What sets us apart in this industry is our commitment to delivering a financial planning experience that is backed by proprietary systems and processes. We don't just focus on one or two aspects of your financial life; we cover all Six Points of Financial Planning—Investment Planning, Retirement Income Planning, Risk Management, Tax Planning, Estate Planning, and Custom Goals.

Our well-defined Communication Calendar ensures that you're never left in the dark. Regularly scheduled review meetings are facilitated by efficient systems and protocols, ensuring that your time is respected and used effectively.

But what really makes the difference is our people. Both our advisors and support staff are world-class, deeply committed to their crafts, and continually upskilling to stay at the forefront of financial planning innovations.

Investment planning is one of the Six Points of Financial Planning that we focus on, and we approach it with the same level of rigor and customization as we do every other aspect of your financial life. First, we start by understanding your individual risk tolerance, financial goals, and investment horizon. These elements serve as the building blocks of your tailored investment strategy.

Our proprietary investment systems are designed to continuously monitor and adjust your portfolio, ensuring that it remains aligned with your broader financial objectives. We don't believe in a 'set it and forget it' approach. Our team is actively engaged in market analysis, ensuring that we capitalize on opportunities while mitigating potential risks.

We also integrate your investment planning with other aspects of your financial life. Whether it's optimizing for tax efficiency or balancing your portfolio to complement your retirement income streams, we ensure that your investments are not siloed but are a harmonious part of a holistic financial strategy.

Retirement planning is another cornerstone of our Six Points of Financial Planning, and we approach it with a multi-faceted methodology designed to ensure that you can enjoy your golden years without financial worry. Our first step is a comprehensive analysis of your current financial landscape, taking into account existing retirement accounts, Social Security benefits, pensions, and any other sources of income you may have in retirement.  We want to go over these two questions; “How much do you need??   Where will it come from?”

We then proceed to model different retirement scenarios using our proprietary systems. This allows us to create a custom retirement income plan, projecting future cash flows and lifestyle sustainability. Based on these models, we help you make informed decisions on when to retire, how much to save, and the kind of lifestyle you can afford in retirement.

Investment management doesn't stop when retirement planning begins. In fact, they are closely integrated. We adjust your investment portfolio to match your retirement income needs, ensuring that the risk profile aligns with your new financial objectives and cash flow requirements.

Scheduled review meetings, facilitated by our robust processes and systems, enable us to adjust your retirement plan as needed. Life changes, and flexibility is key. Our Communication Calendar ensures that you are constantly in the loop, and our world-class advisors and support staff are always a phone call away for any questions or adjustments.

Tax planning is one of the Six Points of Financial Planning that we emphasize, and it serves as a critical overlay to all the other aspects of your financial life, from investment planning to retirement income streams. Our approach to tax planning is both proactive and integrated, ensuring that we maximize your tax efficiency not just for the current year, but for the long term as well.

For those clients in the accumulation phase, we offer tax-efficient investment strategies such as tax-loss harvesting and the use of tax-efficient funds. Our goal is to optimize the after-tax returns on your investments. Furthermore, we consider the tax implications of buy/sell decisions within your portfolio, always aiming for long-term capital gains treatment where possible.

On the retirement side, we delve into Roth conversion strategies. We assess the potential for converting traditional IRA assets into a Roth IRA, offering the opportunity for tax-free growth and withdrawals, thereby reducing your future tax liability. This also plays into our broader retirement planning process, where we work to ensure that your retirement income is as tax-efficient as possible.

But tax planning isn’t just about you; it's also about your legacy. We align your estate planning strategies with your tax objectives, utilizing tactics such as gift strategies or charitable contributions to minimize estate and inheritance taxes for your heirs.

Having a strong professional network is an essential part of our value proposition and aligns seamlessly with our Six Points of Financial Planning approach. Our goal is to provide you with a comprehensive, one-stop solution for all your financial needs, and that often includes services beyond the scope of financial planning and asset management.

We maintain strategic relationships with a host of professionals in various industries, each carefully vetted to meet the high standards of service and expertise we believe our clients deserve. This includes Certified Public Accountants for tax planning and preparation, estate planning attorneys for wills and trusts, insurance specialists for risk management, and even real estate experts for property investment considerations.

Our integrated approach ensures that all your financial activities are coordinated. By working in tandem with these professionals, we aim to streamline the financial planning process, saving you time and potentially reducing costs. Moreover, our collaboration with these experts ensures that your financial plan is both comprehensive and customized, taking into account all facets of your financial landscape.

Whether you’re looking to optimize your tax strategy, ensure your estate planning is up to date, or even address more specialized financial concerns, we’ve got you covered through our network. This collaborative ecosystem is part of our commitment to delivering a world-class financial planning experience.

Having a professional network also allows us to stay current with industry trends and legislative changes. Through scheduled review meetings and our robust Communication Calendar, we can proactively introduce you to the relevant professionals in our network whenever a specific need or opportunity arises.

Whether you have an incredibly complex financial situation, or are just starting out in your financial planning journey, we are able to make the complex simple.   We put all of our clients financials on one page that serves as an outline for our review process, and also serves as a “map” should something happen to our clients.    

