Our Process

Initial Conversation:

The first step in our process is a brief phone call where we can learn more about each other. We'll talk about your goals, needs, concerns, and from there, we'll develop an outline of your finances. Our main goal in this first step is to determine if this is going to be a good fit. Just because we are dealing with numbers doesn't mean there aren't very real emotions involved. After all, we're talking about your life.

It is critical that you be comfortable with us and the manner in which we work. Financial planning is not a one-size-fits-all endeavor. By breaking the ice, we'll be able to determine if it makes sense to meet in person. If it is, we'll then schedule the next step - a Discovery Meeting.

Discovery Meeting:

In this first consultation, we take the outline from our Initial Conversation and expand on the details of your current finances and goals. Additionally, we will be using the information you provide in your Financial Inventory. You will be given the financial data collection after the Initial Conversation. We ask that you complete and return this information to us no less than seven days prior to the discovery meeting.

Utilizing this information, we will discuss your financial planning up until this point, as well as any concerns or fears you may have. We'll expand the conversation to include other aspects of planning such as taxation, concentrated stock positions, stock options, insurance, and estate planning. We will also share our philosophy with you and talk about how we work with our clients. At the end of the discovery meeting, we'll be able to determine if working together further is in your best interest.

Strategy Session:

Depending on complexity and convenience, we can conduct your strategy session in person or over the phone. We'll look at the progress of your analysis so you can see the direction in which your planning is headed. We'll discuss the different steps that can be taken to put you on the path best designed to achieve your goals. This could include the reallocation of assets, stock and stock option strategy development, investing income/bonus, minimizing debt, exploring insurance, and the development of a sound estate plan.

By providing you with our recommendations at this stage of planning, you will have the opportunity to discuss them in detail before implementation. If the direction of the advice is agreeable, we will set the next meeting, the Wealth Management Plan, where we will begin the implementation of your plan.

Wealth Management Plan Consultation:

We'll begin this session by sharing your completed financial analysis and our recommended Wealth Management Plan. Your plan will include advice on anything from how to adjust your cash flow in order to free up money for savings to how to best allocate assets for retirement and other goals. For clients with high concentrations of stock, we can develop a strategy specifically tailored to your portfolio. For those with stock options, we'll develop a detailed stock option strategy. If risk management is an area of interest, we'll further discuss life, disability, and long-term care insurance options, as well as how we can help you create or update an estate plan.

Expert Team Network:

Sometimes it makes sense to bring in professionals who have experience in specialized areas. We have carefully developed a network of tax advisors, estate attorneys, mortgage brokers, and other professionals that we can refer you to should their services prove beneficial. We work closely with these experts so that your plan remains comprehensive and cohesive. In situations where a client has someone they like to work with, we are happy to bring them into the mix, too.

Regular Progress Review:

Here, we will review the progress made to date, as well as discuss action steps and how to best implement them. This allows us to remain focused on your goals and the direction things are headed, and also to stay updated on any changes to these goals and your finances. For those with high concentrations in stock and/or stock options, regular updates are critical. Then, based on progress and any changes to your needs and finances, we can make the appropriate recommendations and adjustments. We also maintain a "to-do list" for our clients. This list helps us stay on target with your goals.

Ready to get started?