About

Our Clients

About

Our Clients

Ridgeview Financial Planning's typical clients are saving for their future, nearing retirement, or are actively living in retirement, and need help getting their financial house in order. They are seeking ongoing assistance with their investments and value independent advice.

Transparency, accountability, and avoiding conflicts of interest are important for my clients. They want to know where they stand and why recommendations are being made.

Sometimes my clients have had bad experiences with "brokers" who had charged them a ton, lost them a ton, and then wouldn't return their phone calls. These clients enjoy working with me because I provide open communication and education. Typical clients want a partner in the financial planning process. They often thank me for listening to them and engaging them in the process. I'm passionate about financial planning and investment management and am always happy to talk. 

Ridgeview Financial Planning does not require specific asset minimums to work with us.

Investment Management

Is your portfolio built with your goals in mind? What does it cost?
How is your advisor compensated? Are they accountable for the advice they provide?

Let's Get Acquainted

We offer a complimentary "Get Acquainted" meeting to describe our services, and to see if our services are right for you.

Get In Touch

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Partners

About

Partners

Research - Helping Guide Investment Decisions

Bespoke Investment Group, Vanguard, The Wall Street Journal, Allianz, Zack's, JPMorgan, Charles Schwab, US Govt Agencies. I gather research and economic analysis from a variety of providers to help inform my allocation and investment decisions. While I don't believe in "day trading" in client accounts I still follow the markets daily and pay close attention to domestic and global macroeconomics, Fed policy, analyst expectations, etc.      

Custodians - Holding Your Investments

While I work for you and not a brokerage firm, I do work with brokerage firms. These firms act as custodian for your accounts since Ridgeview Financial Planning never takes custody of your investments (to avoid potential conflicts of interest). The custodian generates your statements and trade confirmations, as well as executes trades that I (or you) place in your accounts.

When you work with Ridgeview Financial Planning, ideally you would place your accounts with my preferred custodian, Charles Schwab. The primary advantage in doing so would be that I would have direct access to your account information and be able to place trades for you on a discretionary basis, enabling you to focus on other things in life. 

I am able to work with you when your accounts are held at other custodians (LPL, Fidelity, etc). Depending on the individual custodian's practices I may or may not have direct access to your account information and place discretionary trades. 

Other Professionals - Existing or Referral

I feel it's of vital importance that your tax, legal, and other important advisors are on the same page when it comes to your financial plans. I'll work with your tax and legal advisors, as well as refer you to local professionals if as needed.

Important Note: If I end up referring you to other professionals (a local CPA or estate planning attorney, for example) please know that I receive absolutely no compensation from them for the referral. This is an extension of my promise to you to avoid potential conflicts of interest. The only reason why I'd refer you to another professional would be the same reason why I'd recommend you buy a particular index fund; because they're the best available.

Investment Management

Is your portfolio built with your goals in mind? What does it cost?
How is your advisor compensated? Are they accountable for the advice they provide?

Let's Get Acquainted

We offer a complimentary "Get Acquainted" meeting to describe our services, and to see if our services are right for you.

Get In Touch

Continue reading

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Our Process

About

Our Process

Investment management is critical to your success but financial planning is at the core of the services Ridgeview Financial Planning offers. It's a cliche, but you wouldn't begin a long journey without a map, right? So it only makes sense that I'll work with you to develop an understanding of your goals before I make investment recommendations. 

I can work with you by assessing a percentage fee based on the assets I'd be managing for you or by an hourly fee. If an ongoing percentage is the best for you, then I'll fully explain how that works. If hourly is best, then I'll provide you with a quote in advance. Either way the fee will be transparent.

You'll receive clear, actionable advice, that could cover single topics like "When should I take Social Security?" or "How can I convert my IRA balances to a Roth?" Or we could work on a full financial plan spanning your entire financial situation, from retirement planning, investment planning, to insurance and estate planning.

Here are the essential steps followed with every client:
  1. Get Acquainted Meeting - This is complimentary and typically takes 20-30 minutes. We'll talk about your what you're trying to accomplish and how we can work together.
  2. Then I'll gather information about you (account statements, recent tax returns, retirement plans at work, social security statements, etc).
  3. Next we talk about your financial goals, both short- and long-term, and about what's important to you when it comes to your finances.
  4. I then analyze the data you've provided, ask follow up questions, and prepare recommendations.
  5. Next I meet with you to present my recommendations, discuss implementation, and talk about who is accountable for which parts of the plan.
  6. Then I create a plan for monitoring your plan and investments. If we're working together on an ongoing percentage basis, then I'll handle everything. If we're working together on an hourly basis, I'll suggest an appropriate review schedule.

Tax Planning

Are you considering taxes when making investment decisions? Do your financial
advisor and tax advisor work together for your benefit?

Let's Get Acquainted

We offer a complimentary "Get Acquainted" meeting to describe our services, and to see if our services are right for you.

Get In Touch

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Fee Structure

About

Our Fees

The fee structure at Ridgeview Financial Planning is transparent, simple, and flexible. During our Get Acquainted Meeting we can discuss the fee structure and which approach works best for you. 

Percentage Basis

Typically I find that what's best for most people is to work with me on an ongoing basis where I'm compensated on a percentage basis based on the value of the assets under management. If your assets grow, so does the fee. But if your assets decline, so does the fee. This approach is simple and puts me on the same side of the table with you. The primary advantage with this approach is that all of the financial planning work, regular reviews, year-end gain/loss harvesting and other tax management, portfolio rebalancing, etc, is included in one ongoing fee. The other practical benefit is that you won't need to feel like you're "on the clock" when you're talking with me. This is an ongoing, open-ended relationship all for one fee. Pretty simple.

Hourly Basis

Or, if you prefer, I can work with you on an hourly basis to provide you with financial planning and investment recommendations that you can implement yourself. You'll be provided with a written quote following our Get Acquainted meeting so you'll know exactly what my services will cost. Then I'll provide you with written advice and recommendations and give you guidance on how to implement on your own. This could be a full financial plan covering all aspects of your financial life and would include a variety of recommendations. Alternatively, this could be a portfolio review with rebalancing recommendations that you implement on your own. It's wide open. I'm flexible; whatever you need is what I'll do. 

Tax Planning

Are you considering taxes when making investment decisions? Do your financial
advisor and tax advisor work together for your benefit?

Let's Get Acquainted

We offer a complimentary "Get Acquainted" meeting to describe our services, and to see if our services are right for you.

Get In Touch

Continue reading

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Meet The Team

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Contact

  • Phone:
    (707) 800-6050
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