The Signature Financial Security Process

The process is about building a comprehensive wealth management and retirement plan, not simply an investment plan.  Here is the process taken with ALL clients.  

Introduction & Discovery- Your initial meeting with Mike Robinson, principal of Signature Financial Security, is really a chance for you to get a feeling about the fit and understanding Signature Financial Security’s approach to financial planning.  This is a casual meeting to see if you are the type of client that we serve really well and if both parties feel that they can work well together.

If we agree there is a fit we will sit down again and gather as much important information as we can.  This includes a discussion on your future plans, in addition to understanding current financial strategies and taking stock of information such as income levels, saving patterns, insurance coverage, pension plans, benefit plans, etc.  The big focus is on your plans for the future.  Privacy and disclosure documents are also provided so you know you’re protected.

Development of your 3-Tier unique financial program – Signature Financial Security knows that the value in a financial plan is going deep below the surface layer and getting down to your unique situation.  Your unique financial program goes beyond what you would expect to see from other firms by developing a 3-Tier planning process that looks past the creation of just an investment plan and looks at your WHOLE financial situation.  This is why we create a comprehensive plan that builds up in three tiers:

Tier I – The first plan is an analysis of what you might expect to see, relative to your identified goals, based on your current financial situation.  This provides the base plan from which we can move forward to enhance your situation and meet your goals.

Tier II – The second plan adjusts the base plan to reflect recommended changes such as new savings strategies, an alternative asset allocation or reduced taxes.  This is a plan that will outline for you what you need to do in order to meet your identified objectives.  It becomes the working plan and is also used as the platform to move up to Tier III.   

Tier III – The most valued component of your unique financial program, and certainly what makes your plan from Signature Financial Security truly different, is developing contingency strategies if things don’t go as well as planned, or if things go better than planned.  This proactive component can look at positive scenarios such as, “what if I retire earlier?” or “what if I buy a winter house down south?”  as well as potentially negative scenarios such as “what if I spend more in retirement than anticipated?” or “what if I don’t receive as much for my business as I thought?”  This plan will outline for you what you can expect based on a number of “what if…” scenarios.

“Driving” the Plan – Once your unique financial program has been created, an analysis is done to determine if your current investment and risk protection strategies are on track to “drive” the plan.  We compare your current strategies to our recommended strategies and then suggest how to best proceed.  This is a detailed document with not only the analysis of current vs. recommended but also a full description of how to implement the recommendations that will satisfy the plan.

Review, Revise & Implement - Once you are ready to proceed, we begin to implement, which typically means the inevitability of … paperwork.  Signature Financial Security works through it with you and then ensures that everything is submitted to the necessary places on your behalf.  Often, well after paperwork has been submitted there are additional requirements we help you with during this process.  Signature Financial Security makes it as easy as possible to sort through all the administrative work involved.

When all the recommended strategies are finally in place, you will be provided an updated plan including any changes incorporated, copies of all the paperwork and all other necessary documentation in one well organized and accessible format.

Following the Program – Creating a financial or retirement plan is not a transaction or a one-time event.  As we all know, life changes, economies change, investments change and laws change.  The true value of a financial advisor is guiding you through the years and keeping you on track with your program.

Mike is based in Calgary, Alberta and he will meet with you as often as you wish (usually 2-3 times per year) to monitor how you are doing in relation to the plan.  He will monitor your plan to see if there is anything that has come up that may require adjustment.  Also with changing laws and tax rulings, he will make sure to keep you up to date and recommend any changes to ensure that everything is in order.

Put Your Future in the Hand of a Financial Expert