What We Do
Our Strategies
All of our solutions start with you. Each strategy and recommendation is designed specifically for your circumstances and goals. With a CFP-led team of planners, sophisticated market knowledge, and the ability to break it all down into manageable, understandable pieces - we can help you:
Build Wealth
Understand the Markets
Live the Retirement of Your Dreams
Leave a Legacy
Create Group Retirement Strategies for your Business
Minimize Tax Exposure
Buy a Vacation Home
Start Investing
Save for College
We also have unique strategies for businesses and nonprofits, plus the resources and team members to support your more complex and rigorous financial needs:
Manage & Mitigate Business Liabilities
Key-Person Insurance & Business Continuity Planning
Provide Financial Oversight & Reporting
Develop 401k and Profit-Sharing Plans
Our Process
Finances are complicated. Working with us is easy.
The financial industry can be confusing and impersonal. Intimidating even. There’s mountains of data and financial terminology, conflicting investment recommendations, and even your own competing goals. How do you decipher it all to do what makes sense for you?
Let us help. We’ll build a plan over a series of relaxed conversations. You know what’s important to you - we know the steps to help you get there.
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Let's Chat
Whether in our office or by phone, we’ll talk about your vision of financial well-being and see if our strategies and team are a good fit.
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Gather & Strategize
We’ll gather info and build the framework of your long-term plan, including an investment review and risk analysis.
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Execute & Evolve
We’ll work with you to take action on your plan - evaluating, maintaining, and communicating every step of the way.
Who We Work With
How you start and finish your financial journey has an enormous impact on your quality of life and the freedom you experience throughout it. That’s why we know how important it is to have a partner in planning as a new investor or when you’re nearing retirement - and why we prioritize knowledge, understanding, and relationships with our clients.
New Investors
Building future wealth starts with investing today - even if it’s just a little. Our hybrid platform combines the benefits of automated algorithm-based technology with access to our live advising team (who knows you!) You get the best of both worlds without pressure to meet asset minimums so you can get started earlier. Learn More.
P/Re-tirees
When it’s time to retire, there’s a lot to consider. The transition from working and earning a salary (accumulation) to living off a fixed income and your savings (distribution) can be a big change - and we know this is one of the places we create the most value for our clients. Even with a substantial nestegg, strategies to draw down on funds should be optimized to keep your money working for you, even in retirement.
If you’re already investing, or not yet ready to retire - we’ve still got you covered! We have planning strategies no matter what phase of life you’re in. Our team is also especially adept at working with:
Engineers
With a former engineer as our managing partner and lead advisor, we get engineers. It’s a mindset and a perspective - one with a great curiosity to understand the inner workings of different strategies and their outcomes (and to be able to articulate it). Frankly, they’re mentalities we live by here. If you’re an engineer - we understand, let us help address your unique needs.
Female Investors
More and more women are stepping into positions of financial authority in their lives, whether they’re running their household finances, own a business, or have separated from a partner. Financial freedom is power and working with another woman who understands, empathizes, and has even lived your experiences can help you confidently create the life you envision.
Business Owners
If you are a business owner, you have a lot on your plate. There is a saying that a successful business owner is a Jack of all trades and the master of none. In truth, most successful business owners are the master of their own business (that is why they started the business in the first place), and they surround themselves with masters of the tasks they are not proficient at. Let us be your master of finance. We can help you:
Understand the benefits of the numerous retirement plans available to small businesses.
Educate your employees on the importance of saving for their own retirement.
Set up key-man insurance policies for you and your partners.
Implement sophisticated insurance and retirement strategies to reduce tax liabilities as your business and income grow.
*Investing involves risk - including possible loss of principal.
Financial Planning — Let’s pursue your financial and life goals.
Every plan is custom designed to address your current situation and future goals. Plans include a detailed evaluation of your financial requirements and objectives, as well as strategies we’ll deploy to move you towards your goals.
Some Areas of Focus:
Investments • Insurance & Risk Management • Education Funding • Retirement Planning • Wealth Transfer & Legacy Planning • Estate Planning Strategies
Our Services
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Retirement Planning
The distribution phase of life is much different than the accumulation phase. We can help you make the transition from working and saving to retirement; efficiently using your nest egg and retirement income to meet your goals.
We’ll analyze detailed cash flow projections year by year to understand your income needs so you can continue to thrive in retirement.
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Investment Options
Our investment philosophy is effective; and most importantly, is entirely centered on your best interests. We use a repeatable process to determine your exposure to the market and evaluate your risk tolerance before investing.
We recognize that everyone is different and even parts of your life may require various investment strategies. Together, we will talk about your needs and desires and find the best approach to address them. We don’t sell proprietary investment products either, so we only recommend investment vehicles if they’re actually right for you. Tax efficiency is another critical area we’ll consider when creating your investment strategy. We will work with you and your tax person to take full advantage of the current tax codes.
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Estate Planning Strategies*
Estate planning is not about taxes -it is about the sentimental items and the continued comradery of your loved ones after you are gone. Regardless of the size of your estate, no one wants to leave behind a burden. We prioritize this planning not only for financial reasons, but to honor and recognize the treasured people in our clients’ lives.
Learn more about Family Love Letters - this added layer to traditional estate planning can help you pass on your vision and values.
*Great Lakes Wealth Planning LLC and LPL Financial do not provide tax and/or legal advice or services. Please consult your tax and/or legal advisor regarding your specific situation.