Welcome to Cedarmill Financial.

Your home for all things personal finance for entrepreneurs.

My first job was as a dishwasher at Hyannis Golf Club on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. I worked my way up to Sous Chef and I learned there that I wanted to work in small business.

I own two small side businesses, Fresh Start Auto and Tom's Toasted Oats, both of which I built from scratch, I have a wealth of expertise on financial planning and closely-held ventures. I specialize in advising entrepreneur families and hope you find the tools and information on this website to help you.

Prior to owning a business, I spent 6 years in public accounting as a CPA at KPMG and a small local firm. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Washington University and the degree equivalent in accounting via post-graduate coursework at the University of Missouri St. Louis.

I live with my wife and 2-year old son in Chesterfield, MO. I enjoy traveling, food, playing with my boy, and just about everything related to money. I specialize in financial planning for entrepreneurs with closely held businesses.

Please use the free tools and articles to build your financial acumen.

To your peace and prosperity,

Thomas H.H. Aylmer

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Switching your Roth IRA or IRA Target Mutual Funds to a Vanguard Total Market ETF

If you’re an entrepreneur with a multi-decade time horizon, you’ve probably looked at your Target Retirement 2055 fund and wondered whether the small bond allocation and automatic glide path still make sense. Many people in that situation consider moving everything into a single, low-cost global stock ETF like Vanguard’s VT. Here’s a clear, practical breakdown of the decision, the mechanics of making the change at Vanguard, the fee impact, and the real estate exposure you alr

Vanguard 100% Equity Portfolio Roadmap for Personal Investors

A 100% stock portfolio sounds simple until the choices start piling up. U.S. or global? ETF or mutual fund? Total market or value tilt? Should real estate get its own slice? And where should each fund go if the account is a Roth IRA, traditional IRA, or taxable brokerage account? For many Vanguard personal investors, the cleanest answer is a single all-equity fund that owns thousands of companies across the world. It can be low-cost, easy to maintain, and diversified enough f

Red rocks in Sedona AZ to complement investing article

How to Build a Simple 60/40 Portfolio With Two Funds from Vanguard and Fidelity

A good portfolio does not need 12 funds, daily trading, or a complicated spreadsheet. For many long-term investors, two broad funds can do the main job: one stock fund for growth and one bond fund for stability. That is the idea behind a 60/40 portfolio. It puts 60% of your money in stocks and 40% in bonds. The stock side gives the portfolio room to grow. The bond side can help reduce the shock when stocks fall.

Best Vanguard and Fidelity 100 Stock Portfolio for Aggressive Investors

A 100% stock portfolio sounds simple until the fund choices start piling up. U.S. large-cap funds, small-cap funds, developed international funds, emerging markets funds, REIT funds, dividend funds, growth funds, value funds, sector funds, and factor funds can turn an aggressive portfolio into a cluttered one. For most aggressive investors, the better answer is the opposite: own nearly the whole global stock market with as few funds as possible. A strong all-stock portfolio d