Q01
Can Camba analyze my specific pension election?
Yes. This is the core of the practice. Send the pension packet (NYSTRS, NYCTRS, PFRS, NYSLRS, NYCERS, NYC Police, FDNY, LIRR, or a hospital-system statement), your most recent Social Security estimate, and any 403(b) / 457(b) / TDA statements. Camba runs the Maximum Allowance against every available option election, Option 1, 100% / 75% / 50% Joint-and-Survivor, Pop-up, and 5- or 10-Year Certain where applicable, on a present-value basis at a reasonable discount rate. The output is a side-by-side: monthly income under each election, present value of the income stream, survivor protection, interaction with Social Security (net of WEP and GPO where relevant), and the tax picture in plain dollars. No product attached to the recommendation.
Q02
I'm in NYSTRS Tier 6. How is that different from Tier 4, and what does it mean for my election?
Tier 6 members were hired on or after April 1, 2012, and face a materially different structure than Tier 4. Tier 6 members contribute for their entire career (not a capped period), the contribution rate is tied to salary, the final-average-salary calculation uses five years instead of three, and the benefit accrual rates differ. In practical terms, Tier 6 members typically need to work longer to reach the same benefit a Tier 4 colleague achieved, and the break-even math on some option elections shifts. Camba runs Tier 6 pension elections against the member's actual estimated benefit, not the general Tier 4 rules most online calculators assume.
Q03
Will WEP or GPO reduce my Social Security because of my public-sector pension?
Maybe. The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) reduces Social Security for workers who also receive a pension from employment not covered by Social Security, which describes most NYSTRS, NYCTRS, and some civil-service employment. WEP is a formula adjustment, not a dollar-for-dollar offset, and it's capped. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) is harsher: it reduces a spousal or survivor Social Security benefit by two-thirds of the non-covered pension, which can eliminate the spousal benefit entirely. Both provisions have been the subject of reform legislation; as of early 2026, the landscape is in flux. Camba models the household's benefits under both current law and the most-likely reform scenarios so the election decision isn't made in a vacuum.
Q04
When should I roll over my 403(b) from a hospital system or district?
The honest answer is: rarely before retirement, and sometimes not even then. While employed, most 403(b) plans have institutional share classes and fiduciary oversight that can be genuinely competitive with a rollover IRA. At retirement, the rollover question depends on fund quality inside the plan, whether the plan allows partial withdrawals or annuitization, the NYCTRS TDA fixed-return option (which is unusually generous and worth keeping for many members), creditor protection, and whether consolidation simplifies the household's reporting. The NYCTRS TDA in particular should almost never be rolled out without a careful analysis. It's one of the few retail-accessible fixed-return vehicles that has meaningfully outperformed comparable bond allocations. Camba runs the numbers both ways and shows the side-by-side before recommending anything.
Q05
What does Camba Capital actually cost?
Two engagement structures, both published in full on the pricing page. (a) Tiered AUM, 0.90% on the first $500,000 of assets under management, 0.80% from $500,000 to $1.5 million, and 0.70% above $1.5 million, blended across the household. A $250,000 portfolio costs roughly $2,250 a year; a $1,000,000 portfolio costs roughly $8,500 a year. (b) Household CFO flat annual retainer. One fee covering investment management, tax coordination oversight with the CPA, estate document review with counsel, and insurance audit, quoted in writing after a scoping call. Standalone planning is also available on a flat-fee or hourly basis. No commissions, no platform fees, no 12b-1 trails, no kickbacks of any kind.
Q06
What is a fee-only fiduciary, and how is that different from a broker or insurance agent?
A fee-only fiduciary is paid only by clients, never by fund companies, insurance carriers, or product sponsors, and is legally required to put the client's interests first. A broker is generally held to a 'best interest' standard that still allows commissions, revenue sharing, and product-based incentives. The shorthand: a fiduciary's only conflict is the fee on the engagement letter; a broker's incentive structure is built into every recommendation. Camba Capital is in pre-launch, founder Dan Zimon is completing Investment Adviser Representative registration under an established advisory firm, and is being built as a fee-only fiduciary practice. Once that registration completes, the fiduciary duty attaches and the supervising firm's Form ADV will describe the advisory services in full.
Q07
Is there an account minimum?
No. Camba does not enforce a hard minimum. Engagements are evaluated on fit, whether the household has a real planning problem the firm can help with, not on the size of the balance sheet. Many initial conversations focus on the rollover and pension decisions in front of the household; the AUM relationship is a downstream consequence of doing that work well, not the gating criterion.
Q08
Should I roll over my old 401(k), or leave it where it is?
