Financial Planning Process
At our firm, we insist on developing a personally crafted customized financial plan to you before any implementation recommendations are offered. While Wealth Management is a very important part of the relationship our clients have with us, we believe first and foremost we must know and understand what your specific goals and objectives are and then build an investment strategy around those goals and objectives.
Step 1: Initial meeting to get to know each other
Through an initial complimentary consultation, we work together to determine if we might be a good fit for a financial planning relationship. We give you an overview of our process and capabilities, answering any questions you may have. We spend most of our time seeking to understand your general financial goals, needs and questions. In a nutshell, we want to know where you're at, how you got there, and where you'd like to go. The scope of our collaborative work may be a comprehensive or focused financial plan, or we may work specifically in the area of investment or risk management strategies; it may involve individual, a couple, family, multi-generational or business planning. If we mutually agree on the scope of a financial planning relationship, we move to the next step in the process.
Step 2: Gather information to understand your present situation and goals
At this point, we'll seek to obtain as much quantitative and qualitative information as necessary. We'll need to gather various statements and documents. More importantly, we'll specifically identify your financial goals in the areas of education planning, retirement planning, estate planning or other requested areas. Understanding your time frame for various goals and your attitudes toward risk are crucial to developing strategies tailored to your needs, priorities and preferences.
Step 3: Analyze and evaluate your information
We use state-of-the-art technology and a variety of analytical tools to evaluate your financial picture. We perform an asset allocation analysis of your investment portfolios with a review of the various holdings and full review of your various policies. We identify the strengths and weaknesses of your financial situation, and where you stand with respect to your financial goals given your current course of action.
Step 4: Developing your personalized strategy
Based on our analysis, we develop recommendations in the context of the proposed strategy. In addition, we provide alternative scenarios along with solutions to assist you in reaching your financial goals. We will collaborate with you to confirm planning assumptions and get a sense of your thoughts about various strategies along the way.
Step 5: Implementing your financial solutions and strategies
We work with you to determine how to best implement each aspect of your financial plan. This may involve collaboration with other financial professionals you currently engage (i.e. CPA, attorney etc.) or recommending appropriate financial professionals to assist you if needed. As a comprehensive financial services firm, we have the ability to use a wide array of providers and solutions to implement your investment, risk management as well as estate and business planning strategies.
Step 6: Monitoring your financial plan on an ongoing basis
We will continue to monitor the appropriateness of your financial plan and your progress over time, in accordance with the scope of our relationship. We will make appropriate modifications as changes occur in your personal and/or business life or in the market overall. We will always continue to educate you as new strategies and solutions may become available over time.
Implementation of financial planning recommendations can be done with the advisor of the client’s choosing. Implementation of plan recommendations may result in fees and/or commissions separate from financial planning fees.