no matter your financial situation, we’ll create a plan to improve it

If you fail to plan, you’re planning to fail!

~Benjamin Franklin

You Need A Financial Plan

When it comes to your money, nothing could be more true!

Most of us meander through life, throwing a few bucks into our retirement plan at work, socking away a little cash for a rainy day. We hope for the best, thinking that one day maybe we’ll be able to retire.

Leaving your financial future to chance and randomness is complete lunacy!

And it’s NOT a Plan!

You have goals which take both money and planning to achieve. You also have financial questions like:

When can I retire?
How much can I spend in retirement?
How much should I allocate to stocks, bonds, and real estate?
Will I run out of money?
Should I take the lump sum pension buyout or get a monthly check?
When should I take Social Security?

What happens if a 2008 scenario occurs again?
Is there any other way to slash my taxes?
What if inflation is more than expected?
What if Social Security gets cut?
What if I die too early, or live too long?
What if I have major medical expenses later in life?

And on and on and on… you get the point! If you have life goals which take both money and planning to achieve, our Retirement Zoomer can help!

Interested in an hourly financial planner?

Click the button below and we’ll contact you as soon as possible as well as sending a sample plan.

Let's Start My Plan!

What Is A Financial Plan Anyway?

Financial planning is the process of matching your life goals with your current and future ability to achieve them. We happen to be experts in matching those two critical things together!

Financial planning takes your:

Assets
Expenses

Income
Liabilities

then maps them out over your lifetime. The process is highly complex, but we make it simple to understand by creating and tweaking it with you either online or in person!

The Retirement Zoomer is a great quick way to make sure your financial future is on track!
Click the image above for a sample plan!

STEP 1: Your Financial Goals

We start the planning process by taking your financial goals (otherwise known as your current and future expenses), and separating them into bite-sized chunks.

Want to retire at 62? Great! Want to travel in retirement? Awesome! Like new cars every 4 years? Perfect!

We’ll chart your financial goals and add in the critical stuff like your basic living expenses, future medical costs, and a discretionary budget for fun stuff!

STEP 2: Show Me The Money!

Next, we’ll add in every financial aspect of your life. We’ll include your pensions, rental incomes, Social Security, and any other streams of income you may have.

We also include your financial assets, such as Roth IRAs, 401(k) plans, stocks, bonds, CD’s and savings at the bank, and other investment accounts.

Finally, we compile your non-financial assets. These are things such as your home value, rental property values, collections and art, etc. Any valuable assets which may be liquidated to accomplish your financial goals are included as a resource for your financial plan.

STEP 3: How Hard Will Your Money Work For You?

Perhaps the most important decision you’ll make is how to invest your money in order to accomplish your goals. The investments you choose are like putting gas in your car – they make your plan work!

There are three things we’ll discuss, because a simple risk tolerance questionnaire just doesn’t cut it! Most investors (and unfortunately most “financial advisors”) do a simple “can you stomach this amount of loss” test. Since your financial life is far more complex, we go much farther.

We believe in a three-pronged approach to determine “what gas to put in your car”:

Investment Risk Tolerance

The amount of investment risk you feel comfortable with (i.e. what you can sleep with at night) is called investment risk tolerance. However, market volatility often complicates the term. In good markets, your risk tolerance is higher, and in bad markets your risk tolerance sinks. Additionally, does it really make a difference if your portfolio dropped 15% or 20% in 2008? On a half million dollar portfolio, that’s a drop of $150,000 or $200,000. While $50,000 is certainly a lot of money, the fact is your investment portfolio dropped . . . and by a lot! Either way, you’re going to be frustrated with the paper losses. Because of this, we focus on two additional components.

Investment Risk Capacity

Your investment risk capacity is the amount of investment loss you can withstand and still achieve your financial goals. For example, you may be perfectly comfortable with a 20% drop in a bad stock market. However, if you’re in the de-cumulation phase of life, your financial plan may be completely derailed! In this case we must match your risk capacity with your financial plan to make sure you can withstand those inevitable market drops.

Investment Risk Required

You may not be willing to tolerate a 20% drop in your investment portfolio, but that level of risk may be required to achieve your financial planning goals. For example, if your financial goals are so lofty your investments must produce an abnormally high rate of return, you must be willing to accept an investment portfolio with a commensurate level of risk. If you’re unwilling to accept a portfolio with that level of risk, you’ll need to either reduce your financial goals, or increase your investment savings.

So ask yourself, isn’t it vital to have an investment management program driven by your ultimate financial needs and desires for the future? Or is it OK to have an investment plan that’s thrown together based off what you think you can tolerate emotionally?

We’ll create a great investment strategy for you and help you become a fearless investor!

STEP 4: Are You On Track For A Great Retirement, Or Headed Off A Cliff?

We’ll review all of the information together and show you if you’re on the right path to a financial inspired retirement or if you’re going to fall short. Side by side, we’ll illustrate how continuing with the “status quo” will end up for you and give you multiple options to improve it.

Should you sell that rental in 10 years? Maybe. Should you do a reverse mortgage or line of credit? Possibly. Does your plan improve if you switch pension options to a reduced survivor’s benefit? Perhaps, but it also might leave your spouse out in the cold!

We’ll show you first hand whether you should consider more investment risk, or whether you should take less! You’ll see first hand how taking Social Security benefits at 62, 66, or 70 affects your chances for a confident retirement. When it comes to your financial matters, we can dissect and discuss the options you have to improve and protect for your future.

We’ll go through all of the options together, showing you how to improve your financial situation at every turn. We want you headed towards a successful retirement, and we take nothing off the table in this process.

STEP 5: What Are You Afraid Of?

A financial plan without action is just a wish. We want you to execute our recommended strategies with ultimate confidence. That’s why our fifth step it so tackle any financial fears you may have.

We’ll show you what happens to your financial future if:

Inflation soars or plummets
The markets tank early on in retirement, or later in life
Social Security benefits are cut
You experience major long-term medical expenses
You live longer (or shorter) than expected

Only after you have supreme confidence in your financial plan will you execute on it. Our mission is to give you that critical level of confidence by reviewing multiple financial scenarios.

Let's Start My Plan!

What You’ll Get From The Retirement ZOOmer

Once complete, we’ll email you a PDF copy of your financial plan. In the report you’ll find every piece of your financial puzzle we’ve reviewed, tweaked, improved, and discussed.

You’ll also get an “Executive Summary” with specific, actionable steps to improve your personal finances. The Executive Summary section will detail things in your personal financial plan which will help catapult you to the highest level of success possible.

Below you’ll find a sample Retirement Zoomer plan. Are you ready to start your financial journey with us?

Interested in an hourly financial planner?

Click the button below and we’ll contact you as soon as possible as well as sending a sample plan.

Let's Start My Plan!

ZOOmer FAQ

What Does It Cost?

Our Retirement Zoomer plans cost $1,500.

What Information Do I Need?

Upon scheduling, we’ll send you a list of statements and other information we may find helpful in completing your financial plan.

How Long Does It Take?

The process takes about 2 hours. We spend an additional hour prepping your plan report and Executive Summary action items.

What If I Need More Than Two Hours?

We typically finish within two hours. Should you need more than the two to three hours we alot to each Retirement Zoomer, we will schedule a follow up. Follow up meetings are based on a rate of $350 per hour.