What is a financial advisor?

A financial advisor is a professional that provides expertise for clients' decisions around money matters, personal finances, and investments. Unlike stockbrokers who simply execute orders in the market, financial advisors make informed decisions on behalf of clients and provide guidance.

What is a fiduciary?

In its most basic form, a fiduciary is an investment professional who must act in his or her clients’ best interests before their own. The adviser uses an objective, documented process for evaluating and recommending cost-effective investment options based on a thorough understanding of each client’s unique investment objectives and risk tolerance.

The adviser is paid directly by the client, usually as a percentage of the assets he or she manages for the client and receives no commission or other payouts from investment companies or funds recommended to clients.

Do you offer a free initial meeting?

Yes! We always offer a free consultation meeting so we can learn your needs, tell you more about our methodology and decide if we will be a good fit for each other.

Why should I hire CFA rather than manage my own money?

Building wealth requires intelligence and discipline, but managing wealth requires specialized skills. Imagine grocery shopping before you have the recipe you are going to prepare. Chances are you will be missing key ingredients needed and wasting others. Knowing what you need for your financial plan is similar.

As your financial advisor, we develop an overall investment strategy, guide you on how to time withdrawals from your account, minimize taxes, etc. Our job is to keep your fears and emotions in check by providing fact-based advice and reassurance in changing markets- something that is difficult to control on your own.

How much money do I need to save for retirement?

A true answer to this frequently asked question is different for everyone. Many factors determine the amount needed to retire, including: where you live, years of life expectancy remaining, lifestyle desired and continued income streams. 

Experts generally agree that most people will need around 80% of their pre-retirement salary to have a comfortable post-retirement lifestyle. The 4% rule tells us to divide that annual amount by 4% to calculate the total amount you would need at retirement. (i.e. A pre-retirement salary of $100,000, would equal $80,000 needed annually post-retirement. $80,000 divided by 4% equals a $2,000,000 nest egg.)

When is the right time to start saving for retirement?

In short, the best time to start is as soon as possible. Ideally, as soon as you begin earning paychecks, you will begin to set aside money to retire. To benefit the most from the beauty of compound interest, saving early means your investments will have more years to grow. 

Should I have a separate college fund for my children?

After an emergency fund is established, saving for retirement should be your next priority. Loans and scholarships will always be available for college, but those options do not exist if you are not prepared for retirement. Once those priorities are aligned, there are several options to plan for your children’s future college expenses, and we are happy to help you navigate the best choice for your family.

What should I bring to my appointment?

We review a comprehensive financial picture in order to choose investments that are suitable to your needs, time horizon and risk tolerance. The following are helpful to review the complete picture of where you are right now:

• Current statements from existing investment and banking accounts
• Most recent tax return
• Household budget if you are currently using one
• Pension statements from employers
• Social Security benefit statements
• Life, disability and property/casualty insurance policies