so much more effective in a lot of cases.

Take that AI!

My dad recently turned the big 6-0 so we celebrated with a trip to Chambers Bay.. wow!If you haven’t played there, it’s ...
07/17/2026

My dad recently turned the big 6-0 so we celebrated with a trip to Chambers Bay.. wow!

If you haven’t played there, it’s hard to describe without sounding like you’re overselling it.

Links-style layout, dramatic elevation changes, fairways that roll and bounce in ways you don’t expect, and then you turn around and there’s Puget Sound behind you with the Olympic Mountains sitting on the horizon.

We also played with a super cool Norwegian member, Bjorn, who essentially acted as a free caddie for us the entire afternoon.

Not often you get to a play a course that hosted a recent US Open! 🙏🏽

07/15/2026

“I heard that I can only give $19,000 without paying tax?”

There's a ton of confusion on the application of the annual exclusion!

If you give more than the $19,000 annual limit in 2026 (per spouse per recipient), many people think they’ll owe tax on the extra amount, but that’s not how it works.

You do have to report the gift by filing IRS Form 709 (and yes, your CPA will likely charge for preparing it).

But. Rather than paying tax right away, the amount over $19,000 simply counts against your federal lifetime exemption, which is currently $15 million per person.

Unless you’ve used up that lifetime exemption, neither you nor the recipient will owe any tax in the year you make the gift.

07/11/2026

Early in my career, I felt the need to help EVERYONE.

But the truth is, it’s incredibly freeing to specialize, as much as I tried to fight it.

I work with retirees, typically aged 60 - 75. That’s my lane, it's what I'm good at. And I love it!

I don't work with young people, tech executives, doctors/ lawyers, mid-career folks, etc.

When you spend years getting to know one group of people (i.e. what keeps them up at night, what excites them, what they actually want from their money), you start to understand them and see the patterns.

You understand the problems that they’re wanting to solve and the emotional side of spending after decades of saving.

That puts me in a confident position, knowing I don’t need to work with everyone.
I get to partner with the people I know I can truly help! 😊

Days like today remind me why I love living and working in the Pacific Northwest!Today brought me to Bellevue, and I was...
07/08/2026

Days like today remind me why I love living and working in the Pacific Northwest!

Today brought me to Bellevue, and I was reminded (again) how much I enjoy the energy of this place.

Beautiful views.
Great restaurants.
Very smart, ambitious people.
And somehow, it still feels connected to the outdoors.

I LOVE spending time up here.

That said… there’s something special about being able to be home in 2.5 hrs to see my wife and boys.

Feeling grateful that I get to work with such wonderful families in both Southwest Washington and the Seattle area. 😇👊🏽

250!! 🇺🇸Happy 4th of July weekend to you and yours!
07/05/2026

250!! 🇺🇸

Happy 4th of July weekend to you and yours!

07/04/2026

Guys and gals, we need to stop benchmarking our retirement on $1M or $2M saved.

If we look at two different people with the exact same savings, their retirements can look completely different:

👉 Couple A has $2M but spends $250k a year on travel, hobbies, and spoiling kids & grandkids.

👉 Couple B also has $2M but lives a more modest lifestyle, spending $75k a year.

Same $2M. Very different retirements.

Couple B’s retirement outlook looks much stronger because they’re not putting nearly as much stress on their portfolio.

The real question isn’t:
❌ “How much do I need to retire?”

The better question is:
✅ “What do I want my retirement to look like?”

And then build your retirement roadmap backwards from there..

A month of long-term care can cost as much as a Rolex. Okay, maybe not every Rolex. 😄But I’m constantly reminded of just...
07/02/2026

A month of long-term care can cost as much as a Rolex.

Okay, maybe not every Rolex. 😄

But I’m constantly reminded of just how expensive it is.

Whether it’s clients, friends’ parents, or my own grandpa, who now receives long-term care costing well over $10,000 per month.

Here’s what I’ve learned though-

Even if you have millions of dollars to pay for care, your children, family members, or close friends will likely still play an incredibly important role as you age.

The money helps with the “care” part, but it doesn’t account for all the other stuff.

My mom spends countless hours every week filling in the gaps- taking my grandpa to appointments, advocating for his care, coordinating with providers, and handling the countless little things that no invoice ever seems to cover.

It’s AT LEAST a part-time job for her.

One of the greatest gifts you can give your children isn’t just saving enough money.

It’s making your wishes known, getting your affairs organized, and making one of life’s hardest seasons a little less overwhelming.

Money can pay for your care, but it can’t replace the people who care for your care.

Also, be kind and understanding to those who are having to take on this really challenging role for their family members!

06/30/2026

One of my favorite things to hear in a review meeting is:

“We honestly didn’t think about money much this year.”

Mission accomplished!

To me, that usually means my clients are busy enjoying their retirement and have gotten to a place of trust with me where they feel confident that I’m helping them manage everything effectively.

They traveled. ✅
They spent time with family. ✅
They golfed. ✅
They got to spoil their grandkids. ✅

Because the goal of retirement isn’t to have you checking your accounts every week or stress over every market headline.

It’s to give you enough confidence that you can stop thinking about money all the time, trusting that you have a solid plan and an advisor who will let you know when there’s something worth paying attention to.

In my opinion, that’s one of the greatest compliments a retiree can give me. 😊

Address

Ridgefield, WA
98642

Opening Hours

Monday 8am - 5pm
Tuesday 8am - 5pm
Wednesday 8am - 5pm
Thursday 8am - 5pm
Friday 8am - 5pm

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