Our Services - Holistic Financial Planning and Investment Management

Financial Planning

Ever wonder about these things? That's great, because we love to help, and we answer questions like these nearly every day.

• How - If - When can I "retire"?  What will life look like when I do?

• "Life Happened:" retirement, job change, marriage, divorce, health issue, children or grand-children; What should I be doing now?
   
• Are there steps I can take to pay less in taxes?  Am I investing appropriately to maximize my tax advantages? What strategies can I employ as a business owner to responsibly mitigate tax liability?

• My family's future is important to me. How can I best ensure a lasting legacy for generations to come?

• What is the impact of a major purchase decision I am considering? (i.e. home, vacation home, auto, recreational vehicle, etc.).

• I am early in my career and would like to get on the right track. Is there an affordable, objective solution provider that's not just a robot and can actually advise me?

• How can I responsibly fulfill my fiduciary duties, having been named an executor/trustee by a parent, sibling, or friend?
   
• Should I refinance or pay off my mortgage, student loans or vehicle loans, or invest that money instead?
   
• How do I invest a lump sum (gift, inheritance, business proceeds, 401(k) rollover, pension)?
   
• Is my portfolio appropriately invested for my goals, age and risk tolerance?
   
• I work in a profession that is a target for lawsuits. How can I balance protecting my assets and the cost of insurance with my goals and long-term investment decisions?

• I'm a surgeon/professional athlete/pilot. Disability insurance can't protect my income adequately due to my career. What are my options?

• I know that I am not creating a good balance between "living for today and saving for tomorrow"  [either saving too much or too little].  Is there a firm that can act as an accountability partner with me?

Investment Management

Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball is 90% mental and the other half is physical”.  While we are a little better at math than Yogi, we think he was on the right track when it comes to investments.  Study after study shows that investing success is mostly dependent upon managing your emotions.  Counter to the fear-based headlines that change daily, we manage our investments with a steady, rational approach – a focus on controlling what we can. 

• Risk: Returns and risk have a cause and effect relationship – to achieve higher returns you must take an equivalent amount of risk.  Determining an appropriate level of risk based on your goals, risk-tolerance, and life-stage will help you achieve your goals and sleep at night along the way.

• Investment Costs:  Embedded fund expenses directly reduce your overall return.  We utilize low-cost ETFs to control investment fund expenses that impact your bottom line.

• Diversification:  Typically, asset classes do not move together in performance. Therefore, our ETF portfolios are constructed of thousands of individual securities that are globally diversified across multiple countries, sectors, and asset classes.

• Taxes:  We aren't just concerned with your before-tax return.  We are mindful of your after-tax return (now and in the future) by utilizing tax-efficient ETFs, employing Roth conversion strategies, charitable gifting strategies, tax-loss/gain harvesting, tax-optimizing location of assets, legacy planning and other tax mitigating approaches.

• Behavior:  Understanding the “why” behind your portfolio's response to the market's volatility is critical in managing emotions.  We will continually educate you on the “why” so that you are informed during periods of unsustainable growth or retraction.   

• Goals:  Your portfolio should have a purpose.  Evaluating your portfolio within the context of your overall financial plan provides vision and accountability for the goals that are important to you.

** Tax loss harvesting is not suitable for all investors. Please consult your personal tax advisor as to whether tax loss harvesting is a suitable strategy for you, given your particular circumstances. The tax consequences of tax loss harvesting are complex and uncertain and may be challenged by the IRS. You and your tax advisor are responsible for how transactions conducted in your account are reported to the IRS on your personal tax return.