It depends on five things: total cost (advisory + fund expense ratios + platform fees inside the old plan), investment menu quality, creditor protection in the relevant state, the client's planned retirement date, and whether consolidation actually simplifies the household's reporting. Rolling over is right for many Long Island households leaving a former employer, but not all of them. Some legacy plans have institutional share classes that are genuinely cheaper than a retail IRA. Camba runs the numbers both ways and shows the side-by-side before recommending anything. Try the inactive 401(k) fee calculator on the calculator page to see the cost picture for an old account.
Q09
Lump sum or annuity. How do you decide on a pension election?
The honest answer is: you compare the actuarial present value of the annuity stream at a reasonable discount rate against the lump-sum offer, then layer in life-expectancy distribution (joint vs single life), inflation-adjustment terms (COLA or no COLA), spousal survivor needs, the household's other guaranteed income (Social Security, second pension), and the household's tolerance for sequence-of-returns risk if the lump sum is rolled to an IRA and invested. A handful of pensioners genuinely come out ahead taking the lump sum; many do not. Most NY public plans (NYSTRS, NYCTRS, NYSLRS, NYCERS, NYCPPF, FDNY) do not actually offer a lump sum at all. The structural decision there is Maximum Allowance vs Joint-and-Survivor options, not lump sum vs annuity. Try the [pension calculator](/calculator/pension). Pick your plan and the framing adjusts to your actual election menu.
Q10
Single life or joint-and-survivor, which pension election is right?
Joint-and-survivor reduces the working spouse's monthly check in exchange for a continuing benefit to the surviving spouse. The math depends on the size of the reduction (commonly 50%, 75%, or 100% J&S), the age gap between spouses, the survivor's other income, and whether life insurance can replicate the survivor benefit at lower total cost (the so-called 'pension max' strategy). The default answer for most working-couple households is some form of J&S, but the right percentage and the right alternative are household-specific. The firm runs the survivor cash-flow scenarios before any election form gets signed. The [pension calculator](/calculator/pension) shows the present-value comparison of every available election against the household's actual numbers.
Q11
When should I claim Social Security?
Almost never at 62 if you are still working. Often around full retirement age if you have a pension or steady income. Frequently at 70 if you are healthy, the higher earner, and the household is married, because the surviving spouse inherits the higher of the two benefits. The break-even age math is straightforward; the harder question is what claiming age does to the household's cash flow, Roth conversion windows in the 60s, and tax bracket management. Camba models the claiming decision against the rest of the retirement income plan rather than as a standalone decision.
Q12
Where will Camba custody client assets?
Camba is in pre-launch, founder Dan Zimon is completing Investment Adviser Representative registration under an established advisory firm, and is currently reviewing institutional custodian relationships. Two principles will not change: (1) client assets will always be held by an independent, well-capitalized, SIPC-member custodian, never by Camba, and (2) the assets will sit in the client's name at the custodian, with statements and logins direct from the custodian, not from the firm. Camba will never take physical possession of client funds and is not a custodian itself. Specific custodian selection is being finalized as part of that onboarding and will be matched to the household's actual situation at onboarding rather than locked in before the first client.
Q13
Does Camba do tax planning and estate planning?
Camba is not a CPA and is not a trust and estates attorney, and the firm refuses to pretend otherwise. What Camba does is coordinate. The firm models multi-year Roth conversion ladders, capital gains harvesting, RMD timing, and beneficiary designations, and then works directly with the household's CPA and estate attorney to make sure the implementation is clean. For households without an existing CPA or estate attorney, Camba refers to a vetted network of Long Island professionals. There are no referral fees or revenue-sharing arrangements behind any of those introductions.
Q14
Where does Camba meet with clients?
At the kitchen table, the workplace, the office, or over Zoom. Whichever is easiest for the household. Camba serves all of Nassau and Suffolk Counties: Garden City, Mineola, Hicksville, Plainview, Syosset, Massapequa, Long Beach, Rockville Centre, Huntington, Smithtown, Commack, Stony Brook, Port Jefferson Station, Port Jefferson, Hauppauge, and Patchogue, among others. Most clients have never had an advisor come to them. That is how the firm thinks it should work for working families.
Q15
Do I have to be retired to work with Camba?
No. A meaningful share of the firm's work is with households that are five to ten years away from retirement. The years where the rollover, pension, Social Security, and tax planning decisions are actually made and where the cost of doing them poorly is highest. Mid-career households with stock comp, concentrated employer positions, or career-transition decisions are also a fit. The common thread is a real planning problem, not an arbitrary age.
Q16
How do I get started?
Schedule a free 30-minute call with Dan Zimon directly. The first call is a conversation about the household's situation, income, accounts, pension, decisions on the horizon, and an honest read on whether the firm is the right partner for the work. There is no cost, no obligation, and no sales pitch on that first call. If there is a fit, the next step is typically a deeper review using statements the household sends in advance through the secure prep page. If there is not a fit, Camba says so and points the household toward the right resource.
Still have a question?
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