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With two designated Personal Financial Specialists (PFS) on staff, we can provide a comprehensive, soup-to-nuts financial roadmap for you, or we can help you with a single issue or any combination of issues. Here’s a list of our services.

Managing cash flow
If you’re like most people, your available cash at the end of each month may be disappointing and even surprising. We can work with you to review all of your income sources as well as your required debts and monthly payments (utilities, etc.), and then create a budget that will help you pay yourself first, pay your required bills second, save for retirement and other important milestones (college, buying a home), and then stay on track each month.

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Estate planning
Wills, living wills, trusts, inheritance taxes… all of these are important aspects of providing for your loved ones through your estate when you pass away. If you’re not certain about how to protect your assets, we can help you start at square one and make all the financial arrangements you need to protect your assets and your family, and ensure that your wishes are carried out as you intended in the event of your death. These steps will help you avoid leaving things up to chance or to the State. Our role is the financial planning role; you’ll also want to consult an attorney to address the legal aspects of estate planning.

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Minimizing tax liability
Are you tracking and reporting all the allowable tax deductions to which you’re entitled? Are you using flexible spending accounts at work to reduce your post-tax medical or child care costs? Do you work out of a home office? Even if these questions don’t apply to you, there’s a good chance that you could be reducing your tax burden no matter what stage of life or business you’re in. We’d be happy to help you evaluate your entire financial picture to see if you’re missing out on tax-reducing opportunities. And, we’ll show you how to make the most of your income and assets by minimizing taxes.

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Maximizing return on investments
Clients are often surprised to learn that there’s a better way to buy and sell stocks, choose 401(k) funds, and invest in real estate. We can assess your current investments, future plans, and years until retirement, and help you make adjustments to balance your risk and maximize your return. We can also help you avoid mistakes related to penalties for early withdrawal or the timing and amount of a stock sale based on your annual income tax bracket.

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Insurance planning
Do you have adequate insurance to protect your family and assets in the event of a fire or other property loss, serious illness or injury, business loss, or other life disaster? When was the last time you did a “health check” on your insurance to make sure all of your assets are covered? We can help you review your current coverage and determine whether or not you need to adjust or augment the policies you have.

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College funding
There are two main issues regarding college funding: how early you start saving (and through what vehicles), and what you can expect to pay when your child is approaching the college years. We can help you evaluate college savings options at any time in your child’s life, but the sooner you begin the better. There are pros and cons to each type of savings account. When you’re ready to start looking at schools, remember what one of our clients, Jeff Morrison of College Solutions, has said in our newsletter: “It doesn’t matter what the school costs, it matters what the school costs YOU.” This means that a listed cost for a college may not ever be the price you pay for your child’s tuition. There are a number of factors that can help you reduce the cost of college. We can help you assess your options when your college savings fund doesn’t cover the complete cost of your child’s chosen schools.

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Planning for elderly parents’ financial needs
The expected life span of adults is creeping higher and higher every year, thanks to modern medicine. If your parents planned well for their retirement years, that’s great. But if you’re not sure if they’re well-funded for an extended retirement that will likely involve some health concerns, we can help you figure out how to help your parents fund future medical costs and assisted living or nursing care. For example, their home may be a source of funding by tapping into the equity via a reverse mortgage.

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Real estate investments, including vacation home purchase
Whether you’re saving for a down payment on your first home, investing in a multi-unit for rental income, or buying that well-deserved vacation home Downeast, you may not be aware of the financing options available to you. And, you may not know about some of the financial joys and pitfalls of being a landlord or second home-owner. We can help you assess the total picture of your real estate investment and make sure you’re taking the plunge with informed confidence.

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