About
Hi there! I want to help you, so let’s break the ice! Sign up now for your FREE, no obligation, 30-Minute Retirement Strategy Call; by viewing my calendar link here.
It’s only 30 minutes of your time, so you don’t have anything to lose! And no, you don’t need to prepare a bunch of statements and numbers for your free strategy call! Let’s just chat so we can get to know each other; your retirement dreams, goals, and fears. Also to find out who I am. Both as an advisor and as a person too. Because I’m sure you want to work with someone you feel comfortable with and trust!
Not ready to book your free call yet? Have more questions before booking a call? Want to know more about me? Send me an email or connect with me on my LinkedIn instead!
About Me and How I Can Help You
MY STORY: My grandmother was taken advantage of by an “advisor” while she was retired. Unfortunately, this person was not a fiduciary and did not act in her best interest. She lost tens of thousands of dollars and had years of heartache!
Seeing this, I knew I never wanted someone else to have to go through this. This is why I decided to become an advisor. While my grandmother is no longer with us, I know every day I’m putting my clients on a better financial path.
WHAT I DO: I’m not a generalist, I’m devoted to in-depth retirement planning for those 50+, who are typically teachers, doctors, nurses, and federal workers.
As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, I provide fee-based financial planning for those looking to retire right!
This includes helping to plan what you want to do with your free time in retirement! Like volunteering, taking art classes, or even working a part-time job.
I also earned my Bachelor of Science degree from Penn State in Financial Services and earned my Retirement Management Advisor(SM) designation from the Investments and Wealth Institute.
I was also published in Forbes (July 2019) discussing retirement planning strategies. And I have been interviewed by various news organizations, from AARP to MarketWatch, and CNBC to LiveNow from Fox News.
Maybe it’s because of my personality, I typically attract and serve clients who are teachers, doctors, nurses and federal employees. Most are couples or widowed/divorced. Women also like working with me since I understand their needs and engage them in the financial conversation. That way, especially if it’s a couple, no one dominates the conversation or is ignored! And I never talk down to anyone or speak like I’m lecturing a financial Ph.D. course. I strive to take complex topics and make them easy to understand and implement.
But no matter what, my clients are typically 9-to-5ers and come from all walks of life! And they live throughout the country since I can work with you completely virtually!
HOW I HELP: As a fiduciary advisor, I strive to educate my tight-knit group of clients to help them to better understand their finances. Which allows them to make better, more informed decisions. Everyone’s financial situation is unique, which requires careful, tailored advice to help answer questions like:
✔️Are you a fiduciary? Does your advice come with conflicts of interest, hidden fees, and is appropriate for me?
✔️Do I have enough to retire now or years later? How long will my assets last?
✔️When should I (and my spouse) start Social Security?
✔️How do I get income from my assets? Is my asset allocation appropriate for me (and my spouse)?
✔️How do I mitigate my taxes? Is a Roth conversion appropriate?
✔️How much will healthcare cost me and my spouse? What about long-term care and Medicare?
✔️What will happen when I’m gone? Will my spouse be OK? How do I give money to my family and/or charity responsibly?
I’m always proud to answer these questions because I know my advice benefits my clients. I also strongly believe in educating my clients as to the pros and cons of any investment or financial decision.
With any new client, I always conduct free, 30-minute strategy call. On this informal call, we break the ice and get to know each other (such as who you are as a person and what your future goals are). I do this because I believe in building trust first. And then we can strategize to begin to create a retirement action plan.
Remember, you’re never simply a “number” to me!
MY PERSONALITY: I’m easygoing and love to laugh! Why? It’s to keep you at ease! Let’s face it, most people would rather see their dentist than speak to a financial advisor! I’m passionate about what I do!
HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?: Of course, I don’t work for free. Anyone who does a “free plan” is either just making a sales pitch or providing you with nothing in-depth. How exactly is a quick cash flow statement or sales pitch going to solve your retirement needs? It’s probably not.
