Retirement Planning

We are committed to maintaining the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in our relationship with you. We want to get to know you and to understand your financial situation in order to provide you with quality information, services, and products.

During an introductory meeting, we will listen and learn about your background, your family, your priorities and your plans for the future, and help you identify the results you want to achieve from a sound financial plan.

We use a confidential questionnaire to determine your present financial situation and assist us in formulating a sensible, comprehensive wealth management plan.

A sensible financial plan must consider taxes. Preparing tax returns after income is earned is not the same as tax planning, and may result in overpayments. Working with your tax advisor, we review your tax returns for opportunities to maximize deductions and minimize income taxes. It’s not what you make, but what you keep, that builds your wealth.

Maintaining your desired standard of living during retirement years is one of the key objectives of a sensible wealth management plan. With the number of retirement years sometimes exceeding the number of working years, it is critical to assess the impact of inflation and taxes on your projected income needs.

We take into account social security and other income sources such as pensions or annuities to determine the annual return needed from your portfolio to meet your retirement goals. If you are not yet retired, and still in the accumulation phase, we’ll help design an investment portfolio for your retirement accounts. If you are about to retire, we can help evaluate options as you plan your exit from the workforce.

Your financial plan can be undone by accident if you have not prepared for the risks of a debilitating injury, health problem, or early death. At one extreme, you can set aside funds to cover any potential need; at the other, you can pay high premiums to an insurance company to cover your risk. We usually recommend a middle path, keeping premiums low while being prepared for the worst. H&S Wealth Management tracks the insurance market to bring you the best policies at the most favorable rates.

We review your life insurance, taking into account both traditional and variable life insurance opportunities. We also recommend medical insurance plans, disability, and long-term care policies.

Risk management is not a one-time task. H&S Wealth Management ensures that your plan is a process that considers changes in tax rules and legislation. We provide periodic checks to be sure that your plan keeps pace with your needs and lifestyle.

Today you are faced with a dizzying array of investment choices. The question is how to maintain a properly balanced investment portfolio – one that provides the growth you desire while effectively managing risk within your comfort zone. H&S Wealth Management has the expertise to distinguish genuine opportunities from those that promise but do not deliver. We offer a variety of financial and investment products customized to meet both your short-term and long-range financial goals. We monitor and adjust investment strategies as your objectives change and new opportunities emerge. We can provide a growth forecast, schedules of anticipated returns and withdrawals, and possible tax consequences for your current portfolio and for investments that we may recommend.

Many financial plans do not adequately address estate distribution. We will analyze the current status of your plan, its projected costs and potential tax consequences. If needed, we will recommend a course of action that maximizes the asset value passed to heirs, while minimizing the amount subject to federal transfer and gift taxes. We will also help you implement your plan with an estate planning attorney.

If you own a business, your company’s financial health impacts your personal wealth. We’ll coordinate with your current advisors or recommend specialists to ensure that your company has the most advantageous retirement plan in place. We will also address risk management for the company, and tax considerations when it is time to sell the business.

A sensible wealth management plan can only produce good results if the implementation is as thorough and comprehensive as the plan itself. Our team is here to ensure that every facet of your chosen wealth management plan is executed with precision. We will regularly monitor your plan to keep it on course to achieve your financial goals, while providing you with timely, proactive communication.

Just as people move through different stages of life, so should their wealth management plans. Situations change; so do tax laws, risk factors and investment opportunities. That’s why we monitor your plan and recommend any needed adjustments to keep it in tune with an ever-changing financial landscape.

All of our accounts are reviewed quarterly. In addition, we like to meet with our clients annually to check in and review investment performance. Reviews may take place more frequently, if mutually agreed, when warranted by changes in the economy, the marketplace or laws that may affect your plan. We also want to reassess when you have a major life event, such as retirement, that affects your plan.