OUR PROCESS

We’ve developed a unique seven-step financial planning process designed to help you make smart choices about money, achieve your financial goals and pursue a higher quality of life. Here is how our process works:
 
1) Understand You and Your Unique Situation
 
Our first and most important priority is taking the time to understand you and your unique situation. We take the time to listen to you, and develop and document a deep understanding of:
 
  • Your personality, preferences and family situation – who you are
  • Your values and priorities in life – what’s important to you
  • Your dreams, goals and objectives – what you want to accomplish
  
2) Organize Resources and Define Roles, Responsibilities & Expectations
 
Once we understand you and your unique situation, the next step in the process is to organize your financial resources and define roles, responsibilities and expectations. During this step, we will work with you to:
 
  • Collect and organize your financial documents
  • Inventory and calculate your financial resources
  • Benchmark your current financial reality
  • Develop your personal Financial Road Map®
  • Define roles, responsibilities and expectations
 
 3) Conduct a “GAP” Analysis
 
Once we organize your financial resources and define roles, responsibilities and expectations, the next step in the process is to conduct a “GAP” analysis. We use sophisticated financial planning software to run hypothetical scenarios of how your financial resources and personal choices can help you achieve your financial goals. We may also request input from outside professionals who are experts in their area of specialty (CPA, Attorney, Insurance Agent, etc.). This step is designed to reveal “gaps” (shortfalls) or improvements that can be made in the following major financial categories:  
 
  • Income, Spending and Cash Flow 
  • Savings/Cash Reserves
  • Insurance
  • Debt
  • Employee/Employer Benefits
  • Government Benefits
  • Taxes
  • Investments
  • Asset Protection
  • Retirement Income
  • Estate Distribution
  
4) Determine High Probability Actions and Strategies
 
Once we have conducted a “GAP” analysis, the next step in the process is to determine appropriate actions and strategies that can increase your probability of success. In this step, we review in detail, your overall plan objectives and potential, and how to position your financial resources to give you a high probability of achieving your goals. This step is designed to help you to:
 
  • Balance today’s lifestyle choices with tomorrows goals, priorities and challenges
  • Determine the right amount of cash reserves for you
  • Decide how to best reduce, manage or eliminate your debt
  • Calculate, analyze and purchase the right types and amounts of insurance
  • Structure, allocate and deploy your investment assets for maximum efficiency and potential
  • Clarify how much you should be adding to or withdrawing from your investments
  • Strategize how to reduce your tax liability to the lowest legal minimum
  • Employ proven methods designed to protect your assets and retirement income
  • Develop an “heir”-tight estate plan
 
5) Implement Your Personal Action Strategy
 
Once we have determined high probability actions and strategies, the next step in the process is to implement your plan. Just like thinking about exercise and eating right will not make you physically fit, simply having a written financial plan will not make you financially fit. It's the implementation of the plan (taking action) that gets you the results you want. Your action strategy will tell you:
 
  • Exactly what to do and when – the actions needed to implement your plan
  • Why the actions are advised, and how they are meant to benefit you
  • What you will do personally, and what others will do on your behalf
  • What to expect during the process
  • How to maintain perspective, focus and discipline when challenges arise
 
6) Provide Regular Communication, Advice, Education and Service
 
Once you implement your personal action strategy, the next step in the process is to provide you with regular communication, advice, education and service. As part of our ongoing deliverables package, we provide: 
 
  • Open communication by telephone, email and regular mail
  • Face-to-face meetings when important actions need to be addressed
  • Personal advice on new or ongoing issues in your life
  • Weekly Insight email commentaries and Monthly Update newsletters to keep you informed, inspired and focused
  • Community education workshops, client events and special informational meetings
  • Personal service to solve problems or make necessary adjustments to your plan
  • Implementation accountability to help you stay focused on your high probability actions

7) Update, Monitor and Manage Your Progress
 
Over time, change is the only constant in our lives – and in the world around us. Markets go up and down, personal goals and objectives change, economies grow and contract, people we love pass away. The key to maintaining a high probability of achieving your financial goals over your lifetime, is to manage your own actions and behavior. In order to update and manage your progress, we will:
 
  • Regularly review, analyze and update your entire financial plan
  • Reassess and confirm your values, goals and objectives
  • Benchmark your current financial position
  • Organize your financial documents and review potential resources
  • Monitor investment results, insurance coverage, tax issues and estate planning changes
  • Re-project and stress-test potential plan scenarios
  • Determine new high probability actions and strategies
  • Continue to help you implement your plan, avoid common pitfalls and stay on track 
 
Our mission is to help you get your entire financial house in order and keep it that way for the rest of your life – and to ensure that every financial decision you make is completely aligned with your most important financial goals and your most deeply held personal values. 
 
How Can We Help You?
 
We appreciate your interest in us. Due to the very special way we work with people, we are only able to work with a select number of clients who match a unique character and financial profile. To help you determine if we might be the right financial planning firm for you, we’ve posted our Ideal Client Profile on this website.
 
If you match our profile, we invite you to inquire about a no-cost, no-obligation initial interview to explore the potential opportunities in working together. We can be reached Monday-Friday from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm at (760) 788-5953.