Financial Planning
Financial success must start with a plan. Getting there is not as difficult as it might seem…
Financial success must start with a plan. Getting there is not as difficult as it might seem.
We start by sitting down and assessing “where you are” today: what you own, what you owe, what you earn and what you spend. We gain a shared understanding of your starting point. From there, we talk through your true financial goals as well as your specific hopes and dreams. We discuss your financial fears and how to overcome them. We talk about the potential obstacles to your plan and their various possible solutions.
Our comprehensive approach to financial planning looks at your entire picture: your budgeting and cash flow; your insurance and financial security; your strategies and progress in saving for retirement, college, and other important lifetime goals; and how all of this is integrated with your tax and estate planning. One of the great benefits of going through this process is the confidence you gain to go forward and make decisions, based on thoughtful conclusions.
Work with us to take a “top-down” look at your whole financial picture. We can help you get the perspective you need, and get you closer to financial security, and the goals and objectives you value most highly.
Investment Management
There is no shortage of investment choices for today’s investor, and there is no shortage of investment advice…
There is no shortage of investment choices for today’s investor, and there is no shortage of investment advice. The challenge is not to capitalize on the latest investment opportunity, trend, or economic news. Rather, the key to success is to filter out the “background noise” and concentrate on a few opportunities that have the strongest likelihood of success given you and your family’s unique personal circumstances.
As CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM practitioners, our emphasis is on taking the time to understand your needs and preferences first before recommending investments. When we do turn to portfolio design, we do so with a strong theoretical understanding of the historical returns, tax implications, and other characteristics of different asset classes. We help you implement a portfolio strategy that is firmly in line with your ultimate objectives, anchored by investment principles that have withstood the test of time.
With over $1 Billion of assets under management from families and individuals like you, we take great pride in putting your investments on the right track and staying in touch with you throughout the “ups and downs” of the market- and of life- to make sure you stay there. Let’s look together at your portfolio as it stands today and determine how it should be positioned to ensure it’s there when you need it tomorrow.
Retirement Planning
Retirement Planning starts with a vision – perhaps dreams – which turn into goals and then a plan…
Retirement Planning starts with a vision – perhaps dreams – which turn into goals and then a plan. We work with you to create a detailed financial plan for your retirement. We take into account your age, income, spending, lifestyle and tax bracket along with your experience saving and investing to develop your roadmap to retirement. We will also include social security, insurance, healthcare costs and other factors in our recommendations.
We believe a written financial plan is paramount to staying on track and avoiding behavioral pitfalls. We realize that your life and your goals will change along the way and a written plan makes it easier to incorporate these changes while keeping the goal of retirement attainable.
You’ve worked hard. We consider success seeing you make the retirement you envision a reality.
Business Planning
Business owners and partners in small to medium sized business face several challenges and opportunities in connection with growing and protecting the value of their equity…
Business owners and partners in small to medium sized business face several challenges and opportunities in connection with growing and protecting the value of their equity and planning their eventual exit. We are able to assist at several points along the way.
Business owners have wide flexibility in choosing retirement savings plans (such as 401k’s and defined benefit pension plans) and employee benefit plans (such as health and disability insurance). We can help you understand the strategies and opportunities that exist, and leverage the right ones, whether your goal is attracting and retaining talent, or benefiting key employees or owners.
At a certain point, every business owner gives thought to how their business can continue to thrive at the point of their retirement or death- and how their family’s equity can be protected. We can assist in conjunction with your chosen attorney in the area of business-succession planning, buy-sell planning, and key person insurance.
And when the time comes to transition out of your business and convert your equity to cash, we can help you evaluate how this significant transition impacts your retirement and estate planning needs.
Insurance Planning
Insurance planning is not about simply buying- or being sold- an insurance policy…
Insurance planning is not about simply buying- or being sold- an insurance policy.
It’s about taking a comprehensive look at your financial situation and thinking through how the things you most care about can be protected with cost-effective, customized insurance solutions.
Think about the things that are most important to you. On what- and on whom- does your family depend? How would your income and quality of life be affected if you had a significant change in health? What can’t go wrong in order for you to be able to retire and feel secure?
At Main Street Financial Solutions, we have the expertise and relationships to bring you ideas that address these concerns and more. Above all, we understand that you don’t want to be sold products. You want advice that speaks directly to your needs, and solutions that help protect what you value most.
College Savings
Saving for higher education expenses ranks as a top priority for most parents and grandparents, but many don’t know quite where to start…
Saving for higher education expenses ranks as a top priority for most parents and grandparents, but many don’t know quite where to start. We can help you to understand the different savings vehicles available and guide you to take right steps to meet your goals.
For parents, it crucial that you plan for this important objective within context with your other financial planning needs. We show you how a strong retirement savings plan, and thoughtfully designed insurance and estate plans, give you the financial security you need to be able to determine with confidence how much of your resources you can devote to college expenses.
For grandparents, the ability and desire to help with the cost of grandchildren’s education presents an opportunity to take a closer look at gifting and estate planning strategies, and how they integrate with your lifetime retirement income plan. We help you evaluate your entire picture so that you can leave the legacy you envision to future generations.
Estate Planning
One of the most important and caring gestures you can make for your loved ones…
One of the most important and caring gestures you can make for your loved ones is to leave behind a thoughtful and well-designed estate plan. Once we have a firm grasp on your long-term financial security and progress toward your goals, our job is to help you pivot to thinking about how to strategically pass on assets to your chosen beneficiaries at the right time, using strategies that are right for you.
We can work with you and a qualified attorney of your choice to help ensure that your last will and testament reflect your wishes, and that important documents such as your health care proxy and durable power of attorney are properly established. We can help you understand if a trust is necessary to achieve your goals, and if so, how and when it should be funded. Our analysis aids you in determining the timing and structure of lifetime gifts, and in assessing potential estate and gift tax implications so they can be planned for and mitigated in advance.
Estate planning documents should be drafted by a qualified attorney but working with us as your financial advisor can give you new perspectives concerning the estate planning strategies at your disposal, and greater confidence that the ones you choose are in alignment with your financial objectives.