Services Provided
As an independent firm, we offer a comprehensive range of financial services. Whether our clients are located outside Tennessee or right here in Blount, Loudon, Monroe or Knox County, wealth management solutions are what we are committed to delivering to all our clients.
INVESTMENTS & ASSET MANAGEMENT
We create and put into place investment plans involving securities such as stocks, bonds, mutual funds and other options. We can personally manage your portfolio or assist in the hiring of third-party managers, depending upon the need.
We consider both the investment tools and the specific vehicles that best meet our clients’ objectives. Product solutions include stocks, bonds, certificates of deposit, mutual funds, variable annuities, real estate investment trusts, options and private money managers, to mention a few.
Examples of real-life services we’ve provided previous clients
Investment consolidation and diversification – It may sound like a contradiction, but for many clients, we have been able to pull multiple accounts together under one roof and still improve the diversification of their portfolios. The advantages: Simplification of reporting, reduction in overall volatility and opportunities for higher returns.
Flexible college funding – For a family with four children, we implemented a 529 plan that enabled the parents to provide for multiple possible outcomes, primarily by being able to change beneficiaries if the funds weren’t used by the original beneficiary. For another family with just one child, we recommended a variable universal life insurance policy. It featured a substantial death benefit and an accessible cash value that could be used for any purpose or left to accumulate and reduce premium outlay in the future.
How we work with investment clients
Commission platform: Available to all QFC clients. A commission is paid to QFC when stocks or bonds are bought or sold and when new money is invested in mutual funds or variable annuities. This program is best for small accounts or investors who prefer to buy and hold investments for long periods.
Fee-based platform: Available to clients whose assets exceed the minimum required value and believe active management provides optimal returns. Our QFC advisors or other professional advisors manage the client’s assets and make all purchase and selling decisions. The fee paid to QFC is based on the average value of the assets managed and is not related to any one transaction. No commissions are paid to QFC, but small transaction fees may be charged by the brokerage firm holding the assets when individual securities are traded.
ESTATE PLANNING
We assist our clients in creating plans that provide for their lifetime care, for easy access to their assets and for worry-free distribution of their assets to their heirs and benefactors. We also help maximize the value of assets transferred to heirs and minimize the impact of taxes on the estate.
When it comes to estate planning, we take a long-term view, not only working within current law but also anticipating possible events in the decades to come through multi-generational planning.
We assist clients in creating estate plans through our association with a network of legal advisory teams and local attorneys. We are not attorneys and as such do not provide legal advice or estate-planning document preparation; however, we as financial advisors help our clients by addressing needs that might not otherwise be considered. For example, we can recommend strategies for transferring wealth to beneficiaries who may not have the experience or the maturity level to manage it yet.
Examples of real-life services we’ve provided previous clients
Tax-efficient estate plan – A wealthy couple we work with was concerned about the impact that estate taxes would have on the legacy they wanted to leave their children. Along with a local attorney, we were able to create a gifting program designed to, over the course of the couple’s lifetime, fund a life insurance policy, which in turn would generate a death benefit large enough to pay the anticipated tax bill upon the death of the second spouse.
How we work with estate-planning clients
Analysis: We will use our expertise in tax, insurance, investments and estate planning to analyze your existing estate plan or to assist you in designing one to meet your objectives and minimize the tax impact. Since no two clients’ situations are alike, our fees are generally assessed on an hourly basis. We are able to work as part of a team of professionals, or we can refer you to an attorney who will ensure that all aspects of your plan are fully reviewed and documented.
RETIREMENT PLANNING
Retirement planning can span decades, from starting a retirement fund and maximizing your tax-deferred investments to managing the distribution of assets when you stop working. However, retirement itself can also last decades, which makes planning for it very important.
Proper management of your nest egg has never been more crucial than it is today, as longer life spans and more active lifestyles put tremendous pressure on traditional retirement income. A successful retirement is often dependent on both proper management of the withdrawal rate from investments and the liquidity of the client’s assets.
Examples of real-life services we’ve provided previous clients
Guaranteed income stream for life – Using our experience and broad investment knowledge, we have been able to provide many clients with guaranteed income that still had the possibility of increasing over time. Along the way, we worked to balance our clients’ need for guaranteed income with their need to access liquid funds when unexpected demands occur.
Retirement income alternatives – When standard solutions no longer provide adequate levels of income (perhaps due to prolonged low interest rates or the diminished safety of bonds due to expected rate increases), we tap into our experience and knowledge to provide viable alternative solutions.
TAX SERVICES
This is one of our original areas of specialization. Whether you’re looking for ways to reduce your tax burden or you’re simply in need of more expertise when it comes to preparing your return, we can help you navigate these often-challenging waters.
If tax planning is a priority for you, we will research, explore and consider all the tax implications of every action we propose or execute. By knowing the rules, we can almost always reduce or eliminate taxes through investment selection, property titling, trusts or other tools, depending on the goals of the client. If you like, we can prepare an estimate of your annual income tax when significant changes occur or project the inheritance taxes that may shrink the estate available to your heirs.
For our clients who feel overwhelmed by the prospect of preparing their own returns, or who would like to take a more coordinated approach, we offer tax preparation and analysis. By combining tax preparation with investment selection and management, we can often minimize preparation time and ensure the tax efficiency of investments at the same time.
Examples of real-life services we’ve provided previous clients
Amended tax return – When asked to review one small-business owner’s entire financial situation, we found multiple deductions that had not been taken on the previous year’s tax return. The previous preparer hadn’t been aware of the client’s retirement contributions (which would have minimized the tax liability), and the client did not know to raise it as an issue. We filed an amended return with the IRS, which resulted in a refund to our client.
INSURANCE AND RISK MANAGEMENT
In reviewing each client’s overall situation, we attempt to uncover potential risks that could prevent the achievement of his or her goals. Areas of risk can range from death, disability and illness, to asset valuation, lack of diversification, income protection and job security. By evaluating these risks, we can make recommendations to prevent their occurrence or at least minimize them.
This is one of the most overlooked aspects of financial planning, but unfortunately, failure to properly manage financial risks and/or to properly insure oneself against potential losses can have a significant impact on a person’s financial well-being.
We offer a wide variety of insurance products including life (term, whole, universal and variable), long-term care (individual coverage, joint coverage, reimbursement plans, life insurance base plans and group plans) and long-term disability (individual and group plans).
As an independent agent, we provide access to most of the major insurance companies, including Genworth, John Hancock, AIG, Pacific Life, Phoenix, Transamerica, Allianz, Voya, MetLife, Equitable, Mutual of Omaha and many others.
Examples of real-life services we’ve provided previous clients
Long-term care insurance update – One of our client couples, who had been wise enough to purchase long-term care insurance, discovered that one of the policy’s compounding benefits was lagging behind the rate of inflation for healthcare costs. We were able to design an add-on policy that allowed the couple to leave their less expensive policy in place while augmenting their benefits with a newer-generation product to bridge the gap.
How we work with insurance and risk-management clients
Product solutions: Each insurance company with which we work establishes its own compensation structure and pays us once a policy is placed. We do not charge separately for these products and will service your plan as long as it is in force. We are licensed in multiple states to provide insurance solutions. Click here to request an illustration.
Analysis: For an hourly or fixed fee, we will evaluate your current coverage and provide a formal report on the types of coverage you have as well as the costs, providers and areas of risk or lack of coverage. If a change in coverage is necessary and you elect to use our firm to implement the needed solutions, we may discount our fee in cases where we will also be earning a commission.