OUR BEGINNING

Lyle started our firm in 1994 with one goal in mind: to better serve his individual clients. He was providing financial planning at a larger CPA firm but felt his clients needed and wanted more from him. From the start his focus has been on providing the objective, broad and deep financial advice you need and deserve.

OUR BACKGROUND

As Certified Public Accountants with years of experience in tax and estate planning we have a technical background and an understanding of complex tax laws. We are leaders in the AICPA community and have an extensive network of the best and brightest CPA financial planners around the country.

OUR PASSION

We are driven by our desire to improve our clients' lives. The relationships we develop with our clients are what gets us out of bed in the morning. Our clients are like family to us, so that's how we treat them.

GUIDING PRINCIPALS

• Always put our clients' interests first
• Be completely transparent 
• Build deep and lasting relationships
• Communicate effectively and regularly
• Be proactive and very responsive
• Never stop learning and growing - individually and as a firm
• Collaborate with a national network of experts
• Stay on the cutting edge of new technology in our industry

INVESTMENT SERVICES AS PART OF YOUR ONGOING FINANCIAL PLAN

When our clients begin their financial planning journey, they typically have a number of different investment accounts that are being managed individually without regard to one another. They are seeking organization and an overall strategy for their portfolio. We start by developing an investment policy statement that clearly defines your financial goals and the overall investment strategy we will implement to help reach them. 

BUILDING A PORTFOLIO FOR YOU

Your investment portfolio should be structured around your financial plan and built to help you reach your goals. We believe in diversification, rebalancing, and keeping costs low. Our goal is to help you develop an appropriate target asset allocation for the portfolio, then implement that target portfolio and monitor the results.

COORDINATING THE MANY PIECES OF YOUR INVESTMENT STRATEGY

We take on different roles in the investment management process for different clients.  If you don't have anyone managing your investments, we can build and manage a portfolio for you through our custodian, Charles Schwab. If you already have money managers or other investment advisers in place, we can take on the quarterback role and help you develop an overall strategy and monitor each of the individual pieces for you. Or, if you prefer to handle your investments on your own we can provide recommendations for your portfolio that you can implement yourself. Regardless of what role we take, our strategy remains the same and we can monitor the performance and asset allocation of the portfolio on a regular basis for you.

Tax planning is a critical part of ongoing financial planning. Our continual monitoring of changes in the tax laws allows our clients to take advantage of new planning strategies as they become available. We project current and future years' tax scenarios and integrate these into your overall financial planning.

We offer our clients many tax services, including:

• Preparation of Federal and State Individual Tax Returns
• Preparation of Federal and State Partnership, S-Corporation and LLC Tax Returns
• Preparation of Quarterly Estimated Tax Payments
• Projections for both year-end and quarterly tax planning
• Payroll Tax Returns
• Personal Property Tax Returns
• Handling of Tax Notices and IRS Audits
• Address State Residency and Tax Issues

CREATIVE, CUTTING-EDGE ESTATE PLANNING STRATEGIES 

For many of our clients, an important aspect of their overall goals is the transfer of wealth to future generations. We believe that estate planning needs to be integrated with all other areas of personal financial planning. As such, our estate planning strategy includes working closely with your other advisors such as attorneys, trust officers, and insurance agents. As there are often so many professionals involved, it is helpful to have a team in place all working together to help you reach your goals. 

However, some of the most important aspects of estate planning also include the non-financial, personal issues related to wealth management and transfer. We work with our clients to develop an estate plan that meets their financial and non-financial goals. 

BEYOND THE NUMBERS

Unlike most fee-only financial advisors who will charge you a percentage of your assets, we don't believe the price you pay for financial advice should be based on your investment portfolio value. Our prices are determined by the services provided and the complexity of your situation.

ANNUAL FIXED FEE

Fees for Investment Advisory Services are typically billed quarterly, in advance. The quarterly retainer fee established for these services are based on the complexity of a client’s financial situation and is confirmed in the client’s investment advisory agreement. This fee covers not only the investment advisory services but may also include advice in other areas such as financial planning or tax preparation. Annual fees typically range between $8,000 - $30,000. Upon termination of any account, any prepaid, unearned fees will be promptly refunded, and any earned, unpaid fees will be due and payable.

HOURLY FEES

Fees for project-based Financial Planning and Tax Planning and Preparation Services are billed at an hourly rate with a range from $175 to $540 per hour, depending on the level of the individual performing the service. Fees are due monthly in arrears. These fees are negotiable and are established as stated in the client’s engagement letter..

Going through a transition in your life can be challenging and frustrating. Many of our clients come to us in a time of transition because the financial ramifications can be complex and complicated. We have the breadth of knowledge and provide the personal attention you need to make it through these transitions. Some examples of transitions we have helped clients through are:

• Retirement
• Sale of a Business
• Death of a Spouse
• Marriage
• Divorce
• Starting a Business
• Sale of a Business
• Inheritance
• Starting a Family

We often work with very successful individuals who have built significant wealth during their careers. We serve as the "Personal CFO" to many of these higher net worth clients. We handle all aspects of their personal finances for them and this can include:

• Helping you determine if you have "enough".
• Work with others on your estate planning team to implement strategies to preserve your wealth.
• Meet with your children and grandchildren to be a resource for them as they take on more financial responsibility.
• Implement tax planning strategies to minimize the impact of taxes and prepare your tax returns.
• Review your overall investment strategy and make sure it aligns with your goals.
• Work with your existing investment management team or implement our investment recommendations on your behalf.
• Organize the various pieces of your financial picture.
• Provide bookkeeping services.

Our CPA foundation and extensive tax background allows us to help many clients who have some form of complexity in their tax situation. These might include:

• Business executives with stock options
• Real estate developers with multiple partnerships
• Venture capital investors with various complicated investments
• Multi-state residents with state tax issues
• Self-employed individuals
• Business owners

While we work with a variety of clients, not everyone is a good fit. If any of the following statements describe you, we might not be the right adviser for you:

• If you don't want to build a long-term, trusting relationship with your adviser.
• If you are just looking for an investment manager who will try to beat the market.
• If you want someone who will try to predict the future.
• If you are unwilling to open up about your entire financial picture.
• If you want someone who will buy and sell individual stocks and bonds for you.
• If you are only looking for someone to prepare a simple tax return at a low cost.