Our Process

Our financial planning process is rigorous and we believe its benefits are substantial. We perform a vast amount of work for you before we are officially engaged and charging for our services within an advisory account. This is how the relationship gets started:

Initial phone call or meeting

We get a sense of what you're looking for in a financial planning practice and what kind of help you've had in the past. We discuss how you've achieved your wealth and what challenges and concerns you have about your financial future. Next, we talk through our introductory three-meeting process and what's required to help you achieve your financial goals. At the end of the call, if we both decide to move forward, we schedule our first official meeting. To get you oriented, we send you more background on us and Raymond James, some data-gathering forms, and a checklist of info you'll need to bring to our first meeting.

Meeting #1 – Discovery Meeting

We request that you bring all pertinent statements: investments, banking, 401k, 529 Plan, pension, insurance, expected future expenses, plus any statements for your debts. We also ask to see your most recent tax returns and current monthly budget.

We ask a lot of questions and let you do most of the talking. We go over the forms you completed, review your statements and documents, and discuss and prioritize your goals. We address any questions you have about us, then we schedule our next meeting. This deep dive into your situation helps us establish right up front what is most important to you. You’ll see these insights reflected in your financial plan.

Meeting #2 – Current Situation or State of the Union

We shine a bright light on your current financial situation. We present a detailed breakdown that includes these elements:

Net worth statement: We go beyond just assets and liabilities. Your net worth statement itemizes your savings and investments, retirement accounts, real estate, life insurance and more. It includes details about account values, beneficiaries and ownership, too. If you’re like most people, you’ll love seeing all this information pulled together in one place.

Current Financial Plan: We project your cash flow well into your retirement years. Our projection is based on your current and future expected income, taxes, your spending plan, your goals and future aspirations, the hypothetical performance of your current investments, inflation and many more factors, such as whether you’re buying a house, sending kids to college or expecting to inherit assets. The plan shows how your finances are likely to look if you stay on exactly the same course you’re on now.

Current Portfolio: We highlight what we believe to be the strengths and weaknesses of your current investments. We present easy-to-read charts and graphs that illustrate what you own, how diversified you are, how much you’re currently paying in fees, and more.

Meeting #3 – Financial Planning Recommendations

We present you with the fruits of all our analysis, including a detailed financial plan with specific recommendations and investment strategies. Whenever possible, we help identify opportunities to:

• Improve your future cash flow
• Retire comfortably (or continue enjoying retirement comfortably)
• Mitigate future tax liabilities
• Protect your assets with the right insurance coverage
• Distribute your assets efficiently

We lay out our investment philosophy and present a recommended portfolio customized to your goals, risk profile, cash flow needs and more.

Finally, we present you with an estimated timeline for execution and a plan for collaborating with your accountant, attorney and insurance agent to accomplish the goals established in your financial plan.

Making it official

If we have made it this far, it is very likely we will both decide to move forward with each other. To make the engagement official, we walk you through all the necessary paperwork and the mechanics of the account transfer process. You’ve now entered a confident new era for you and your family.

First follow-up

After about six weeks, we invite you in for a status update. We bring you up to speed on your asset transfers and update your net worth statement with the new accounts. Together, we prioritize your financial planning goals. And we make sure you’re finding everything you need on our Client Access website along with our mobile app.

On-going

On an on-going basis, we meet with you to update your plan. We review portfolio performance and progress on financial planning projects. We discuss new goals and objectives. And we identify opportunities for the future. Before each meeting, we solicit your input on needs or questions you have, and incorporate them into our agenda.

Access to your Pathway Wealth Advisory team is wide open. Communication is frequent. Life can get complicated. With Pathway, you have a team of professionals to consult with on any topic, any time you need us.

Every investor's situation is unique and you should consider your investment goals, risk tolerance and time horizon before making any investment. Prior to making an investment decision, please consult with your financial advisor about your individual situation.

Raymond James and its advisors do not offer tax or legal advice. You should discuss any tax or legal matters with the appropriate professional.

Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected, including diversification and asset allocation. Past performance may not be indicative of future results.

Expressions of opinion are as of this date and are subject to change without notice.

In a fee-based account clients pay a quarterly fee, based on the level of assets in the account, for the services of a financial advisor as part of an advisory relationship. In deciding to pay a fee rather than commissions, clients should understand that the fee may be higher than a commission alternative during periods of lower trading. Advisory fees are in addition to the internal expenses charged by mutual funds and other investment company securities. To the extent that clients intend to hold these securities, the internal expenses should be included when evaluating the costs of a fee-based account. Clients should periodically re-evaluate whether the use of an asset-based fee continues to be appropriate in servicing their needs. A list of additional considerations, as well as the fee schedule, is available in the firm's Form ADV Part II as well as the client agreement.