Organization is the bedrock of effective financial planning, and it's an area where we excel. Our holistic approach to the Six Points of Financial Planning is underpinned by proprietary systems and processes designed to not just get you organized but to keep you that way for the long haul.

Firstly, our initial consultations include a deep dive into your current financial situation, during which we collect and catalog all the necessary information—investment accounts, retirement savings, liabilities, insurance policies, estate documents, and more. We then input this data into our planning software, providing a centralized, up-to-date snapshot of your financial life.

To help you stay organized, we have a robust Communication Calendar that ensures regular check-ins and reviews. Our scheduled review meetings are structured and comprehensive, covering all aspects from investment performance to retirement planning updates, tax strategies, and more. These aren't just cursory reviews; they're systematic evaluations to ensure that you're on track to meet your financial objectives.

Beyond meetings, we offer digital tools that you can access 24/7 to review your financial plan, monitor your investment portfolio, and even update information as your life changes. 

Communication is a cornerstone of our relationship with our clients and is baked into our Six Points of Financial Planning approach. We prioritize transparent, consistent, and proactive communication because we believe that well-informed clients make better financial decisions.

Firstly, we have a structured Communication Calendar that ensures you hear from us at regular intervals throughout the year, not just when the markets are making headlines. This calendar sets the schedule for various touchpoints, which include review meetings, emails from our team, updates on all areas of financial planning, and more. These are not just updates, but informative and interactive sessions aimed at revisiting and potentially revising your financial strategies based on the latest data and life changes.

Secondly, we use a variety of communication channels to suit your preferences and lifestyle. While face-to-face meetings are invaluable, we also offer video conferences, phone calls, and secure email correspondence for those times when you can't make it to our office. 

In addition to scheduled communications, we pride ourselves on our responsive customer service. Our world-class advisors and support staff are readily accessible for your ad-hoc questions or concerns, whether they're simple clarifications or require more in-depth consultation.

And let's not forget the educational aspect. We regularly produce content—such as webinars, blog posts, our Dear Rochester, Retire Well podcasts, and special reports—that focuses on various financial topics, from investment trends to tax planning strategies. This serves to keep you educated and informed on issues that could impact your financial well-being.

Lastly, we love what we do, and we infuse a sense of fun into our interactions. Whether we're dissecting your latest investment statement, strategizing on tax planning, or discussing your retirement goals, we aim to make these conversations as enjoyable as they are informative.

The frequency of our meetings is deliberately designed to ensure you stay on track with your financial goals and is aligned with our comprehensive Six Points of Financial Planning approach. At the heart of this is our Communication Calendar, which sets out planned touchpoints throughout the year.

We kick off our relationship with an in-depth onboarding meeting to establish your financial baseline and define your goals. Following that, we typically hold semi-annual or annuals review meetings, either in person, over video conference, or via phone, depending on your preference. These check-ins allow us to review the performance of your investments, assess your financial plan's progress, and make any necessary adjustments. They are comprehensive and interactive, giving us a chance to delve into any changes in your financial or personal life that might warrant a strategy shift.

That’s the structured part. However, life is dynamic, and we’re here to support you as things change. Whether it’s a new job, the birth of a child, or an unexpected financial windfall or challenge, we are always available for ad-hoc meetings or calls to reassess your plan in light of new circumstances.

You'll also hear from us through regular commucations, educational webinars, seminars, our podcast and special reports aimed at keeping you informed and educated about various aspects of financial planning.

Rest assured, our team is readily accessible for any questions or concerns you may have between scheduled meetings. We pride ourselves on responsiveness and aim to return all client queries within one business day. And remember, our team is passionate about financial planning and genuinely enjoys these client interactions.

Our compensation structure is straightforward and transparent, aligning closely with our commitment to serve your best interests. We operate on an Assets Under Management (AUM) advisory model. Essentially, we charge a percentage fee based on the total assets we manage for you. This model is advantageous because it ensures our interests are intrinsically linked with yours; the better your portfolio performs, the better it is for both parties.

Before we begin managing any of your assets, we provide a detailed fee schedule that breaks down our charges. This way, you know exactly what to expect and can make an informed decision. The fee is generally tiered, meaning that as your investment portfolio grows, the percentage fee may decrease at certain breakpoints, providing economies of scale.

It's important to note that our fee is all-encompassing and covers all the services we provide—comprehensive financial planning across the Six Points, regular review meetings, ongoing portfolio management, and unlimited access to our team for advice and consultations. There are no hidden costs or transaction fees; everything is laid out clearly in the fee schedule.

We also find that the AUM model encourages a long-term relationship, where we're continuously engaged in managing your portfolio and advising on various aspects of your financial life—from investment planning to retirement income strategies, risk management, tax planning, estate planning, and custom goal planning. It's all part of the holistic financial planning service we offer.

We review this fee schedule in our initial consultations and make sure you understand each aspect before we proceed with managing your money. We believe that transparency is essential for a successful, long-term relationship, and we're always available to discuss our fees and services in more detail should you have any questions.

So, in summary, our compensation is straightforward, transparent, and closely aligned with your financial success.

