A review of your income and expenses will be conducted to determine your current surplus or deficit along with advice on prioritizing how any surplus should be used, or how to reduce expenses if they exceed your income. Advice may also be provided on which debts to pay off first based on factors such as the interest rate of the debt and any income tax ramifications. Recommendation may also be made with respect to appropriate cash reserves for emergencies and other financial goals, and a review of accounts (such as money market funds) for such reserves, plus strategies to save desired amounts.

A risk management review includes an analysis of your exposure to major risks that could have a significant adverse impact on your financial picture, such as premature death, disability, property and casualty losses, or the need for long‐term care planning. Advice may be provided on ways to minimize such risks and about weighing the costs of purchasing insurance versus the benefits of doing so and, likewise, the potential cost of not purchasing insurance (“self‐insuring”).

Review and advice usually involves an analysis of your exposure to estate taxes and your current estate plan; determining whether you have a will, powers of attorney, trusts and other related documents. Advice may include ways to minimize or avoid future estate taxes by implementing appropriate estate planning strategies such as the use of applicable trusts. A recommendation is often made that you consult with a qualified attorney when you initiate, update, or complete estate planning activities, and you may be provided with contact information for attorneys who specialize in estate planning when you wish to hire someone for such purposes.

Retirement planning typically includes projections of your likelihood of achieving your financial goals, with financial independence usually the primary objective. For situations where projections show less than the desired results, a recommendation may include showing you the impact on those projections by making changes in certain variables (i.e., working longer, saving more, spending less, taking more risk with investments). If you are near retirement or already retired, advice may be given on appropriate distribution strategies to minimize the likelihood of running out of money or having to adversely alter spending during your retirement years.

Advice may include ways to minimize current and future income taxes as a part of your overall financial planning picture. For example, recommendations may be offered as to which type of account(s) or specific investments should be owned based in part on their “tax efficiency,” with consideration that there is always a possibility of future changes to federal, state or local tax laws and rates that may impact your situation.

Advice involving college funding may include projecting the amount that will be needed to achieve post‐secondary education funding goals, along with savings strategies and the “pros‐and‐cons” of various college savings vehicles that are available.

A review and analysis is made as to whether you, as an employee, are taking the maximum advantage possible in your employee benefits, offers advice on your employer‐sponsored retirement plan or stock options, among other benefits that may be available to you. We will also consider and/or recommend various programs that can be structured to meet both business and personal retirement goals of business owners and other key staff.

Our investment consultation component often involves providing you with information on the types of investment vehicles available, assisting you with your employer retirement plan account or stock options, investment analysis and strategies, asset selection and portfolio design, and we will also assist you with your investment account if it is maintained at another broker/dealer or custodian.