Principled Solutions

How We Help Our Clients^*

Robin

Retiring Veterinarian

About Robin

Successful career as a veterinarian
Selling her vet practice and retiring
Never focused on her inheritance (dad’s advisor always handled it)
Enthusiastic donor to animal charities
Worries she should know as much as about investing as her siblings (but doesn’t want to ask them)
Lives with long-term domestic partner

Our work with Robin

Worked with Robin’s CPA to evaluate tax implications for business sale
Assisted in establishing a donor-advised fund to benefit her causes and manage tax exposure
Assumed investment management of inheritance funds, with attention to tax implications
Conduct periodic educational sessions to familiarize Robin with financial concepts
Guided Robin in setting up financial, legal, and medical documents to provide for her partner

Lily & Jim

Business Owners

About Lily & Jim

Small business owners, three children aged 8-13
Jim is nine years older than Lily, and would like to retire within 10 years
Have a SEP IRA but want to save more for retirement
Doing well, but not sure how to allocate savings between kids’ education, retirement, investments in the business, and vacations/ projects

Our work with Lily & Jim

Developed a comprehensive financial assessment, showing progress toward goals
Helped them articulate individual and family priorities and outline a family game-plan
Transitioned from SEP IRA to a 401K plan, along with other deferred compensation options for tax purposes
Updated insurance, disability and long-term care coverage to better manage risk

John

High Tech Manager

About

Senior manager at a thriving tech company with volatile stock price

Wants to retire in ten years

Owns company stock options and restricted shares

Listens to colleagues with differing opinions of when to sell stock, but is unsure what to do

Worried about the stock price, and whether he will be ready for retirement

John

Our work with John

Implemented a plan to address his concerns
Assessed his retirement readiness, including existing portfolio, pension and 401k holdings
Re-allocated his current portfolio to diversify concentrated holdings
Created a detailed schedule to sell his shares over ten years, to spread his risk without incurring excess tax
Periodically invest proceeds in a diversified portfolio to complement his other holdings

Jean

Recently Retired Grandma

About

Age 68, recently retired

Building an eco-friendly home

Grandmother of three

Prefers to keep her investments separate from her husband’s

Has accounts in many different places, plus pension and several 401k plans

Wants to be more involved in “green” investing and women’s workplace issues

Jean

Our work with Jean

Evaluated current investments: performance, tax treatment, and sustainability
Consolidated all of her accounts via electronic transfers
Targeted pools of money for income, special projects, legacy, and longer-term growth
Selected investments and money managers specializing in sustainability, environmental advocacy, and gender equality
Set up dedicated accounts for her grandchildren’s future education expenses

Tim

Non-Profit Director

About Tim

Executive Director of an environmental non-profit organization
Staff and funding are growing rapidly
Wants a 401K plan that offers green options, yet is competitive with traditional plans

Our work with Tim

Set up open-platform 401k plan with competitive pricing and self-administration
Included traditional, sustainable, and age-based investment options in the plan
Provide ongoing education sessions and monthly newsletters for the staff

Charlotte

Physician

About Charlotte

Physician researcher at academic medical center, aged 40
Recently inherited money, previously managed back East (where she grew up)
She and her husband want to transition their portfolio to sustainable and responsible investments (SRI)
Due to her job, has investment restrictions that rule out some industries

Our work with Charlotte

Assumed investment management of her funds
Met with her tax and estate advisors
Developed a plan to migrate the portfolio to sustainable investments while
Minimizing tax liability and investing with a goal of growth
Closely monitoring performance
Choosing active SRI managers who will screen out sectors that pose a conflict

Frank

Retired For
13 Years

About Frank

Has been retired for 13 years
Manages his retirement income carefully
His wife’s illness may soon require more extensive nursing care
Concerned about his grown children and their inheritance

Our work with Frank

Helped him through many of his pre- and post-retirement phases
Currently working on estate planning and options for alternative care facilities for his wife
Refocusing portfolio with goal of providing for his wife’s care, meet his current living needs and transfer some funds to his children

Kate

Supporting
Grown Children

About Kate

Kate, aged 65, divorced over twenty years ago. Her two children are both out of college, but her son still needs financial support
Kate is preparing to retire but worries about outliving her assets
She has social security and substantial savings through work, but isn’t sure how to manage it herself
Would like to continue to help her children, but not sure how much she can afford to give

Our work with Kate

Developed retirement income planning model as basis for discussion for Kate’s post-retirement budget
Consolidated her 401k assets into a rollover IRA; managed investments to complement her pension
Prepared a phased plan for drawing on Social Security, pension, annuity and retirement assets

Kevin & Ruth

Recently Widowed

About Kevin & Ruth

Kevin is in his thirties. His mother, Ruth, is recently widowed and would like to move to be near to Kevin and his family
Ruth is not used to managing money and is worried about living within her means
Kevin is not sure how much his mother has, and wants to help out without being intrusive

Our work with Kevin & Ruth

Worked with Kevin and Ruth together to inventory her assets and discuss Ruth’s wishes
With the help of an estate attorney, set up trust and legal documents for Kevin to help Ruth as needed
Handled title transfers, consolidated Ruth’s assets, with investments focused on income
Helped Ruth to develop a budget and target an amount for housing
Provide ongoing coaching for Ruth (and updates for her son) as she sold her home, moved, and settles into her new apartment

Susan

Family Breadwinner

About Susan

Successful consultant and primary breadwinner for her family (two teenagers and husband Bob)
Worried about college and saving for retirement
House has appreciated in value but needs an expensive remodel

Our work with Susan

Created a savings plan and aggressive investment strategy with the goal of catching up for retirement
Helped her decide to sell home and downsize to protect savings
Set up dedicated college savings plans for kids; segregated college money from retirement money

Do these questions sound like yours?

How We Help Our Clients*

Robin

Robin

About Robin

Our work with Robin

Lily & Jim

Lily & Jim

About Lily & Jim

Our work with Lily & Jim

John

John

Our work with John

Jean

Jean

Our work with Jean

Tim

Tim

About Tim

Our work with Tim

Charlotte

Charlotte

About Charlotte

Our work with Charlotte

Frank

Frank

About Frank

Our work with Frank

Kate

Kate

About Kate

Our work with Kate

Kevin & Ruth

Kevin & Ruth

About Kevin & Ruth

Our work with Kevin & Ruth

Susan

Susan

About Susan

Our work with Susan

How We Help Our Clients^*