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Our Process

We believe that empowered and engaged clients achieve a higher rate of success.  Together, we explore our clients' values and listen to their needs to uncover what works the best for them as we collaborate to design their financial future.  We are the “architects” helping them build a personally satisfying, financially sound, tomorrow.  

As our familiarity with our clients deepens over time we look for opportunities to add more value to the relationship.  We meet with you regularly to systematically review your financial situation as it changes over time, making adjustments to your financial plan, strategies, and investments as needed.    

  • Discovery

    To start we ask you to provide us specific documentation that might include things such as account statements, tax returns, divorce decrees, trust documents, etc…  We gather additional information through forms, questionnaires, and face-to-face meetings, making sure we understand the details of your needs and concerns, and your life goals and values.  We address specific questions such as your comfort level with risk, the timeframe and priority of each goal, and your biggest financial worries.  If your vision for the future is clear we listen as you describe it.  If the future is uncertain to you, we help you take the first steps to clarify your desired outcomes and start the process of building it.  We make sure we really understand your unique situation so we can ultimately provide recommendations that are coordinated across all areas of your life.  

  • Design

    Next we dive into the details of the information you gave us to make sure we have a complete understanding of your situation; if we have additional questions we will call or email you for clarification. Then we combine that analysis with our knowledge of the range of available financial products and solutions to develop an integrated, comprehensive set of sound financial strategies to address your needs and concerns. If we are providing financial planning services, we enter your data into our financial planning software and create a draft plan, using tools to test its robustness under a range of market conditions and life decisions. If we are providing asset management services, we develop an investment portfolio tailored to your objective, time horizon, and risk tolerance. We review your current situation in each financial area under consideration, detailing observations and recommendations to improve the odds you will achieve your desired outcomes and avoid costly negative impacts.

  • REFINE

    We meet with you to review our recommendations and make sure you understand and are happy with them. Our financial plans and investment portfolios are presented using simple language and clear explanations and graphics. We are always ready to answer any questions and discuss any changes or additional analyses you might want to see. If we are providing financial planning, you will receive a hard or electronic copy of your final plan, and/or access to the plan through our online financial planning portal so you can track your progress over time.

  • BUILD

    Once we have identified and agreed upon the financial strategies you would like to pursue, it’s time to put them into place so you can start realizing the benefits. We develop an Action Plan with detailed steps to organize and track the build out of your new financial plan. If you have engaged us to provide asset management, we will implement the investment portfolios in accounts managed by Intentional Finance and help with actions you may need to take in accounts held away. If you have engaged us for financial planning only, you have the option to work with us to implement recommendations,  to manage them yourself, or to manage them with other trusted advisors with whom you may work. In the case of services we do not provide, we can coordinate with your existing professional partners such as accountants or attorneys, or we can provide recommendations for professionals for you.

  • MAINTAIN

    To keep moving steadily towards your desired financial future takes regular attention and maintenance, not just a one-time financial plan or investment portfolio. With those clients who engage us on an ongoing basis, we meet regularly to assess the status of their financial plan and make any adjustments needed if their circumstances or the projected outcomes have changed. We improve the odds of success by not letting deviations from the plan go unanswered for very long. We track our asset management clients’ portfolios, making sure the investments they own are still performing as expected, and watching for appropriate times to rebalance back to the desired risk/return characteristics. We also keep track of calendar based requirements such as required minimum distributions (RMDs), IRA contributions and end-of-year tax planning, to make sure our clients don’t miss any deadlines. And we are available at any time for questions about financial issues that might come up.