Individual Services

Financial Planning Services

We keep diligent watch to be sure that you do not miss a financial opportunity because life got in the way. We hold you accountable, to do the things that you have to do, to get the results you want.  We offer limited scope financial planning and comprehensive financial planning for a fee.

Limited Scope Financial Planning

We work with you to address specific financial concerns that you may have, regarding particular areas or topics in your financial life. For example, we may focus on retirement income planning, college funding, risk management or each of those three, if you like.

Estate Planning

You’ve done well for yourself. You’ve accumulated significant assets. Looking at your legacy, we will coordinate with your estate planning attorney or make a referral if necessary. Great care must be taken in the structuring of your assets to pass them to the next generation in the most tax efficient manner. We will help you avoid the common mistakes and pitfalls.

Education Funding Planning

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” ― Winston S. Churchill

Giving the gift of education is one of the most significant things we can do for our children. Should you decide this is a goal, we will help you plan for this life-changing event by properly structuring your savings to capitalize on tax benefits available, while ensuring you are routinely funding your plan to make this dream come true.

Retirement Income Planning

We will help demystify the many approaches available to “unwind your assets”. This starts by helping you mentally prepare for this phase of life after accumulating assets for many years. Some of the most common concerns that will be explored are:

  • Am I saving enough for retirement?

  • Will I outlive my assets?

  • What happens if the stock market has a major decline?

  • How much money (if any) should I have in the stock market?

  • Can my income keep pace with inflation?

  • Should I claim Social Security earlier or later?

  • When and where do annuities fit into my plan, if at all?

  • Should I live off dividend income and bond interest or reinvest all income from investments and sell shares systematically?

  • Should I take my pension income or a lump sum if offered?

Comprehensive Financial Planning

We work with you to develop a comprehensive plan that touches all major areas of financial concern.  The areas below are typically covered by your individual comprehensive plan. For all planning services above, we utilize a combination of judgment, experience, understanding and specialized software to produce your plan, while following the six step certified financial planning model.  For a pricing matrix of our most common planning services, click here.

Wealth Management

The accumulation and ongoing management of your assets are core tenants of any well-constructed financial plan.  Client portfolios are routinely assembled utilizing ETFs, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and other alternative investments when applicable.  Our approach to wealth management is unique and personalized to your individual situation and is offered in the following manner:

Advisory Services

Clients looking to hire us on a long-term basis to manage their assets routinely prefer an advisory relationship.  This type of structure places us in a fiduciary role and allows us to provide you with ongoing advice and management of your assets for a fee.  The investment approach we take is tailored to your individual situation and managed to your objective with consideration the risk profile we establish upon consultation.

Retail Services

For clients seeking limited advice or for those accounts that do not meet the minimums for advisory services, retail commission based brokerage accounts are the platform of choice. We use these accounts to help clients tailor their initial allocations or provide advice at the time you buy or sell securities.

Account Types Offered

Whether the approach taken is advisory or retail, account types that are available include (but not limited to) the following:

  • Individual Accounts
  • Joint Accounts
  • (TOD) Transfer on Death Accounts
  • Trust Accounts
  • Custodial Accounts
  • 529 College Savings plans
  • Traditional IRA
  • Roth IRA
  • SEP IRA

Trust Services

Many clients already have trusts established or may be questioning the merits of having a trust based on their own unique situation.  We can help.

As experienced financial advisors, we have experience in these matters and can recognize situations when you may want to consider a trust. As independent financial planners and to avoid conflicts of interest we have seen at other financial institutions, we do not write the trust documents or provide legal advice. We do however, offer financial planning services that consider and model the use of various trusts, and we have experience managing assets held in trusts.

In other words, if a trust is present, we work with you to provide ongoing management of trust assets. If you do not have a trust but are considering one, we work with your own attorney throughout the creation and funding process.  For those that deem a non-natural person to act in the capacity of trustee, we can coordinate with several trust companies that are part of our custodian, Pershing’s, trust network.  This will allow you to achieve the objective of having a third party trust company engaged in the administration and maintenance of the trust, while retaining us as the financial advisors for ongoing management of trust assets.

Risk Management

Proper risk management is at the core of any well-constructed financial plan. An unexpected life event or health condition can certainly derail the financial goals of a household. Not all risks can be mitigated but for those that can, we will help you assess your exposure to risk and make recommendations to fill any gaps or reduce the risk factors pertaining to your plan.

Clients seeking guaranteed* income may be a candidate for an annuity.  These products come in many varieties and may or may not be appropriate to incorporate as a piece of your overall investment plan.  We will consult with you to determine if an annuity makes sense and what type would be best.

Traditional insurance company products used for risk management and/or guaranteed income include, but are not limited to:

  • Term insurance
  • Whole Life Insurance
  • Universal Life Insurance
  • Disability Insurance
  • Long Term Care Insurance
  • Fixed and Variable Annuities

*Guarantees are backed by the claims paying ability of the issuing insurer.