Safe Harbor’s mission is to ensure that professional, objective financial advice is provided to our clients in the manner most appropriate for their needs.
We believe that financial advisors must have a Fiduciary duty to their clients. This means that we must act solely in your best interests. This is only possible under a fee-only arrangement where you pay us directly and where we sell no products and accept no funds from third parties.
Our team is made up of fee-only financial planner professionals who provide services on an hourly fee or project fee basis to those clients who choose that service option, or on an ongoing retainer/subscription fee service program for certain qualifying clients who prefer a more comprehensive relationship with a financial advisor.
Hourly/Project Fee Engagements. The beauty of fee-only financial advisors who work on an hourly/project fee for service basis is that you pay for just the time your highly qualified advisor works with you or for you, just like the as-needed professional services provided by your doctor, dentist, attorney or CPA. Clients have the flexibility to engage an advisor’s services on a one-time basis, periodic as-needed engagements, for comprehensive financial planning, or on an ongoing basis in an annual service program.
Clients who can benefit from fee-only hourly planning span the spectrum from those who are just beginning their investment program to those who have become quite wealthy from their investments over the long-term. This service model also works well for self-directed individuals and do-it-yourself investors who periodically need or want a professional second opinion of their financial situation and/or or validation that the decisions they’ve made are sound. These clients prefer to manage some or all of the implementation on their own. Learn more about our hourly/project fee services (our “Anchorage” Service Program) at this link.
Annual Retainer Comprehensive Service Program. Our ongoing service program we call our Pierside Program provides an option for those clients who want financial advice and assistance in a structured approach with a holistic, tax-focused, and comprehensive annual service program. Pierside is intended for pre-retirees (within approximately 5 years of planned retirement) and for those clients already in retirement. Holistic financial planning is a process, not an event. It focuses on your goals, integrates all areas of your financial life, recognizes how your beliefs and attitudes impact the financial decisions you make, and makes adjustments as your circumstances change.
The goal of the Pierside Program is to integrate and coordinate all aspects of our clients’ financial life. A typical retiree may work with a number of different professionals such as a wealth manager/stockbroker for investment advice, an insurance agent to buy insurance, an accountant for tax preparation, an attorney for estate planning, and a financial planner for a retirement plan. If all goes well you end up with several pieces of your personal financial plan in place, but each was developed independently by a different person and maybe at a different stage in your life and may no longer be appropriate for your needs and goals.
For most folks these different important parts of their financial life are not well coordinated (or maybe not coordinate at all) and may actually work against your progress toward your goals because pieces of your plan are working against each other.
Our integrated approach makes sure that you have what you need and that your money is working for you as efficiently as possible. We work with your current professionals or, in some cases, in place of your former provider, to make sure that your financial journey in retirement leads you successfully to your goals.
The “one-stop-shop” for financial services and our role as your Retirement Success Advocate distinguishes Safe Harbor from your other financial service choices. Learn more about our Pierside Service Program at this link.
Financial planning is a process, not an event. Another way to view the financial planning process is as a journey to a financial goal. As with any journey you need to know where you are starting from, where you want to end up, the hazards or pitfalls (or the fun detours) along the way, and you need a way to measure your progress and make adjustments as needed. In some respects this is similar to plotting a course at sea. There are many possible ways to get to your destination but you need a plan of action, an accurate chart, the right tools, and you may need to make course adjustments along the way to account for changes or challenges. You also may want to seek assistance along the journey from others who have experience or expertise that you can draw upon. Your goal lies ahead in your very own safe harbor.
