Our Services

Welcome


We are a full service financial planning firm that offers a wide variety of investment products and services to individuals and businesses. As an independent firm, we do not promote individual financial products. We understand that you have unique needs and preferences. Our objectivity enables us to search the marketplace for the best investment products that help you meet your financial goals.

Investment Philosophy


No one can accurately predict where the market will be today, tomorrow or twenty years from now. What we do know is that over the long term, stocks have provided the only real protection against the loss of purchasing power. The loss of purchasing power is more of a threat to your long-term financial well being than the potential loss of capital in the short term.

We believe that asset allocation is the primary determinant of investment return. Asset allocation at its most basic level is diversification. It means choosing the mix of different asset classes to be held in a portfolio.

When determining asset allocation, we take into account your time horizon and risk tolerance. Your time horizon is the length of time the money will be invested. The longer the time your money is invested, the greater the potential for growth. Assessing risk tolerance is important in determining the appropriate investments for each individual investor because it is a measure of your ability to withstand downturns in the market. Together, time and risk tolerance determine your asset allocation.

Stock and bond market values are determined by supply and demand as well as the intrinsic value of the individual issues. They fluctuate in value on a minute-to-minute, day-to-day basis. An investor with a time horizon of 5 years, who is very conservative and concerned about keeping her or his principle safe, would need a very different portfolio than an investor whose time horizon is 30 years and has a high degree of tolerance for risk. Understanding your tolerance for risk and designing a portfolio that stays within that tolerance increases the likelihood that you will stay with your investment plan. Adhering to an investment plan gives you a better chance of reaching your financial goals.

Investments


We offer stocks, bonds, mutual funds, UITs, fixed and variable annuities, IRAs, Roth IRAs, rollover IRAs, 529 Plans, tax-sheltered annuities, SIMPLEs, and SEPs as well as investment plans for small and large businesses. We also provide asset management services, WRAP accounts, access to separate managers, and portfolio review and analysis.

We offer our services on a fee or commission basis. Fees are based on an hourly rate, a flat rate (per project), or on a percentage of the assets that we manage for you.

You may also choose to pay us on a commission basis. The commission is paid to the financial planner by a mutual fund company, broker-dealer or annuity company out of the client's invested assets as compensation for her services.

As a third option, you may choose a combination of both fee and commission.

You, the client, are the most important person in our organization. Some financial planners offer only fee-based services. Some offer only commissions. We offer you both because we are dedicated to meeting your needs, not ours.

Planning Services


We offer financial planning, investment planning, retirement planning, and college planning services using a Values-Based financial planning format. Values-Based Financial Planning is a process that helps you identify your values. After clarifying your values, we design financial strategies to help you match your values with the actions you need to take in order to achieve your financial goals. In our experience, clients who identify their values and align their actions with those values are more likely to achieve their long-term goals and live the lives they choose.

All planning services are available on an hourly, project or retainer fee basis.

Risk Management


We offer Life, Disability, Long-Term Care, Group Health, and Business insurance through a variety of insurance carriers. Financial circumstances, preferences and goals will determine which, if any, insurance products are needed.

Financial Education


We provide financial education for individuals, small groups, and businesses on a fee basis. Our financial education services range from individual tutoring in a caring and supportive environment to corporate employee benefits workshops. We offer education to individuals and small groups on budgeting, cash flow management, personal financial statement preparation, understanding retirement, evaluating mutual funds, stocks, bonds, and more. For businesses, we offer customized employee benefit presentations that may include retirement plan explanations, investment basics, and/or retirement planning fundamentals.

Workshops


We offer free, informal workshops in our Westport office on the following topics:

·Retiring Ways
·Women and Money
·Financial Planning for Non-Traditional Couples and Families
·Long-Term Care Insurance: How does it work?

If you are interested in attending any of these free workshops, please call Deborah Johansen, MBA at 508-636-6521 to register. If it is more convenient, just click on "Contact Us" here on the web site, fill in the necessary information, and submit it to us.