Our Wealth Management Process

Our Philosophy

We distinguish ourselves as wealth managers, a distinction that sets us apart from traditional financial advisors. Allow us to shed light on the difference.

While the term "wealth management" is commonly used by many advisors, it's crucial to recognize that most financial advisors are generally investment specialists with a focus on portfolio management rather than comprehensive, big-picture planning strategies.

As a Certified Financial Planner™, Pete Blackwell seeks to elevate service to bring a higher level of scrutiny to your unique financial situation. Drawing on our extensive quarter-century investment management experience, we combine these areas of expertise to provide not only in-depth holistic advice but also customized financial strategies tailored precisely to your individual circumstances.

The outcome is a markedly deeper level of advice and service compared to what some advisors may offer. Our commitment lies in delivering a comprehensive approach that goes beyond conventional portfolio management, ensuring that your financial strategies align seamlessly with your broader life goals and aspirations.

Our Process

Our wealth management process is meticulously crafted to align your financial strategy with your goals and values. We conduct a comprehensive review of every major aspect of your financial life, identifying areas of concern, and collaboratively implementing solutions alongside your tax and legal advisors.

A brief overview of our process includes:

Exploratory Call

Discovery Meeting

Wealth Management Assessment

Implementation Meeting

Progress Meeting

The Wealth Management Process

A closer look at our wealth management process looks like this.

EXPLORATORY CALL

Assess whether we are potentially a mutual fit

INFORMATION GATHERING CALL(S)

Collect financial data

DISCOVERY MEETING

Gain a deep understanding of your goals, concerns and values

INITIAL FINDINGS MEETING

Presentation of preliminary financial assessment

MUTUAL COMMITMENT MEETING

Presentation of investment plan and review of account transfer process

IMPLEMENTATION MEETING

Presentation of finalized advanced planning recommendations

REGULAR PROGRESS MEETINGS

Progress review and continued Implementation

INITIAL FINDINGS DOCUMENT

Summary of observations and potential opportunities

INVESTMENT PLAN

Complete summary of our investment philosophy, process and recommendations

THE ADVANCED PLAN

Finalized evaluation of your entire financial picture with expert recommendations

THE PROFESSIONAL NETWORK

Team of carefully selected professionals, each with a high level of knowledge and skill in key financial and legal areas.*

*You are under no obligation to use the services of any of the entities referred, and may choose any qualified professional to provide tax, CPA, legal, real estate, insurance or trust services. These entities and their services are not affiliated with LPL Financial and Blackwell Financial Services.

PROFESSIONAL NETWORK MEETING

Our team of specialists applies its expertise to evaluate all aspects of your financial situation and devise appropriate solutions

The Wealth Management Formula

Within our wealth management process are several components: investment consulting, advance planning & relationship management, as graphically illustrated below.

WM = IC + AP + RM

IC = INVESTMENT CONSULTING

WM (Wealth Management) =
IC
(Investment Consulting)
AP
(Advanced Planning)
RM
(Relationship Management)

Management of all investment elements in seeking to maximize the probability of clients achieving all that is important to them.

Portfolio performance analysis
Risk evaluation
Asset allocation
Assessment of impact of costs
Assessment of impact of taxes
Investment policy statement

AP = WE + WT +WP + CG

RM = CRM + PNRM

AP (Advanced Planning)= WE
(Wealth Enhancement: tax mitigation and cash-flow planning)
WT
(Wealth Transfer: transferring wealth effectively; may not be within a family)
WP
(Wealth Protection: risk mitigation, legal structures and transferring risk to Insurance company)
CG
(Charitable Giving: maximizing charitable impact)

RM (Relationship Management)
CRM
(Client Relationship Management)
PNRM
(Professional Network Relationship Management)

Strategic Investment Consulting

Beyond the comprehensive analysis and a thorough understanding of your wealth planning needs, our next crucial step involves ensuring that your investment portfolio is intricately aligned with and dedicated to supporting your specific goals. This is where our expertise shines—we excel in not only recognizing but deeply understanding your needs and aspirations, strategically coordinating your assets to pursue desired outcomes.

As a result, we often recommend ear-marking your wealth into three sleeves; the first for current and short-term efforts or projects; the second to address and keep your desired lifestyle; and the third to work toward your more aspirational goals. The former are appropriately diversified, while the latter has a greater latitude to take risk as desired or based on timeframe.

In constructing our portfolios, we leverage a blend of passively and actively managed investments tailored to the unique requirements of our clients. This strategic mix not only provides specific exposure to individual asset classes for diversification but also aids with tax efficiency. Our portfolio construction is informed by our in-depth analysis and supplemented by insights from independent third-party research, ensuring a robust and informed investment strategy.

There is no guarantee that a diversified portfolio will enhance overall returns or outperform a non-diversified portfolio. Diversification does not protect against market risk.

Advanced Planning

Our advanced planning encompasses a meticulous approach to pursuing your diverse objectives, addressing key components to ensure a well-coordinated strategy. Here are the fundamental elements:

Financial Optimization Strategies - Through a comprehensive review of your day-to-day financial operations, we identify opportunities for improvement and increased efficiency, helping to ensure that your resources are utilized in alignment with your goals.
Tax Mitigation - Collaborating with your tax advisor, we explore various techniques to mitigate your lifetime income tax burden, strategically seeking to minimize tax implications.
Asset Protection Strategies - We scrutinize your insurance coverages and legal structures in seeking to safeguard your assets, preventing any unjust loss, and helping to ensure a secure financial foundation.
Equity Compensation - For clients with stock options, RSUs, ESPP, or other company stock ownership plans, we provide a thorough review and strategic recommendations, seeking to optimize your equity compensation.
Wealth Transfer - Working closely with your legal team, we ensure that your estate planning strategies and documents align seamlessly with your goals and evolving needs, facilitating a smooth transfer of wealth according to your intentions.
Charitable Giving - We assess and implement strategies and techniques to amplify your impact on the causes you deeply care about, ensuring your charitable giving aligns with both your financial and philanthropic objectives.

Give us a call today!

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