1. We identify your current income & spending patterns.
2. We identify your immediate financial goals.
3. We identify your long term financial goals.
   • What are your retirement plans?
   • Where do you plan to live?
   • How much income will be required to maintain your lifestyle?
4. We consider any special circumstances that would cause significant changes to your income, assets, or expenses.

* IF WE IDENTIFY A NEED: We can prepare a budget for both short term needs and long term needs.

We review your income taxes. Can your income be structured to reduce your taxes? Are you taking advantage of tax saving opportunities?

* IF WE IDENTIFY A NEED: We can review the income tax returns filed for the previous four years. If we find deductions that were unclaimed or other errors, we can prepare amended tax returns for the client and get a refund from the IRS and the State of the overpaid taxes.

We review your current investments and investment plans. We compare the expected results of your current investments (both long term and short term) to your anticipated future needs.

* IF WE IDENTIFY A NEED: We assist you in redirecting your investments to maximize the after tax growth of your investments. We assist you in assuring that your investments will be sufficient to meet your needs.

We review your current investments and savings plan and determine if your savings and investments plans are earning the most money for you without placing your investments at a greater risk than appropriate.

* IF WE IDENTIFY A NEED: We assist you in redirecting your investments so that your investment portfolio will reflect an intelligent and appropriate balance between expected risk and probable rewards.

• This may involve moving your funds from a single investment to multiple smaller investments.
• This may involve taking funds invested in a single industry or business sector and spreading them in investments in different industries.
• This may involve moving some high risk investments into lower risk investments that have a higher rate of dividends or interest.
• This may involve moving some low risk investments into investments with higher rates of return in a single type of investment, and redirecting a portion of those funds into different types of investments (or moving funds to investments with less risk and a higher guaranteed return).
• All investments involve the balance of risk versus reward. Any investing decision based on one principle without considering the other principal is almost certainly a bad choice.
• We live in a time when 100 year old companies are failing or being merged out of existence. Many people have a very high percentage of their retirement funds invested in a single company or industry. When the unthinkable happens and the 100 year old company they worked at for 40 years closes, they loose all or a large part of their investment.
• Holding a significant portion of your retirement funds in a bank account paying 1% or 2% interest, as the price of gas and everything else rises, is also a tragic mistake.

We review the various incurance coverages that you pay for. Most people buy an insurance policy, put the insurance documents in a drawer (or safe deposit box), pay the premiums every year and never look at the insurances policies again until something bad happens.

• Insurance is very expensive, especially if you are paying for insurance that does not meet your needs.
• Not having the correct type or amount of insurance when you need it can be catastrophic.
• The types of insurance offered for sale, the risks that te insurance can protect you from and the costs of various types of insurance change constantly.
  • Do you have "the right amount" of Auto Insurance? Homeowner's Insurance? Life Insurance? Medical Care Insurance? Are you paying a fair price for the insurance you have?

* IF WE IDENTIFY A NEED: We do not sell insurance. We help you to decide exactly what type and amount of insurance you need. We then assist you in selecting the insurance you need from the insurance providers of your choice.

We review your estate planning. Estate Planning, unless you have no assets or you are leaving all of your assets to a registered charity, is an ongoing process. The tax laws change every year. Do your estate planning documents accurately reflect your intentions while providing the best final result for your beneficiaries?

* IF WE IDENTIFY A NEED: We are experienced and actively involved in preparing Estate Plans that are appropriate for estates of all sizes and levels of sophistication. If you have previously prepared estate planning documents we can review them to assure that they still meet your needs. If you have never prepared estate planning documents, or if your existing documents need revision, we can accomodate your needs to assure that your estate planning documents are up to the minute as to a reflection of your intentions and that they take full advantage of the current tax laws.

We review your plans for retirement and any special needs you anticipate or need to prepare for. We then compare these needs to your income and wealth to determine when you will be able to retire with the monetary resources necessary to maintain your lifestyle in retirement and be able to meet any special needs or circumstances that arise in the future.

* IF WE IDENTIFY A NEED: INVESTMENTS balance potential risk vs. potential reward over a period of time. If your goal is to retire at the age of 60 with an income of $5,000.00 per month plus the costs for medical care and housing, we can calculate how much money you will need on the day you retire. Simply stated, your resources must equal or exceed your needs when you retire.