We will prepare a Projected Retirement Snapshotsm for you. We will waive our customary hourly financial planning fee for this first consultation. Download and complete our FACT-FINDER. Send it to us along with copies of the most recent statements from all of your investment and retirement accounts.

Why should you have a financial plan? Every person has "wants and needs." The problem is that most people have too few resources to satisfy all of them. Therefore, success can only be achieved through the prioritization of your "wants and needs" coupled with the careful allocation of your limited resources; a.k.a., your financial plan.

Your financial plan will coordinate all of your assets and liabilities with your income and expenses. Your plan will also provide you with a "road map" to help you reach your goals. When you become our client, we will help you to update your financial plan each year to keep it relevant.

To effectively implement your financial plan, it is vital for you to make four adjustments in your financial lifestyle.

First, if you have significant outstanding balances on credit cards, paying off that debt should be your top priority.

1. Pay off the highest interest rate credit cards first.
2. Monitor changes to the interest rates charged by each of your different credit cards and immediately re-prioritize the order of payoff when they do change.
3. Take advantage of low interest rate balance transfers to other cards when those offers become available.

Second, you should accumulate a cash reserve for emergencies.

1. If you are in the career phase of your life, a cash reserve that would pay for 3- to 6-months worth of living expenses may help see you through a period of unexpected job change or illness.
2. If you are in the retirement phase of your life, a cash reserve that would pay for 1- to 3-years worth of living expenses may help to protect your investment portfolio during recessionary periods of market weakness.

Third, you should strive to increase your income and/or decrease your expenses.

1. Increasing your income often can result from the pursuit of higher education.
2. Decreasing your expenses will require you to write and follow a budget.

Fourth, if you don't find investment research interesting and if you don't have the many hours each week that should be devoted to the task of investment management, you should retain our firm to be your professional wealth manager.