IFC Advisory Services
Individuals who are retired, about to retire, and women who are divorced or widowed all require careful financial planning. Individual investors have historically underperformed the markets, and emotional factors and natural biases often lead them to poor market timing decisions. IFC Advisory offers a comprehensive suite of solutions to address the complexities of financial planning. We devise tax reduction strategies and help you plan for a comfortable retirement that provides for your retirement income needs. We also provide investment management advice and services to help you meet your objectives and reach your financial goals. Finally, we help you create an estate plan to ensure your affairs are in order and your desires are met in the event of your passing.
Investment Management
Understand and Design
IFC Advisory’s approach to investment management begins with a private discussion to determine the appropriate investment approach given your financial goals, needs, objectives, and risk tolerance. We then prepare a mutually acceptable Investment Policy Statement to describe the investment strategy and asset allocation to be followed.
Implement and Manage
Quality investment management requires a thorough, research-based, fundamental approach. As an independent firm, we work with an open architecture, incorporating whatever products and managers we believe are best in class. We manage the personal assets of our principals, employees, and their families so that our interests are aligned with yours. We never recommend an asset that we wouldn’t own ourselves. We are compensated only by fees and receive no commissions. This removes any incentive to select investments based on higher commissions or trade too actively in an account. We never take custody of your assets. They are kept with a custodian of your choosing, registered in your name, and remain your sole property.
We meet with you on a regular basis to review portfolio performance, discuss investment strategies, advise you on your financial situation, and answer all your questions. We send you quarterly reports and year-end tax reports while the custodian sends trade confirmations and monthly statements of activity. You also have online access to view your accounts. As needed, we coordinate activities with your accountant, attorney, or banker.
Retirement Planning
Whether you are about to retire or are already retired, IFC Advisory can help plan for your retirement years. We develop a customized strategy to meet your financial goals and objectives. We help you decide whether to stay employed or sell a business, and evaluate pension distribution alternatives to try to get the most out of your retirement. We help you plan for budgeted expenses and projected income in order to decide when would be the best time to retire.
Once your plan is ready and you understand all of our recommendations, we assist you in implementing our suggestions. We are also available on a continuing basis to serve your needs going forward.
Tax Planning
IFC Advisory can help you identify tax-saving opportunities and work with your tax specialist or accountant to find ways to reduce your tax burden as much as possible. We help you prepare for the tax-related consequences of selling assets and position you to make such transactions as tax-efficient as possible. We also develop Roth IRA conversion strategies to determine if, how, and when you should make a conversion. Finally, we provide year-end tax reports to assist you with tax preparation and will work with your tax preparer to make the process as easy as possible.
Estate Planning
IFC Advisory can help you create an estate plan to ensure your affairs are in order so you and your loved ones are protected in the event of death or incapacity. We work with you and your attorney to develop an estate plan that meets your wishes. We review the beneficiary designations of retirement plans to provide the best transfer of assets, examine documents for adequate incapacity planning, develop strategies for transferring wealth to your heirs, and evaluate charitable gifting arrangements.
Transition Planning For Women
Whether you are recently divorced, widowed, or retired living life as a single woman, you need someone to help you with the challenge of managing your own finances. Facing this kind of change can be a challenging experience, and without the assistance of a husband or significant other, you need a professional who will look out for your best interests and ease your financial planning worries.
As a member of your team of trusted advisors, we can help you move forward with a sense of self-reliance and assurance that comes with having a plan to meet your savings and retirement needs.