Our advisors offer Q&A sessions for complex financial decisions (large purchases, new children, etc.) or simple financial questions. These sessions are included in your fee and can be scheduled as needed. We recommend booking a Q&A before making significant financial decisions to understand the potential impact on your plan and what adjustments will be needed. 

While much of financial planning involves a process-oriented approach, we work with our clients from a behavioral finance standpoint as well. It is important to understand how emotions and cognitive biases intertwine with your finances. Our advisors can help you understand your risk tolerance (driven by both emotion and financial need), work with you through fear of recession or economic downturn or offer a third-party perspective to help take emotions out of the mix when it comes to key financial decisions. 

We publish regular educational content on our site, in our newsletters, and across social media to help our clients gain a greater understanding of their finances.

Separating financial decisions from emotions is challenging. Emotions can lead to impulsive spending or avoidance. When an investment performs well, it can create overconfidence, leading to riskier decisions. Marketers use emotion in advertisements or when presenting buying opportunities to influence consumer behavior. In addition, the desire to appear financially well off may create negative spending patterns. To manage how your emotions affect your financial wellbeing, you need to create healthy financial habits and stick to your plan. In addition, working with an advisor can provide a third-party perspective when considering the effect of emotions on larger purchases.

If you have heard of a SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based) goal, this acronym applies to your financial goals as well. You are more likely to meet a goal that meets the SMART guidelines, as it defines exactly what needs to be accomplished and by when. In addition, when considering the timeline for your goals, you may want to break them down over the short-term, mid-term, and long-term followed by ranking the goals in each category in order of importance. This can help your advisor understand what matters most to you at each stage of life to evaluate what is realistic and what may need to be modified. In addition, discussing the “why” behind each of your goals with your advisor may allow your advisor to offer additional suggestions if they would be of greater benefit to your financial situation.