Baldwin Financial

financial planning registered investment advisory firm

What does a Financial Advisor Do?

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Financial Advisors guide and offer advice. We help clients with their investments, insurances and setting strategies to help them meet their financial goals or to help them solve their biggest financial concerns, such as buying their first house, educating their children, or successfully retiring. We pride ourselves in making complex topics easier for our clients to understand, reducing the jargon and using reliable tools and processes to assist our clients in making better, more informed decisions.

A study prepared by the Consumer Federation of American (CFA) alongside the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards (CFP Board) in 2012 & 2013 told the story of why we are here doing what we do for our clients today. Their study uncovered the simple fact that even in an uncertain economic climate, financial planning leads to better outcomes for those who take the time to plan. It also showed that those who took the time to plan found they could save more money than they thought and were happy with their progress toward important goals. They also felt more confident in their ability to make sound financial decisions.

In a follow-up study done by Princeton Survey Research Associates International, the link was made between financial planning and financial preparedness. In short, more planning leads to more preparedness. It also leads to greater confidence in their money management. We at Baldwin Financial Advisors would like to help you join our clients along this successful path to financial independence.

Protecting Your Future

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Your strong financial future is our goal. Knowing this and that the people you care about are important to you and thus to us, we work very hard to let our clients know about the appropriate levels of protection that are recommended against all types of potential loss. This would include recommendations that our clients secure insurance to cover any potential loss due to disability, death or long-term care needs later in life. This will also include appropriate levels of home, auto and liability protection.

At Baldwin Financial, it is just as important to build as to protect our clients’ financial assets and their loved ones from loss. Without protection soundly in place, even the best financial plans can be derailed or thrown off-course.

Take the Next Step

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Your first step is to contact our office either via the ‘Contact Us’ link above right on this site. This email: Plan@BFinancialAdvisors.com will get you more information on the firm and what you may wish to bring with you to your first meeting with us. Our Client Brochure, which describes how we do business, can be found via (Advisory Document Link).

We will send you our Privacy Policy, our CFP® professional biography so you know our background and experience before getting started. We will also attach a simple fact finder for you to complete (optional, but helpful) to allow us to have an efficient first meeting. We will explain the planning process to you at this meeting. There is no obligation to move forward in planning after this meeting. An official ‘Client Engagement Agreement’ will go out to you in writing, confirming the scope of the project to be done and the cost of this project, outlined by task. This way, you can see if you wish to have us complete part of the project, or the whole, comprehensive plan at that time.

We request, for your privacy and those we work for, that you make a prior appointment to meet with us. Our hours are 10 am until 6 pm Monday-Friday by appointment. Earning and maintaining your trust is our priority at all times. We look forward to having the opportunity to work with you and for you.

How Can A Financial Advisor Help?

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A Financial Advisor can help you:

  • assess your current financial situation.
  • create a realistic plan to meet your financial goals.
  • understand how to meet your financial and retirement goals.
  • put your financial plan into action and monitor your progress.
  • update your financial plan to grow with your changing needs and goals.

If you have any of these questions or concerns, you will benefit from a consultation with a Financial Advisor:

  • Confusion about conflicting financial advice and options.
  • Paying too much income tax.
  • Not saving enough for retirement.
  • Not sure where to invest money.
  • Changes in life that affect your financial future, such as a career change, marriage, retirement, loss of a spouse, birth of a child, etc.
  • Not enough time to attend to personal financial affairs.

Financial Advisors are licensed professionals with a broad background in finance. They can guide you through some important life decisions. They can help you manage the risk involved in making decisions that can paralyze some of us, such as:

  1. What kind of retirement plan do I need?
  2. Am I paying too much in taxes?
  3. How can I save money for retirement – tax free?
  4. How much life insurance do I need?
  5. How can I make sure my estate is left to family members, and does not get depleted by probate court and government taxes?
  6. Can we afford college tuition for our children – and how do we save for this, knowing how much tuitions are spiraling?

Would you benefit from having professional advice when it comes to planning your financial future? A Financial Advisor is a partner that can help you understand your options and help you build and protect your assets.

A Financial Advisor can also help you evaluate different life insurance plans and help you determine which policy or product is best going to serve your own unique needs and budget.

Retirement & Estate Planning

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Have you ever wondered whether you will be able to retire?

Do you know how long your retirement savings will last?

With the average life span increasing, many of us will have 30 years of retirement or more.

• Are you prepared for retirement?
• Will your savings and retirement income be enough?
• What forms of income will you have?
• Do you know what your income needs will be at retirement?

It’s never too early to start planning for retirement.

A Financial Advisor can show you some long term investment strategies and vehicles to help you meet your retirement savings goals, minimize your estate tax liability, and provide security for your spouse/family.

You should have an estate plan if:
1) you are the parent of minor children.
2) you have property (real estate) or a business.
3) you are concerned about health care treatment should you become disabled or terminally ill.

Estate planning includes more than just a simple Will. Estate planning also typically minimizes potential taxes, and sets up a contingency plan to assure your preferences regarding health care treatment are followed.

Good estate planning identifies what will happen with your home, business, investments, business, life insurance, retirement plans, and other property when you become disabled or die.

A Financial Advisor will help you answer these questions:

  • Am I saving enough for my retirement?
  • How will inflation affect my retirement income?
  • I’m retired now, how long will my savings last?
  • How much retirement income will my investments provide?
  • What are the best retirement investment funds for me?
  • How much can I contribute to a retirement plan?
  • What will my investments be worth at retirement?
  • I’m self-employed, how much can I contribute to a retirement plan?
  • How long will it take to double my money?
  • Taxable vs non-taxable savings comparisons
  • How should I allocate my assets?
  • How can I protect my assets from probate and estate taxes?
  • What is my potential estate tax liability?

How Much Insurance Do I Need?

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This question requires careful consideration. First, ask yourself:

“If I died tomorrow, how much money would my family need?”

Insurance reduces risk and provides security for yourself and your family’s future. To know how much insurance you need, you’ll need to consider your lifestyle and what the possible risks are that could affect it. When calculating how much life insurance you need, consider the following:

  • Estate Expenses
  • Funeral Expenses
  • Mortgage
  • Loans and Debts
  • Replacing Annual Income (number of years?)
  • Children’s education
  • Resources available at death: Savings, Stocks, Mutual Funds, Retirement Funds, Life Insurance, and Other Assets

When you think of insurance, the first that comes to mind is auto and home insurance. Replacement of these assets in the event of damage can be very costly. Most people hold auto and home insurance policies.

Life insurance is essential to many families, giving extra security if the unthinkable should happen. The loss of a breadwinner is devastating enough, without having the added stress of worrying about how to cover the bills and mortgage.

Other types of insurance are equally important. Life events such as illness, accidental injury, loss of employment income, or a death in the family can affect family security. Yet these potential risks to your lifestyle can be reduced by the right insurance planning.

Changes in lifestyle also determine the types and amount of insurance you need. The amount of life insurance that you have will likely change throughout your life, depending on your life circumstances. Some of these changes might be getting married, starting a family, changing jobs or preparing for unexpected events.

Should you have Term, Universal Life, and Permanent Life Insurance? More information on the three types of insurance . . .

To meet modern trends, life insurance providers also offer to act as an investment vehicle, building up a sum of extra equity over the lifetime of the policy. This can be withdrawn or borrowed against, and usually offers a tax-free sum on retirement or death.

Deciding on an amount of life insurance you should have requires careful consideration. A Financial Advisor can help you determine just how much insurance you need based on your age, your income, family circumstances and obligations, assets owned, and debts owed.

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