We exist to answer the questions that surround three all-encompassing aspects of your financial life. We do this by providing comprehensive wealth management and tailored investment advice via coordinated, vertically integrated financial plans.
By gaining an understanding of how you value the significance of your wealth, we begin to plan out a detailed roadmap to guide you on the journey toward your purpose.
Life is both a journey and a process of discovery, and the greatest discovery is in ourselves, in finding our purpose. When we first sit down with each client, we ask:
As you answer, we listen to help you figure out the next steps. Maybe you want to keep on working in a career you love or explore a new life in retirement. Many of our clients wish to give back through charitable giving, or devoting their time to community, church, and family.
It’s realized by living a life where you control your money – it doesn’t control you.
It’s the peace of mind in having channel markers to track progress towards your goals.
Positioning you for financial freedom by answering:
As the stewards of your financial future, we believe in careful planning and well thought-out strategies. We never act impulsively or seek quick fixes to long-term challenges. We begin with an examination of your lifetime financial goals. We manage client wealth efficiently, effectively and responsibly, keeping you updated on progress without the burden of portfolio management.
Forecasting from Fact.
No one can see the future, but you can’t close your eyes to it. We guide clients toward their financial futures from a foundation of fact. By paying close attention to fundamental market indicators, we avoid guesswork and make disciplined decisions supported by in-depth research and professional experience. We never take a step without first clarifying our reasons and only with your permission, working together through market cycles to adjust your plan as needed.
Prudent Preparation.
Genesis 41:46-57 tells the parable of Joseph, who served as prime minister to the Pharaoh of ancient Egypt, and who had the foresight to store reserves of grain during times of bountiful harvests. This prudent measure saved the people from starvation during a severe famine. We believe in exercising the same prudence in wealth management, and we purposely build portfolios for growing and preserving your wealth through bull markets and bear.
Stay Calm. Stay True.
Money is an emotional topic and the mood of the individual investor can swing from elation to panic in a moment. We live in a complex world where seemingly unconnected events lead to disruptions affecting our lives and our financial futures. COVID-19 is the perfect example, and before that, we saw the housing collapse, the dot-com bubble and 9/11. Throughout, the investors who’ve profited are those who never gave in to the panic, and you can be assured we’ll always be at your side providing reasoned, objective advice, keeping you true to your long-term objectives.
The PFS GPS Plan™ is an ongoing, dynamic plan. It is never static; the world — and your life — is constantly changing. We use quantitative metrics to measure progress against your personal and market benchmarks. We pair this with a qualitative framework to address the question “Am I on track to fulfill my purpose and obtain my goals?”
Translate Purpose into Measurable Goals.
Once our planners understand your purpose, we begin to establish a financial plan with specific and achievable goals, and which takes into account any number of variables, such as the age you plan to retire, your projected spending in retirement, and the legacy you hope to leave for your loved ones.
Testing before Implementation.
We think it’s only wise to look before you leap. With all the information we’ve gathered from talking with you and analyzing your finances and goals, we conduct a “top down” test of your plan to determine viability. We utilize our human insights as investment professionals, and the hard numbers produced by advanced software programs, running your plan through scenarios of market swings and life events. The results of this test give us the answers for refining your plan to fit your actual financial situation, and moving forward from a position of solid knowledge.
Initiate. Monitor. Adapt.
The optimization of your wealth through investments today.
The diligence of a long-term coordinated financial plan that fulfills your purpose.
Ensuring “all bases are covered” by answering:
“What should be on my radar that isn’t?”
“What do I want my legacy to be?”
The naturalist John Muir may well have been referencing the connections in our lives as much as the connections in nature. None of us is an island. Instead, our individual lives stand on a framework of connections to others. Each one of us has answered a call to serve as stewards of our family, our friends, and our community.
At PFS Signature Wealth, we specialize in making all the connections, crafting coordinated strategies involving estate, tax, retirement and investment planning, to help you avoid the worry of asset management which is disjointed, incomplete, and counter-productive. Our goal is to provide you with a sense of confidence, knowing your wealth is developed according to your plan and your legacy established according to your wishes.
