Generally it’s not because they are unable to balance a checkbook or make a mortgage payment. They are just focused on more important things like establishing a career, running a house, building a family and leaving a legacy.
Case study: Building a life
A married couple in their mid 30s was just starting out. Both husband and wife were very busy with their careers as their finances were becoming more and more complicated:
- they own property in addition to their place of residence;
- they are landlords, which requires detailed accounting of their rental income and expenses;
- they have a nanny, which makes them an employer – requiring even more paperwork.
This family came to me after a bad experience using a large family office to perform all of the accounting and organizational functions of their household. They left after feeling like they were not receiving the attention they deserved from the people they were working with. I give them a lot of attention, even when the office is closed – even one time while I was on vacation!
Case Study: Priorities
This is a husband and wife pair that are in their mid 40s, with high-powered jobs; the wife is a stay-at-home mom and a non-practicing CPA. They are fully qualified to take care of every aspect of their finances, but it was daunting considering some of the time-consuming paperwork for things such as:
- extensive real estate holdings
- children in private school
- contributions that need to be tracked
- a staff
This couple came to me because the wife said she prefers spending her limited free time with her children rather than paying bills, categorizing everything and preparing for tax time. We balance their checkbooks, make sure everything is paid on time, carefully check their credit card statements, negotiate with vendors, fill out their tax organizers and do the “grunt” work for them.
I entered the world of finance after a friend asked me to help her aging mother figure out her bills. Quickly I got into the growing market of providing financial services to Older Americans. I love working with them and have developed an extensive network of colleagues in the elder care community. At the same time I love working with all ages – they each have their own set of challenges.
My Clients….
….are divorcees.
….are Older Americans.
….are C-Level executives.
….range in age from 35 to 105.
….range from middle class to high net worth individuals.
Where do you fit in?
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