Financial Counseling Services

It is not unusual for our managed clients to utilize a number of our firm's financial services. While not all of our clients request financial counseling, many do ask us for guidance because they want to maximize their investment potential. They recognize the value of having a strategic financial plan in place and we help them to consider their options and make better decisions.

For instance, when a client decides to make a charitable gift, we help them assess what form the gift should take (i.e. cash, stock, equity, or property) taking into consideration the tax ramifications and timing of each gift type.

College Financial Planning and Education Funding is always front and center for anyone with children. Knowing which vehicle, or combination of vehicles, is best for you-529 Plan, an Education or Roth IRA, or a Custodial Account-can make all the difference. Similarly, proper college financial planning can help families better position themselves to qualify for financial aid and save for college without compromising their retirement planning.

Retirement Planning is another example of an issue that is multi-faceted. We provide retirement income planning to help you accurately determine the income you will need to meet both planned and unplanned obligations. After listening to a client's goals and desires, we help them evaluate the correct timing for retirement, tackling such important pre-retirement concerns as what the client needs to do now to afford retirement later. Our goal in providing you with retirement planning services is to give you realistic advice, balancing your total financial picture against your existing desires.

Effective estate planning ensures that your assets (financial and otherwise) are developed, appraised and eventually distributed according to your specific desires. We help clients to plan well and thoughtfully so that their final wishes are carried out successfully.

Overall, through our advisory services, we help our clients to:

1. Identify and set reasonable and achievable financial goals;
2. Develop a coordinated investment plan integrating their retirement accounts and other assets;
3. Plan for specific financial events and life changes such as retirement, inheritances, the transition to a retirement community, potential medical-related expenses uncovered or inadequately covered by insurance, additional types of insurances, the purchase of a home, or the funding of college expenses; and
4. Address major planning issues like estate planning, retirement planning, gifting and education planning.

In certain areas where we may not have specific expertise we look to other professionals such as CPAs and estate planning and elder care attorneys. We refer you only to professionals whose expertise we know and respect and who share our common sense of purpose and values, placing your needs above all else.