Everyone has biases and blind spots. We work with our clients to ensure that topics that should be “on the radar” are discussed. We believe that the stewardship model extends beyond investments. There are elements of stewardship in all aspects of your financial life including — but not limited to — estate planning, education planning, tax planning, and insurance planning. We use a systematic, ongoing process to help ensure all of the “i’s are dotted and t’s are crossed” in your plan.
Estate & Legacy
The legacy of all of our lives comes down to a simple question: “How do you wish to be remembered?” The answer is a proper estate plan to complement your financial plan. Our team offers holistic expertise in developing strategies for growing your wealth and establishing your legacy, coordinating the legal, financial, and insurance details to help ensure a smooth transfer of your assets and the fulfillment of your wishes.
Tax
While we do not fill out tax returns, we coordinate with your tax professional to help ensure you are capturing all available deductions, thinking of unique strategies (like “bunching deductions”), and minimizing the taxes incurred from your investments, when possible.
We add value by understanding your entire financial picture — we are not a volume business — and then developing creative ideas for implementation.
Investment
Investing is, essentially, an act of faith. Faith founded on the value of trust and the fact of information. The trust you place in us is a trust we take to heart, and acting as your fiduciary, we design portfolios around the fact of your financial situation, the type of investor you are and what you want to accomplish. We also have faith in the markets, and the fact that smart planning consistently produces results over time. We apply proven investing fundamentals with tax-reduction and risk management strategies to grow your wealth and keep you on course toward financial security.
Retirement
This is the phase of life where financial freedom and significance come together to create the retirement of your dreams – the culmination of all you’ve been working for. Our approach to retirement planning goes beyond saving for your future to seeing what your future can be, working with you to map out all the possible courses life opens when you have both the money and the time to do as you wish. scription
Liability Management
Debt is something that can be purposefully leveraged in your financial plan. We add value by offering additional resources and options that are typically reserved for institutional investors.
Social Security
We develop social security strategies that are coordinated with your (and your family) health history, current financial goals, and income history to maximize the probability of success of achieving your objectives.
Charitable Planning
Often paired with tax planning, we develop coordinated giving strategies to fulfill our client’s charitable intent. Whether gifting to your church, a local charity focused on homelessness, an organization passionate about conservation, or other causes we use vehicles like Donor Advised Funds (DAFs), family foundations, and gifting appreciated stock to optimize the tax benefits while providing the greatest impact.
We also use Charitable Remainder Unitrusts (CRUTs), Charitable Remainder Annuity Trusts (CRATs), Grantor Retained Unitrusts (CRUTs), and Grantor Retained Annuity Trusts (GRATs) when discussing legacy planning.
Insurance
Asset and quality of life protection via insurance is a critical component of your financial plan. We develop coordinated strategies for life insurance (both term and permanent), property and casualty insurance (including umbrella), and long-term care insurance.
In addition, we work with businesses to ensure their insurance needs are met, including in buy-sell arrangements, succession planning, and cross-purchase.
Education
Education planning is becoming a more important area of the Stewardship Planning Semesters. As the cost of tuition rises, beginning this early is critical. Depending on your state and tax situation, we work to develop a strategy that fulfills your goals. We can share what we see other families doing and provide an understanding of the optionality many plans feature.
Aging with Dignity
It is important that as we age we have a plan — to be in a position to not simply react as our circumstances change. Sometimes, this plan involves assisted living and the need for long-term care. As our clients— or their parents — age, we help develop a plan to ensure important quality of life questions are answered before decisions have to be made. If needed, our team uses long-term care insurance (sometimes paired with a life insurance product) to ensure clients can age with dignity.
Business Planning
We conduct detailed work on Business Succession Planning, Business Strategy Development, Business Strategy Execution, and Business Financing. Leveraging bank resources, insurance contacts, and our consulting services we serve as a resource for small-to-medium sized businesses.
Special Topics
There are numerous additional special topics that apply to certain client situations and needs (i.e. family financial literacy). As we identify needs, we will implement those special semesters.
Our clients discover purpose, experience freedom, and enjoy stewardship.
