• What is a financial plan?

• What can you expect from a financial advisor?

• Why do you need one?

These are good questions, and you should know the answers before you start interviewing financial experts to work on

your team.

The job title “financial advisor” can mean many different things. Some financial advisors are actually product salespeople, focusing on insurance and managing risk. Others focus on investments and managing assets in the market. Still more build their business on retirement and estate planning. And there are all different types of licensing carried by these professionals. How do you make an educated decision when the education is confusing?

A financial plan begins with a comprehensive review of assets, liabilities, budget, income, goals, and life situations. What do you have? What do you need? What are you worried about? What do you want out of your life? Once we’ve answered these questions, then we decide how we can work together to get you there.

This process is much like any other approach you’d take to successful life management. When you visit the doctor, the nurse takes your blood pressure, even if you’re there only for a cold. Why? Because at the doctor, a thorough review of patient status and complaints helps to clarify and uncover opportunities and objectives in the patient’s best interest. At the doctor, we check in at least annually, relay any changes in our lives and health conditions, discuss our concerns, and collaborate with the healthcare team to achieve what we’d consider to be an acceptable plan forward. We make sure these professionals have a clear understanding of what we need  and what we want, so we can receive the best service and solutions available. Financial advice is no different.

This is why we insist that DWP perform as a full-service advisory resource. If you focus on only insurance, you may miss opportunities in the market. If you focus only on investments, you may leave yourself woefully unprepared for life’s unexpected turns (and you may end up paying more than you expected in taxes). A holistic, collaborative, partnered approach, frequently working alongside your CPA and estate attorney, allows us to provide the best advice for you, based on your individual goals and situation.