All clients begin with a Standalone Agreement which covers:

• Development of specific, measurable, and realistic financial goals   


• Identification of financial inefficiencies and potential problems   


• Debt management   
  
  
  • Student loan debt forgiveness vs. repayment strategies
  
  
  • Good debt vs. bad debt distinctions
  
  
  • How much house can you afford?
  
  
  


• Establishment of an appropriate emergency fund   


• Risk management/insurance planning   
  
  
  • Review current insurance policies
  
  
  • Health insurance
  
  
  • Disability insurance
  
  
  • Life insurance
  
  
  • Long-term care insurance
  
  
  • Homeowner's/renter's insurance
  
  
  • Auto insurance
  
  
  • Personal liability umbrella insurance
  
  
  • Professional liability insurance
  
  
  • Identify gaps in coverage or over-insured situations
  
  
  • Are you covered against catastrophic risks?
  
  


• Estate planning   
  
  
  • Review current estate planning documents
  
  
  • Review beneficiary designations on contracts such as life insurance policies, annuities, 401(k) Plans, 403(b) Plans, IRAs, and Health Savings Accounts
  
  
  • Review titling of accounts
  
  
  • Update any documents as needed, such as wills, powers of attorney, advance medical directives (living wills), trusts, and letter(s) of instruction
  
  
  • Probate avoidance strategies
  
  
  • Estate/inheritance tax minimization strategies
  
  
  • Legacy planning
  
  


• Cash flow planning   
  
  
  • Organize and prioritize monthly cash flows
  
  
  • Budgeting
  
  
  • Pay yourself first
  
  


• Employee benefit optimization   
  
  
  • Review current employee benefits and options
  
  
  • Maximization of employer match
  
  
  • Utilization of catch-up contributions to retirement accounts
  
  


• Tax planning   
  
  
  • Review recent income tax returns to identify tax planning opportunities
  
  
  • Maximize use of tax advantaged accounts, where appropriate
  
  
  • Asset location strategies (e.g., Roth conversions)
  
  
  • Deduction clustering strategies
  
  
  • Tax bracket management during accumulation and distribution phases
  
  


• Investment planning   
  
  
  • Establish current risk tolerance, risk capacity, and investment time horizon(s)
  
  
  • Strategic asset allocation
  
  
  • Diversification
  
  
  • Periodic rebalancing
  
  
  • Dollar-cost averaging
  
  
  • Asset location
  
  
  • Behavioral coaching
  
  
  • Are you on track to reach your goals?
  
  


• Retirement planning   
  
  
  • Social Security claiming age strategies
  
  
  • Matching retirement essential monthly expenses (e.g., housing costs, food, insurance premiums) with guaranteed sources of monthly income (e.g., pensions, annuities, Social Security payments)
  
  
  • Tax efficient distribution strategies
  
  
  • Managing required minimum distributions
  
  
  • Does the “4% rule” still work?
  
  


• College education planning   
  
  
  • Estimating college expenses
  
  
  • Reviewing funding strategies
  
  
  • Scholarships and grants
  
  
  • 529 Plans (prepaid tuition plans and college saving plans) or Coverdell Education Savings Accounts
  
  
  • Tax credits
  
  
  • Federal vs. private student loans
  
  
  • Qualified transfers
  
  
  • Should any expenses be paid in cash?
  
  


• Charitable planning   
  
  
  • Gifting strategies
  
  
  • Trust strategies
  
  
  • Qualified charitable distributions
  
  


• Small business planning   
  
  
  • Financial performance optimization
  
  
  • Tax strategies
  
  
  • Employee benefit strategies
  
  

Following the Standalone Agreement, clients may be offered an Ongoing Agreement which covers:

• The services offered through a Standalone Agreement for a one-year term


• Assistance with implementation and monitoring