The Financial Planning Process
There’s a perception that creating a financial plan is an overwhelming and stressful process. This is another area where our approach yields benefits.
When you begin working with us, we’ll explain each phase of the process, based on your specific needs and aspirations. The result will be a comprehensive plan that’s designed to get you where you want to be. These are steps we take when doing a full financial plan. However, should you be interested in specific topics, we will focus in on the most pressing items.
We begin by listening and learning so we can understand your attitudes and concerns — not just about money but about your values and priorities. Who and what really matters? Does the picture include retirement, travel, starting a business, spending more time with those closest to you? Often these discussions touch on long-held ideas as well as helping clarify new ones.
This is both figurative and literal. Like any wealth manager, we’ll look at assets and income sources, debts and obligations, wills and insurance. But we’ll also take stock of your life as a whole, including personal interests, family members and their needs (including education or elder care), and other intangible but important dimensions.
What stands between you and your vision for the future? Will you be caring for a family member? Is there a health concern? The better the plan, the better you can foresee the challenges ahead.
Once we have a firm understanding of your situation and goals, we’ll create a custom financial strategy that is closely tailored to your needs and vision. This strategic plan will be structured to offer the right balance between protecting and increasing your wealth, between risk and reward, cost and benefit, income and growth. Tax considerations are also an important element.
Once you are satisfied with your plan and your understanding of it, we put it into action. Unusually, because our team includes investment management professionals as well as financial planners, you’ll have the opportunity to get answers directly from the investment professional who manages your assets.
In addition to periodic communications, we will offer regular in-person meetings where we can discuss everything from market recaps and outlooks to any recent or anticipated changes in your personal, family, or business life and goals.
When something significant comes along, we are here to discuss it with you, and to adjust your strategic plan or make other suggestions as appropriate.