I love to help people have more confidence in their future and it is my mission to provide the highest quality advice and service possible to my clients. To accomplish this, I limit myself to having 100 active clients or less that I have a fiduciary responsibility to at all times. Rather than trying to sell as many hot dogs (or products) to as I can to as many people possible even if they do not need or want them.

One way I hope to provide value to good people, whether they are my clients or not, is to periodically write a client success story. So that no matter what is troubling you today, you can see there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it is possible to improve your financial future.

Nine years ago, back in 2014, I met with a couple for the first time. During that meeting they expressed to me their number one financial planning goal was to retire comfortably in their early to mid-60s. However, due to a pile of credit card and student loan debt plus not having a plan they were not sure if they would ever be able to retire much less in their 60s. In that meeting they almost shrugged off the idea of ever retiring due to their situation looking so bleak and said, “we don’t want to be a prisoner to what we owe to our debt.”

These clients were familiar with the financial industry and had even met with “financial planners” in the past. However, due to life getting busy with work and raising their kids plus the “financial planners” never calling them again after selling them a product. Their financial plan and confidence to retire went by the wayside. To avoid leaving them with products and strategies they would not remember how to use in the years to come and to improve our ability to reach their financial and retirement goals. We agreed in our first meeting to have at least one annual review and one check-in call per year minimum.

Over the next nine years we worked together on their investments and 401k planning, budgeting, insurance protection, and debt reduction goals together. With our ability as an independent company that can use the strategies, we believe fit our clients best and shop around to almost any company we want for investments, insurance, structured notes, and annuity options. We were able to bring them from wondering “if they would ever be able to retire and stop being a prisoner to their debt” to choosing when and where they want to retire. To go from wondering if they will have to work until the day they die, to choosing where in the country they want to live and what they want to live in throughout the different seasons of the year. All with a healthy portion of their retirement portfolio paying them guaranteed income for life that they cannot outlive. Plus, a healthy portion of their retirement portfolio allocated to fight inflation and be available for their legacy to their family and/or charity. Giving them the confidence, they hoped for to retire when they wanted to, how they wanted to, and where they wanted to when we met nine years ago.

Money does not buy happiness. However, when used correctly and with discipline, it can be an amazing tool to help us build the lives we dream of and have ...

Disclaimer, this content is not legal, tax, or investment advice. You should always consult a qualified professional regarding your personal situation. Please reach out if you have questions or would like to discuss any of the details mentioned in this client’s story. Out of respect to the clients, I kept names and specific details out of this story while leaving enough information to hopefully provide value. This story would not have been written without the consent of my clients whom it I written about. And as always, everything my clients do with me is confidential at all times and is not shared with any of my other clients or people I know without their consent.

#MoneyNotMath #money #retirement #RetirementPlanning #Integrity #Learning #Generosity #Relationships #Legacy #Gratitude