Services

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Investments

Initial investment recommendations

Although we feel there’s much more to financial planning than simply picking the right investments, investment management remains a critical pillar of financial independence. We’ll start by determining your optimal mix of assets based on when you’ll need your money and how you feel about risk. Then we’ll recommend a specific investment plan to get you there.

Investment implementation

Changing custodians can be difficult and confusing. We use TD Ameritrade as our primary custodian, and manage the transfer of assets for you. You receive a TD Ameritrade login and password, to access and monitor your accounts online, at your convenience. Once your assets are transferred, we make the trades to execute the investment plan that we’ve decided together is the right path for you.

Investment management

Our economic environment is constantly changing. At Foothills, it’s our job to actively monitor these shifts, and adjust your investments accordingly.

Portfolio rebalancing

Research suggests that regular rebalancing of your portfolio can add more than 1% in annual returns over a long-term time horizon. We will periodically rebalance your portfolio, and seek opportunities to rebalance when big market shifts occur.

Retirement Planning

Retirement capital needs analysis

Do you know how much you need for retirement? We’ll help you figure it out.

Social security review

When is the optimal time to take Social Security? Are there secondary strategies that can enhance your Social Security benefit? The Social Security decision is unique to each individual. We’ll recommend an option strategy for you.

Pension optimization

If you’re fortunate enough to have an employer pension, we’ll help you determine what to do with it.

Risk Management

Estate planning

Estate planning adds certainty to your legacy, and helps to ensure your wishes are realized in the event of your death. It can also limit the expense and complexity of transferring assets for your heirs.

Insurance review

Do you have the appropriate amounts of the right kinds of life, disability and long term care insurance for your specific needs? We can help to identify holes in these areas of risk, and point you in the right direction if there are any to fill. We do not sell any insurance products.

Other Services

Housing review

Buying a house? How much can you afford? Should you pay down your mortgage? We’ll help explore your options. Wondering whether to buy or lease? We’ll run the numbers and talk through the non-financial implications.

College investment planning

Would you like to help your child or other loved one pay for college? We will help you find the most tax-advantaged and effective way to pay for education.

Cash flow analysis and budgeting

Do you make ends meet each month? Do you save what you should, or live paycheck to paycheck? We review your monthly budget and your financial goals, and help you get from here to there.

Tax planning

We’ve all heard the cliché that it’s not what you earn, but what you keep that matters. For better or worse, it’s true, and we weave tax efficiency into everything we do for you at Foothills Financial Planning.

Wealth index

Based loosely on the work of Thomas Stanley, the Wealth Index measures how effective you are at converting income into wealth. This gives you an idea of how much wealth you should have, given your age and household income. We’ll calculate this for you, and then track your progress over time as you watch your wealth grow.

Continuous financial planning support

We all know how life is full of choices, and many of those can be financial. You can count on us to help you navigate these choices, and provide continuous support to reach your goals. We offer quarterly meetings, annual review meetings, and on demand availability to help you through any decisions that may arise during the year.