Our Process

In order to help you achieve your goals in retirement, we first need to know what those goals are. That’s why we begin our process with a phone call to get to know you, your current financial situation, your goals for the future and any challenges you may face along the way. This allows us to design a plan around what is most important to you.

During our initial phone call, we strive to gain an understanding of:

• Exactly what you want to accomplish in retirement
• The priority of your goals and dreams
• The people and organizations most important to you
• Your current personal situation: health, family, job, etc.
• Your current financial situation: assets and liabilities, income sources, tax situation, investments.
• Any current strategies in place to generate income from your nest egg
  
• Any specific challenges that may get in the way of your retirement planning

Click here for a first call planning checklist

We use the information from our call to conduct a comprehensive analysis of your current finances, life expectancy, monthly budget requirements, account types, tax implications, estate planning goals, Social Security benefits, pensions and more. 

The goal of this evaluation is to help us determine if your dreams are achievable. If not, we use your priority list to identify possible tradeoffs. On the other hand, if we can do more than what you thought, we help you identify additional opportunities.

During this phase of the process, we also strive to answer questions you may not have thought to ask, such as:

• How can I reduce my lifetime income tax bill?
• How can I improve my investment performance?
• Will my family be okay if something unexpected happens to me?
• Who will receive assets following my death?
• Does my current situation reflect my actual wishes?
• When should I begin taking Social Security benefits?
• What’s the best strategy to ensure a steady stream of income during my retirement?

Only after we have gathered all the necessary information and performed a detailed evaluation of your situation can we begin developing a custom plan to meet your needs. This plan includes specific recommendations to help protect your assets, deliver consistent cashflow and grow your remaining portfolio. We specifically target six different areas:

• Financial position – Where are you now?
• Income sources and protection – What sources of income will you have without making any changes?
• Investment planning – How are your investments structured?
• Retirement planning – What kind of life can you afford in retirement? Will it always look the same?
• Tax reduction strategies – How much of what you have will you get to keep? How can you best maximize your 401(k) and IRA withdrawals?
• Estate planning – How will your assets pass following your death? Do you have the proper estate planning documents in place to ensure your wishes are fulfilled? Who will help you with your estate planning needs?

We build the foundation of your retirement portfolio recognizing that markets are efficient. The most important value we provide is in designing portfolios that match the timing of when you will need the money to how aggressive your portfolio is, as well as portfolio diversification and minimization of expenses. The less time you have to allow your money to grow before you need it, the more conservative the portfolio must be in order to reliably meet your objectives. The opposite is also true. If you retire at age 65, the money you are going to spend at age 85 should not be invested conservatively.

Expenses do not just come from loads and management expenses, but also include income taxes, bid ask spreads, cash drags and other charges. There are many real costs to portfolios that you will never see without reading the prospectus, annual reports and statements of additional information. But we will. We consistently analyze all expenses to help ensure you have the most efficient, cost-effective portfolio possible.

And, while investments play a key role in supporting your retirement, they are only one piece of a much larger puzzle. That is why we take a holistic approach to planning your retirement with a goal of ensuring all aspects of your financial life are working together to help you achieve your goals and providing you with the peace of mind of knowing that you are on track to live comfortably in retirement.

Once you’re comfortable with your financial plan, we conduct a final review and put your recommendations into action.

During this stage of the process, we provide you with a one-page financial plan that summarizes our agreed-upon actions and allows you to easily track your progress toward your stated goals. We also sign the necessary forms and initiate account transfers.

Because your life and situation are always evolving, we continuously monitor your plan, your finances and your progress toward your goals to help ensure you remain on track. We make adjustments as necessary to give you the best possible chance of achieving your retirement dreams.

Consider this – The average couple will live in retirement for 30 years. During that time, their lives evolve, and many of the assumptions made prior to retirement will need to be updated. Tax rates will change, and unexpected events will occur. Life will happen. What the couple wanted at age 55 may be very different than what they want at age 70, yet most of these changes happen gradually. That is why we continuously monitor and update your plan to help ensure you remain on track to accomplish your goals as they change throughout your retirement.