Also, I will say that I’m not the “cheapest”. But you’re not just paying for my expertise, you are also paying for me to be there for you when you need me the most. I don’t have 1,000+ clients, who have no time for you. It’s just the opposite! I appreciate you and your time. I’m there for you!
Think of the price like this: you tried to save money on a “cheap” car, only to see it break down and in the shop all the time. I bet, in the end, you’d have paid an extra $5,000 for the car. All so you can get to work on time, instead of being in the repair shop! So here’s what I charge for:
Ongoing Financial Planning Subscription:
While fees are negotiable, I have a yearly subscription service that is based off of 1% of your gross annual income. With a $1,000 minimum, to $10,000 per year maximum.
Meaning, if your gross income is $100,000 per year, the fee is $1,000 per year. This also makes it much more simple to budget, and to understand the costs involved, rather than basing it off of “scope and complexity” of the plan. Which is very subjective…
And after all, for only that small 1% fee, if I can save you just $3,000 or more in taxes and gain only $5,000 per year in a better Social Security plan, I think the small fee was well worth it! Not to mention, having a better investment plan, budget, and so much more!
This fee also covers all meetings throughout the year, the financial plan itself, and as many updates to the plan as needed throughout the year. Plan updates happen every year, sometimes 3 or 4 times a year! Why? Life happens, your needs change, and so should your plan. Your plan is a living, breathing, and ever-evolving document.
I also proactively reach out to you, I don’t wait for you to contact me. So we might meet once a week for a few months, and then once every few months after. Or once per quarter each year. Again, it depends on your needs!
Also, your plan can include a basic investment allocation (if this is what you’re looking for), but this subscription is not intended for ongoing money management by me. You either continue to make the investment decisions on your own, with your current money manager, or 401(k) type plan. Please see below for professional investment management fees. Please see the financial planning agreement for additional details.
Ongoing Professional Investment Management:
This fee INCLUDES financial planning and ongoing meetings, so you are NOT billed twice!
But this also includes ongoing, daily investment management. I make the investment allocation and changes for you, on an ongoing basis.
This allows for your investments to be “out of sight, out of mind”, so to speak. You don’t have to worry about which funds, stocks, bonds, etc. to invest in. It’s all done for you!
While these fees (called an AUM fees) are negotiable, fees are usually about 1% (maximum) per year, and go lower, to about 0.7% per year. Again, fees are negotiable.
The AUM fee depends on the amount invested with me, how much your financial planning would cost on its own, and how often we meet. Also, the AUM fee is NOT charged on outside investments (like a 401(k)).
I also incorporate your 401(K)/403(b) allocations with the investments that you have through me, so you don’t have duplicate investments.
Please see the investment advisory agreement for additional details.
Hourly Planning Fee:
On very rare occasions, I can charge financial planning and meeting fees per hour at $200 per hour (6 minute minimum).
This fee is for financial planning and ongoing meetings, but it’s rare that I charge by the hour. Simply due to not making you feel like you’re being “nickel and dimed” in fees. Charging by the hour might be for someone looking for a one-time plan like “maximize my Social Security”, or how to pay for long-term care, or to meet with me once and a while. But nothing more.
After all, if I charged by the hour, every phone call, email reply, research, and building the plan, would be part of this hourly fee. And I wouldn’t want someone to feel “nickel and dimed”. Time does add up!
Plus, if we met only once a year using an hourly bill, I don’t feel this would help you much. Your finances can change often, so it’s better we meet as often as needed!
This fee also doesn’t include managing your investments, but you’ll still get a basic investment allocation if this is what you are looking for. Please see the AUM fees above for ongoing investment management.
Please see the financial planning agreement for additional details on hourly billing.
If you read all of this, thank you! I hope this “demystifies” how I can help you!
PS- My German Shepherd’s name is Crystal and I loved reading, playing golf, and cooking meals from the “old country”.