Our Process

"Working together, we finalize a plan that you believe is worthwhile."
A good plan for retirement starts with accurate information. So, we begin by gathering information about you, such as your Social Security income and other sources of income during retirement. We also look at all of your assets and your current spending. We evaluate your liabilities, insurance coverage and your goals for the future. We combine this data along with relatively conservative assumptions to get a better understanding what your financial future might look like. Working together, we finalize a plan that you believe is worthwhile.
We single out certain big issues as well. For example, let’s say you are about to retire and you are not sure when you should start drawing Social Security. First, we help you understand how Social Security benefits work. We run different scenarios, adjusting the timing of when you and your spouse might start drawing. Considering all the information we have about you, we will help you make an informed decision on this once-in-a-lifetime decision.
This is not a one and done situation. You should re-visit your plan every year to 2 years. Life tends to throw you curve balls that can often take you off course. It is important to re-evaluate where you are and the assumptions going forward so that you still have a plan that you are comfortable with.
Our Philosophy
Consider your financial plan like a puzzle; it is not complete until you have considered all of the pieces. Leave out just one piece, and your future financial picture may be incomplete. How do you know if you are on track to retire when you are ready? Further, if you are already retired, how do you know if you have enough money to fund your expenses for life?
We believe that you should be involved in the planning process. In other words, involved means it’s your plan – not our plan for you. We want you to understand how the plan works, the assumptions we are using and key components of the plan that make it work.
We work through various scenarios with you to evaluate multiple outcomes. Once we find the right scenario that’s potentially achievable and suitable, you will be well on your way with a plan that you can live by. You will be able to measure your progress from time to time to see if you are on track. Most important, you will better understand how the decisions you make now will effect you in the future.