Our Process

You never have to go it alone.

We approach every client with a blank slate. No preconceived notions of what you need because of what you look like or how much money you have.

We understand that everyone is different — and will need a different set of strategies for reaching their financial goals with confidence.

Level 1: Basic Planning

Many of our clients come to us with specific goals and concerns. Sometimes it is an immediate need for life insurance or for disability income insurance, other times it may be dealing with an old company 401k plan after you have left one employer for another, or starting a college savings fund for a child or grandchild. In all of those cases, perhaps a more comprehensive and strategic financial planning approach is not what is called for, or not desired at this time.

Whatever the reason, we can help you take a focused and tactical approach to your situation in order to implement the solutions you need right now. We are licensed and appointed with many companies in order to provide you with impartial advice and to help match you with the best possible products and rates for whatever you are looking to do. See Our Products and Services page for more information.

Level 2: Advanced Planning

Other clients are looking for a more strategic approach to address more complicated goals. Very often this involves planning for intricate matters with multiple variables, like a coordinated retirement accumulation (savings) and decumulation (spending) plan that can take all of the moving parts and changing rules into consideration.

In addition, many families use this approach when balancing the interrelated demands of planning for themselves while also planning a secure future for a loved one with a disability.

And just as many clients choose this model because they have multi-level concerns around cash flow, protection, savings, and debit management, and want to get organized and have more control of their financial world.

Regardless of the reason, our Advanced Planning options use a team-based approach to build integrated strategies to achieve your goals and establish benchmarks to track performance along the way.

We begin by analyzing your individual situation using an organizing tool called The Living Balance Sheet®. From there we educate and provide knowledge in making sound financial decisions, discuss how and why various investment and insurance and other legal and financial products can and should work together, and provide a blueprint of steps taken and results achieved.

In the end you will come away with strategies in place to achieve optimal financial balance today, and a road map for future actions needed to achieve long-term success moving forward.

Level 3: Comprehensive Planning

If you want to make sure that no stone remains unturned, our exhaustively thorough Comprehensive Planning process is the right choice for you.

This fee-based complete package approach is ideal for those clients who want to address all of the interconnected components of their financial world, and tie them together in one unified plan with measurable actions for each area.

In the Comprehensive Plan we utilize every dimension of The Living Balance Sheet® to address all of your concerns and goals in a thoughtful, proactive, and integrated manner.

Goal Planning, Cash Flow Planning, Risk Management Planning, Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Wealth Transfer Planning, and even Business Planning – the Comprehensive Plan illuminates the ways in which each of those areas affect each other, and provides guidance to deal with all of those matters in one place.

We can help you to clarify and prioritize all of your goals, provide you with a thorough analysis of your current situation and the further knowledge you seek, and deliver unbiased and actionable recommendations for all of your planning needs in one expertly presented package.

This option also includes an increased amount of education and hand-holding, and direct and supported introductions to other qualified professionals to assist in every dimension of your plan.

Protection First

We all want to grow our wealth, but so many things have to go right in order for us to be financially successful in the long term, while many times only one thing needs to go wrong in order for all of our goals to fall apart.

We cannot let that happen -- our successful plans can not have set backs. That is why we prioritize protection planning -- we don't ignore the risks of life that come our way.

No one is exempt from life's challenges, but few are prepared. Without adequate protections, your wealth and future dreams are exposed to reversals.

When we take care of proper protection planning first, we make sure that there are systems in place to mitigate the financial effects of all of life's risks and avoid those types of disastrous consequences.

The Importance of Cash Flow and Savings

Cash flow and savings are two of the core financial pillars that -- when understood and practiced -- build a strong base for wealth creation.

Simply stated cash flow is an understanding of money that is earned and where it goes once it comes into the household. You would be surprised that, for many households, this is an unsolved mystery!

Savings, on the other hand, is an amount of money put aside for a purpose other than immediate spending. This can be a rainy day, a purchase without having to use a credit card, provides a confidence that you have money readily available for the unexpected life event.

How we approach insurance

We all know that there are a lot of insurance and protection products out there, and the chances are that many of the details can be confusing to most people.

When you sit down with us we will make sure you understand how different types of insurance policies work, how much they cost and why (or why not) they may fit your needs. With no hard sells or complicated jargon. We promise.

How we approach investing

If investing were easy, anyone would be able to make a killing on the stock market. But it’s not. Doing it right takes plenty of hard work and discipline. Not to mention a thorough understanding of investing principles and financial markets. Which is precisely what we bring to bear when we help you come up with an sound investment strategy.

How we approach retirement

Only 23% of workers say they’re very confident about saving enough for a comfortable retirement.* Our job is to make sure you’re one of them. We’ll help you understand how much you should be saving, how you should be investing and what you might expect to have when you’re ready to stop working. Because the best way to find your way to a successful retirement, is to make sure your eyes are wide open.

^*Source: Employee Benefit Research Institute’s annual Retirement Confidence Survey, January 2019.