Frequently Asked Questions

Divorce:

1. What is a CDFA®? - A CDFA® is someone who comes from a financial planning, accounting or legal background and goes through an intensive training program to become skilled in analyzing and providing expertise related to the financial issues of divorce. 

2. Why Use a CDFA®? - CDFAs help clients understand the short- and long-term financial impacts of any proposed divorce settlement. They also provide valuable information on financial issues related to the divorce, such as tax consequences, dividing pension plans, continued health care coverage, stock option elections, and much more.

3. Mediation, Collaboration or Litigation – which is better? We help guide you through the process of collaboration or mediation with your attorney and other team members. Litigation is usually the last resort for couples that cannot come to an agreement through Mediation or Collaboration.

4. How do you charge for your services? We are a fee-based firm, so we charge by the hour for our consulting services.

5. What assets should I keep? It’s important to make a list of all your assets. Prior to your divorce we help you determine what assets are most advantageous for you. Only then can you negotiate the best long-term settlement.

6. Will I get Alimony? The size of your alimony is based on several factors. We understand the various factors that go into determining alimony so you can achieve a fair settlement.

7. What are the tax ramifications of divorce? Taxes will be based on your income alone once your divorce is finalized. Listen to our blog – How Divorce Impacts Your Taxes.

Retirement:

1. When should I retire? Everyone has a different retirement age based on many factors including, health, retirement savings, desire to work part-time, and desired way of life. We help you calculate the financial questions to answer the lifestyle questions.

2. When should I take social security? One of the biggest factors is life expectancy, but also what other assets are available for you live on. We work with you to determine your best personal social security claiming strategy.

3. Are you a Fiduciary? Yes, we are a fiduciary because we are a Registered Investment Advisor and because we are Certified Financial Planners®.

4. How are you paid? We are fee-based, so we only charge fees (no Commissions) on the assets we manage.

5. What are your credentials and experience? We have a combined 50 plus years of experience and have earned the industries top two designations: Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®) and Certified Financial Planner® (CFP®).

6. What is your investment philosophy? We start with a deep understanding of your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. Using a disciplined asset allocation approach utilizing traditional and non-traditional assets, we seek to minimize losses and achieve above market level gains.

7. What services do you provide? Financial planning is core to our process. This helps us understand our clients’ total financial picture. We manage our clients’ assets, provide insurance analysis and estate planning advice.

8. Will I run out of Money? Our objective is to make sure you never run out of money. By employing planning with prudent investment management and constant reviews, we keep our clients on track to a successful retirement.