Our Process

If you have read this far, you realize I do things differently.  However, when it comes to how I help clients reach their goals, part of my process follows traditional norms.

Here’s what a long-term relationship with this trusted financial professional looks like:

Step 1.  We will have a detailed conversation to determine if the services I provide are what you are looking for and if I think I can help. This conversation can take place by phone or in person, whichever is most convenient for you.

Step 2.  Once we’ve chatted and decided that it makes sense to take the next step, if you are a local resident, we will meet at my office (unless other arrangements are made) and chat further, getting more specific about what your desired future looks like.  I will share what you can expect of me and what I ask of you.  At this point, we will both be in a position to decide if we should work together.  During this meeting, I will walk you through what our engagement will look like and explain the cost of services that will be provided.  If your case is quite complex, I may need to do some research and number crunching before providing you with the cost of services.

Step 3.  A formal contract is signed.  The contract describes the scope of work being provided to you., then payment is made.  We begin the detailed work of data gathering.  This is where the specifics come in.  For example, if we are discussing retirement planning, I will need to know many data points, such as – when you want to retire, what retirement looks like, not just day one or week one, but years three and ten and twenty, what life expectancy has historically been in your family, are there family members who you may need to support financially during your retirement years, and so on.

Step 4.  The ball is now in my court.  I have a very clear idea of what is most important to you, what time frame(s) we are looking at, and what resources are available.  This is where I conduct a thorough analysis and look at a variety of scenarios to determine the best possible outcome for you.  Ultimately, I will come up with my recommendations.

Step 5.  Once my recommendations are complete and I have had time to sit with them, it is now time to share them with you.  This is an important meeting where I share the outcome of my analysis and you consider my recommendations.  Clarifying questions are encouraged.  You need to be confident in the results of my analysis and recommendations in order for you to feel comfortable implementing the strategies and product solutions suggested.

Step 6.  Once agreement about next steps has been reached, we begin to implement the recommendations.  This is the last step of the “heavy lifting” we will encounter for some time, if ever again.  This is where all of the hard work we have both done thus far will come full circle.  This is where we start working the plan.  The implementation process may take some time and may involve several meetings and possibly other professionals.

Step 7.  Now we can take a deep breath and rest a bit.  The heavy lifting is behind us and now we move from a flurry of activity in steps 1 – 6 to focusing on monitoring the work we have done.  As is often the case, circumstances in your life will change and we will want your plan to reflect those changes.  Hopefully, we have time to rest before the next flurry of activity is required of us.