Achieving Financial Independence

TRUE FINANCIAL PLANNING - NOT JUST MONEY MANAGEMENT

money management services, financial planners, plan your investments, investment guidance The feasibility of your achieving financial independence may depend upon you knowing the difference between a “money manager” and a true “financial planner.” Most true financial planners include money management in their financial planning but most money managers do not offer financial planning in their money management services. At Lewis Financial Management, LLC, we focus first on you and your needs before we go to your investments. For us, it is crucial that we understand your financial objectives, your needs, your goals, your understanding of the world of investments, your risk tolerances, and your comfort levels. Only then do we feel we can approach the matter of your money management. Since realizing your most important financial goals requires sound, realistic advice, guidance and support, we must know you quite well before we can make recommendations.

You bring all of your financial questions and Doug gives you specific answers to each. Your questions may be on any particular financial topic. Typical areas of concern for which we offer guidance might be:

Is now a safe time to invest in stock?
How do you structure the proper investment portfolio?
What’s the best way to diversify?
Should you be in stocks or should you be in bonds?
Is it a good time to invest in a stock mutual fund or what about a bond mutual fund?
What about any Equipment Leasing Partnership, Real Estate Investment Trusts, Ginny Maes, Fanny Maes, UITs, CDs, Gold and Annuities?

How much income will a person need and how much should you be saving for retirement?
Will you be able to retire when you want to retire?
What are your best investment choices for your company’s 401(k) retirement plan?
Can you have an IRA or Keogh retirement plan?
What’s the difference between a 401(k) plan, a 403(b) plan, a Profit Sharing plan, a Pension plan, a SEP IRA Plan, a Simple plan or a ROTH IRA plan.
How can you avoid the horrible triple tax on IRA’s using a Charitable Trust?
Maybe you’ve got a lump sum payout option from your company’s retirement plan, and you want to know if you should take it, and if so how you should invest it.

Over your lifetime, since your estate has grown, how will you reduce your Estate Taxes?
Should you have a Will or a Living Trust?
What’s the difference between a Revocable Living Trusts and an Irrevocable Testamentary Trust?
What is a Durable Power of Attorney?

Are tax shelter investments still legal?
What’s a tax-free bond?
What’s the difference between tax deductions and tax credits?
Should your business be an “S” corp, “C” corp or sole proprietorship?
Is there a way to sell your business and avoid the capital gains tax?
Is there a way to sell real estate and avoid the capital gains tax?
What about gift taxes?

How much money should you have in an emergency fund?
Is it time to refinance your mortgage?
If you do, should you have a 15-year or 30-year mortgage?
Should you have credit cards?
How can you reduce your debt?

How much life insurance do you and your family really need?
Do you have too much insurance or maybe too little insurance?
What kind of insurance should you have: whole life, term, or universal?
Do you or your parents need Long Term Nursing Care Insurance?
When you apply for coverage, will you be approved?
What about Disability Insurance?

What is it going to cost to put your children through college?
How much will you pay for college?
How much should you be saving now each month to pay for your child’s future college education?
What types of college loans are available if you need them and what are suitable investments for college indented funding?

Bankruptcy Questions

Divorce Questions

financial planners, plan your investments, investment guidance, investment advice FIDUCIARY STANDARDS
At Lewis Financial Management, LLC, we recognize the importance of operating under Fiduciary standards. As a Registered Investment Advisor, we as fiduciaries are required to put your interests first. Most clients do not realize the importance of dealing with a Fiduciary. Most do not understand that:

Not all financial advisors are Fiduciaries, required by law to put your interests first
Stockbrokers are not Fiduciaries
Insurance Agents are not Fiduciaries
Not all who call themselves “Financial Planners” are Fiduciaries
Not all who carry the CFP® designation are Fiduciaries

At Lewis Financial Management, LLC, there is a difference. In the area of regulatory control, we as a fiduciary must adhere to the fiduciary standard of always acting in your best interest when it comes to how your money is managed. In the area of practice, we do not stop with money management, but practice total financial planning including income tax planning, cash flow planning, estate planning, charitable trust planning and much more.

*Ranked by average investment portfolio per client (AUM).