At our firm, we make it a point to be as transparent and straightforward as possible, aligning our interests closely with yours. We operate on an Assets Under Management (AUM) advisory model, and our fee schedule is shared with you before any assets are managed. This ensures that our incentives are tied to growing your portfolio and achieving your financial goals.

However, it's important to acknowledge that no compensation model is completely devoid of potential conflicts of interest. For example, the AUM model could create an incentive for us to discourage you from withdrawing assets from your portfolio, even when it might be in your best interest to make large expenditures, such as buying a home or funding a child's education.

Similarly, while our fee covers a comprehensive suite of financial planning services, it could potentially deter us from recommending solutions that do not fall under the AUM umbrella, like certain real estate investments, term deposits, or other non-security financial products, even if they might be suitable for your unique situation.

It's important to note that our primary commitment is to act in your best interest, as a fiduciary advisor. Any potential conflict of interest that could compromise that commitment is openly discussed with you. We are dedicated to transparency and encourage an open dialogue about any aspect of our relationship that you might find unclear.

Yes, we are fiduciaries. This means that we have a legal and ethical obligation to act in your best interest at all times. Our fiduciary responsibility underpins every financial recommendation we make, every investment strategy we propose, and every aspect of the comprehensive planning services we offer. It's not just a commitment; it's a legal standard that we're bound to uphold.

Being a fiduciary also means that we prioritize your financial objectives and needs above all else. This extends to full transparency regarding fees and potential conflicts of interest, as well as ensuring that the investments and strategies we recommend are well-suited to your individual financial goals, risk tolerance, and circumstances.

Whether we're discussing investment planning, retirement income strategies, risk management, tax planning, estate planning, or any custom goals like spending winters in Florida, our fiduciary standard guides us. It ensures that we're not merely suggesting suitable options but recommending what we believe to be the best options for you.

Our proprietary "Think About It" process is designed to take you from initial consultation to ongoing review meetings in six carefully structured steps. Each step is crafted to provide the most value in understanding your financial landscape, defining your goals, and creating a plan that adapts as your life evolves.

Step 1: Introduction

The journey begins with an introductory meeting where we discuss your current financial situation, long-term objectives, and any immediate concerns. This allows us to determine if we're a good fit for each other. We also give you an overview of our services, our fee structure, and how we can add value to your financial life.

Step 2: Discovery

Once we decide to work together, the discovery phase commences. We dive deeper into your financial life, gathering comprehensive data on your assets, liabilities, income, and expenditures. We'll also discuss your risk tolerance, investment experience, and more nuanced aspects like your life goals and family situation.

Step 3: Analysis & Strategy Formation

With all the necessary information in hand, we engage in a thorough analysis. Using our proprietary tools and methodologies, we develop a comprehensive financial plan that covers all six points of financial planning: investments, retirement income planning, risk management, tax planning, estate planning, and custom goals.

Step 4: Presentation & Discussion

The next step involves presenting the proposed financial plan to you. This is an interactive session where we explain the reasoning behind each recommendation and strategy, ensuring you fully understand and are comfortable with the plan. Any adjustments are made at this stage.

Step 5: Implementation

After you've had time to "Think About It" and once you approve the plan, we move on to the implementation phase. This may involve setting up investment accounts, adjusting asset allocations, initiating tax-saving strategies, and more.

Step 6: Review Meetings & Ongoing Management

The final step in our process is ongoing management and regular review meetings. We continuously monitor your portfolio and financial plan, adapting to changes in your life circumstances, financial markets, and tax laws. Regular review meetings are set according to our communication calendar, ensuring that you're always in the loop and that your plan stays aligned with your objectives.

This is our "Think About It" process in a nutshell. It's an ongoing relationship rather than a one-off exercise because we understand that your needs and the financial landscape are ever-changing. Feel free to ask any questions you may have at any point in the process. We're here to help you navigate your financial journey with confidence.

We do!  As part of our communication plan, we try to schedule timely informational events.   

Once a client is added to our list, they will receive the invitation to all events.   If you are currently in the process of becoming a client, or want to attend any of our events, just let us know!  We would be happy to have you. 

Your security and peace of mind are of paramount importance to us, which is why we've implemented stringent measures to ensure the safety of your assets in any eventuality.

Firstly, it's important to note that your assets are held by a reputable third-party custodian, not directly by our firm. This means that even if something were to happen to us, your assets would remain safely under the custody of a well-regulated financial institution.

In the unlikely event that something happens to our firm or key members, we have succession plans in place designed to provide continuity of service without disruption. Our team is trained to execute these plans swiftly, ensuring that the management of your assets and the execution of your financial plan continue as smoothly as possible.

In addition, our firm is part of a larger network of financial professionals. Should the need arise, qualified and vetted financial advisors are in place to take over the management of your accounts, adhering to the same high standards and fiduciary responsibilities that we uphold.

We also make it a point to review these contingency plans with you during our regular meetings, and you will be informed of any changes to these plans as they happen.

Rest assured, the systems and plans we've put in place are designed to protect your interests, no matter what the future holds. Your financial security and peace of mind are our utmost priorities.