“What the Heck Do You Do?”
It’s important to note that not all advisors or planners are the same. Some have a very focused set of services, others a varying smattering of services. The information presented here is for informational purposes only and opinions are those of Brady Planning only.
So, the question remains, “what do you do?” I hear this question quite frequently. I’m not surprised to hear it, frankly the financial services industry is full of coaches, advisors, planners, specialists, analysts, accountants, bookkeepers, etc, etc. And with each new term or name, comes a person who says they do or don’t do something.
When you are looking to get clarity and confidence, all these terms don’t give you a sense of who you should be working with. I can’t speak to what others in the industry do but I’ll outline a taste of what I do in this post.
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Nurturing Financial Health
Every advisor worth his salt should be covering the basics. Just like eating healthy and exercising will give your body a better foundation for health, there are key points of finance that every person should be aware of. Having a robust budget, being careful of debt, and having an emergency fund are a few of those fundamentals.
Being a concierge planning firm, we go beyond the basics. Whether it is taking a deep dive into your cash flow, or being the “personal trainer” to your financial fitness, we take us a combination of technology and eyes on assistance to make sure your foundations are firm.
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Tailoring Strategies to Your Life: Crafting Personalized Financial Blueprints
You should have a financial plan that mirrors what is important to you. I think this statement should be explained in two parts: what a financial plan is and why it’s important that it mirrors what your goals are.
A financial plan is the blueprint or roadmap to being able to live the lifestyle that you want or have come to be accustomed to. It’s something that should be reviewed and updated at times, at least once a year is good, though some people only review when there is something major that changes. I prefer to update plans with my clients yearly at a base minimum, since something that may feel minor could have a major impact in the future. Having an open line of communication with the people you work with is very important.
Having a financial plan that fits your goals is important because you don’t want to be sold a hammer when you are shopping for a scalpel. Before I was independent, I worked with a firm who was convinced that financial planning should be around the products that they sold. You don’t need to be a brain surgeon to understand the implications planning that way can have. My experience there is one of the reasons I decided to start a firm of my own; so that I can give advice based on what a client needs.
I also wanted to be meticulous in the planning that we do. I’ve seen professionals put a model portfolio on the desk and call that a financial plan. Asset management is important, but it is only one facet of a financial plan. We are complex creatures with complex situations, no detail should be overlooked in your plan.
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Anticipating Your Needs
Anticipating needs can look different for each individual. It could be guiding towards college savings, it could be introducing you to an insurance professional to save costs, or it could be introducing you to an already vetted realtor to save time.
There are many ways to anticipate needs, but much of them come from having an open and direct line of communication with the person you are working with. I work very closely with my clients in order to learn as much as I can about their life and overall situation, so that I have a better idea of what their needs really look like. And because of how we work with our clients, as those needs change and evolve over time, we can better assist in those changes.
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A Full Spectrum of Care
Not every advisor does every one thing. In fact, I’ve met plenty of advisors who only do one thing for their clients; whether that be only investing or only selling products. At Brady Planning, we do a lot for our clients. To describe everything in detail would take too much time (and be pretty boring to read) so here is some of the major points that we advise on:
Cash Flow Analysis
Investing
Retirement Planning
Social Security Planning
Medicare
Life Insurance Analysis
Disability Analysis
Long Term Care Funding Analysis
Education Funding
Student Loans
Debt Reduction
Tax Planning
Estate Planning
And More!
By no means is this an exhaustive list but these are major points of consideration that are common to take into account.
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So, to help navigate the puzzling maze that is the current financial landscape, we’ve taken much of the guesswork out. Not everything can be controlled, but we manage what we can and plan for what we can’t. Having a partner that will take care of your planning and guide you through the process of implementation is invaluable in your busy schedule.
Brady Planning isn't your average financial services firm; we're more like a personalized financial concierge service tailored to your unique needs. Going beyond the basics, we act as the "personal trainer" for your financial fitness, using technology and hands-on assistance to ensure your financial foundations are solid. What makes us stand out is our dedication to crafting personalized financial blueprints that evolve with your goals, updating them yearly, or more, to capture even minor changes. With a keen focus on anticipating your needs, we provide guidance on college savings, insurance, investing, and more through close, direct communication. Offering a full spectrum of care, from cash flow analysis to estate planning, we are like a reliable partner navigating the intricate maze of the financial landscape, managing what can be controlled and planning for what can't, all with a personal touch that goes beyond traditional financial advice.
If you want that personal touch in your planning click here to get started!