Individual solutions tailored to each unique client

If you have a young family, we understand you’re busy with emerging careers and a growing list of responsibilities. Our aim is to help you discover the value of smart financial planning and to help shoulder the responsibilities involved. While there’s a vast amount of information available on the internet, there is simply no substitute for having one-on-one guidance provided by an experienced and trusted financial advisor. From helping you articulate your goals to mapping out a strategic long-term plan, an advisor can help ensure that each key component of your comprehensive financial plan is addressed.

My wife and I are in our late 30s and have two children under 10. We earn a very nice living and are looking to be proactive about our current financial situation and planning for the future. We are interested in making sure we are saving enough for college, planning for our retirement and determining the feasibility of buying a vacation home within the next five years. With a decent nest egg already in our 401(k)s and emergency funds, we want to see how that aligns with our future retirement needs. Can we save for retirement and also buy that vacation home? How are we going to allocate and invest our savings and coordinate our investments with our 401(k) plans? Can we consolidate old 401(k)s into IRAs? Can I save in a Roth IRA? Having knowledgeable answers would help make life a whole lot easier.

The preceding is a hypothetical example and is not indicative of any specific situations facing SSFM clients.

The first step in putting together an effective retirement plan is to ensure you have the professional support you need to develop a sound strategy and to guide you through its implementation and management. This includes not only a financial advisor, but also other trusted professional advisors such as your accountant and attorney. You may also choose to include family members. We can help you manage these relationships so your "team" works together effectively.

We can’t believe we’re already in our early 50s and have two teenage children. Fortunately, our professional success has allowed us to fund our children’s college education. However, even with our retirement savings, we’re not sure we have enough to retire at the age we had hoped. We would like to see where we stand and then have a plan for meeting our goal. We would like to buy a second home and travel during our early years of retirement. Can we really retire at 62? What steps do we need to take now to achieve our future goals? Having knowledgeable answers would help make life a whole lot easier.

The preceding is a hypothetical client example and is not indicative of any specific situations facing SSFM clients.

Now that you’re retiring, managing your money is more important than ever. As with any other stage in your life, factors such as your retirement goals and the economic environment may change, requiring you to make adjustments to your portfolio. We can work with you to regularly review and reassess your portfolio and help give you confidence that your portfolio is appropriately balanced between growth-oriented investments* and income-focused assets.

*Growth-oriented investments generally involve greater risks and may not be appropriate for every investor.

THAT’S LIFE

We would like to retire next year and are ready to explore our options for a comfortable retirement. With two grown children and three grandchildren, we hope to set aside money toward our grandchildren’s education, but want to be certain it doesn’t affect our retirement expectations too drastically. We have wills, but want to make sure that we leave our assets to our heirs in the most tax-efficient manner and in a way that protects their inheritance for the long term. How is inflation going to affect our standard of living? Would a revocable trust help us in our estate planning? With two homes, can we afford to keep them both, and if so, for how long? What should we do with our 401(k) plans? How should we invest our money for our retirement? Having knowledgeable answers would help make life a whole lot easier.

The preceding is a hypothetical client example and is not indicative of any specific situations facing SSFM clients.

Our mission is to serve as your family’s financial advisors for life, handling all matters related to managing and preserving your wealth, and building your legacy – so you are free to focus on enjoying your life and the people important to it.

One risk to family wealth is the erosion of investment gains due to taxes. Our knowledge of tax-advantaged investments and the tax impact of specific transactions can help you keep more of what you’ve earned.

The heads of families are also highly interested in leaving a legacy for their children, grandchildren and community organizations they support. It’s also important to answer the question: Is your life insurance protected from estate taxes? We have strategies such as revocable trusts, irrevocable life insurance trusts or the use of a limited liability company to pass assets along to children and grandchildren. There are also other instruments that are designed to not only provide for those you care about, but also potentially generate personal tax benefits and further their overall wealth management plans.

I am concerned about my estate plan and whether I am sufficiently protecting my family and me from misuse. I know I have a taxable estate at this point, and I want to make sure I do whatever possible to help minimize my estate taxes and/or replace what is owed. I have life insurance, but I don’t know if it’s enough to accomplish what I would like to and I am concerned if it will be included in my estate. We live in a state that has an estate tax, but we may move some day and I want to be sure to plan for either scenario. I am also concerned about what will happen when my children inherit our assets. I don’t want anything to be lost due to something that happens in their lives, such as a divorce or financial issues of their own. Can I protect what we leave them from misuse? I am currently gifting assets each year to my kids, but I would like to do more. Is that possible? Do I need trusts or family LLCs to accomplish this? I might also be interested in a family foundation if it’s a right fit, so I need someone to help me with that, too. Having knowledgeable answers would help make life a whole lot easier.

The preceding is a hypothetical client example and is not indicative of any specific situations facing SSFM clients.

As a successful individual, you’ve given your financial situation as much thought and consideration as you have other important matters in your life. You also understand the sensibility of placing the time-consuming task of managing your wealth in the hands of financial professionals who’ll act on your behalf and in your best interests. By engaging us in the discretionary management of your portfolio, you set the direction and goals, and our experienced team will work together to ensure proper implementation based on your carefully considered goals, risk appetite and investment time line. Timely communication and transparency help to ensure the strategy and portfolio remain consistent with your objectives and preferences.

I already have most of my estate planning and retirement planning done, so I’m looking for someone to help manage my assets to help me reach the goals and objectives I have established. I would like to invest in stocks and bonds in the most cost-effective and tax-efficient way possible. I am fairly informed on the investing front, but would like someone else to "take the reins" and handle the day-to-day management of my assets for the long term. Can someone coordinate all of my investments with my existing plan? Can someone use the individual stocks and bonds already in my portfolio? Having knowledgeable answers would help make life a whole lot easier.

The preceding is a hypothetical client example and is not indicative of any specific situations facing SSFM clients.