Our Six Step Consulting Process
We simply get to know each other during this meeting. During our conversation, you will define your goals and priorities, time horizons and expectations, and appetite for risk taking. Additionally, you will outline what planning has already been implemented and what keeps you up at night.We, in turn, will outline the scope of our services, what we feel sets us apart, and how we may be compensated. At the conclusion of this meeting, we will mutually decide if moving to the next step will be beneficial.
During this meeting, you will “discover” what we feel are the strengths and weaknesses of your current financial situation. Additionally, we’ll clearly outline which planning opportunities may be available and highlight the threats we feel should be planned for and/or avoided. After this dialogue and collaboration, you will determine if you wish to formally engage in our services.
Regardless of the simplicity or complexity of your needs, often times there are several solution paths to consider. Taking each of your top priorities in turn, we will educate you on the features and benefits, fees and expenses, risk profiles and holding periods, etc. of potential investment options. You are likely to find one solution more attractive than another – and while we will “narrow the funnel” for you, we want to make sure you are comfortable with the mix of recommendations. After all, it’s YOUR money, not ours!
Once the most desirable mix of solutions has been decided upon, our team will work with you to implement the recommendations. The implementation of your plan can involve steps such as paperwork completion, account establishment, asset transfers and placements, insurance policy applications, etc. Oftentimes, we coordinate portions of the process with you and other professionals, such as attorneys or accountants.
As you can likely imagine, the implementation phase typically lasts a few weeks - as accounts are being established, assets are reaching their intended destinations, insurance policies are being approved, etc. During this meeting we compare where you were originally with where our recently-implemented planning has you today. We also make sure you are enrolled(and comfortable) with our online account monitoring tool and website. Whether or not it falls exactly 45 days after the implementation step, the productivity of this meeting cannot be overlooked!
Through the first five steps of our planning process, we will have determined the optimal frequency of our review meetings. Additionally, we will work with you to identify exactly which months you’d prefer to have these review meetings occur. Whether these be quarterly, three times per year, or semi-annually, you’ll have the confidence of knowing someone from our firm will be reaching out to schedule our review meeting. Most importantly, we realize the planning we implement with you today likely will need to be modified as you experience changes in your life, interests, & goals. Additionally, economic conditions, regulatory environments, and new investment offerings also will likely dictate some “tweaks” to your planning. Because of all these factor, establishing a well-defined review schedule is paramount.