Our Philosophy
Sugar Land Financial Advisors have made a commitment to providing excellence in everything we do.
Our goal is to exceed our clients expectations at all times by honoring you with a paramount degree of customer service.
The Client-Advisor Relationship
The client-advisor relationship is a partnership requiring a high level of trust and candor that lasts many years. Therefore, a primary issue when considering a new client relationship is whether the prospective client and Sugar Land Financial Advisors are a good “match”. Significant questions include: “Do we agree philosophically?” and “Are our expectations similar?”
Client-Centered
Sugar Land Financial Advisors is a client-centered firm; the client’s interest is primary and the emphasis is on the client’s goals and objectives. We serve as an advisor/counselor to help families find solutions to their financial needs. When a strategy or investment is recommended, the question is always, “Is this the best course of action for the client?”
Communication with Clients
At Sugar Land Financial Advisors, clear communication starts at the beginning of the relationship when strategies and recommendations of the Financial Plan are explained. Monitoring a Financial Plan is a critical step in the financial planning process and no financial strategies or investments should be left on auto-pilot.
Managing Risk
In investing, managing risk is as important as achieving acceptable returns. In fact, recent years have taught us that to a large degree, if the downside is protected, the upside will take care of itself. This is accomplished by careful and appropriate allocation and by the use of sophisticated proprietary programs to monitor each client’s portfolio.
Meet The Team
We believe our teamwork approach adds a broader perspective to all we do and provides increased benefits to our clients. Our experienced professionals have helped many people just like you with similar issues and concerns. Sugar Land Financial Advisors can help you create an approach that is designed to address your individual situation.
Jeremiah Patterson
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER
Louis Perkins
MANAGING PARTNER
Cristine A. Boecker
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT
Our Process
Financial Planning is the integrated, coordinated, and ongoing management of an individual’s financial concerns. It’s a process, not an event, and the Financial Plan document is not a static, set-in-stone, instrument because people’s lives aren’t static. The physical Plan is a roadmap designed to direct the client from point A to point B and it requires periodic revision and adjustment.
Gathering and Analyzing Financial Data
The process starts with a prospective client coming in for an initial conference. The client is asked to provide certain financial information for this appointment including investment statements, retirement and pension plan statements, wills, insurance policies, and tax returns. SLFA provides a Confidential Data Form in which questions about family, risk tolerance, goals, and monthly cash flow are asked. During the meeting, these financial materials are discussed and clarified.
Defining Goals and Objectives
At the initial conference, goals and objectives are discussed; as financial data explains Point A, where the client is at this time, goals and objectives define Point B, where the client wants to be at a future time. Also, at this meeting mutual expectations are discussed and both parties seek to determine if there is a good “match” and basic agreement regarding fundamental financial issues.
Designing the Financial Plan
At or after the initial conference, the decision whether to proceed to the next step, the design of an individualized, Financial Plan, is made. The Plan is a hard copy document in booklet form and it addresses goals and objectives that have been discussed. It becomes the roadmap to move the client from Point A, where he is now, to Point B, where he wants to be in the future. The Plan provides the strategy to reach Point B or it indicates that Point B can’t be reached unless it is modified. Fifteen to twenty hours are spent developing a Plan; all current investments, insurance policies, and estate documents are analyzed and numerous models and projections are constructed before the final product is produced.
Implementing the Plan
After the Financial Plan is designed and produced, a meeting is scheduled for its presentation and implementation. At this meeting the Plan and its recommendations and strategies are explained, questions are answered, and action is taken. Some recommendations are acted upon at this meeting and sometimes actions are delayed for a period of time for specific reasons, such as tax implications. Usually four to six weeks are required to complete the implementation of a Financial Plan, depending on its complexity. When implementation is complete a brief meeting is scheduled to review and update the client, to answer questions, and to insure the client understands every action that has been taken.
Monitoring the Plan
One of the expectations SLFA carries into a client-advisor relationship is that the client will be available for periodic review meetings. These conferences are scheduled annually, or more frequently, depending on the complexity of the Financial Plan. If a situation develops that requires attention before the next scheduled review, SLFA clients call and an appointment is scheduled as soon as possible. In fact, because of the convenience of SLFA’s location, clients sometimes call to say they’re on the way to the office and to ask if someone is available.
Common Questions
Some persons have the temperament and training necessary to do their own financial work, especially those who work in finance-related fields. A person who has time to stay abreast of financial issues, strategies, and changing laws may effectively be his own financial planner.
Many believe that they already don’t have enough time to take care of the needs money can’t buy, such as physical fitness, spousal relationships, demands of parenting and spiritual needs, so it would be unwise to give that precious time to the tasks money can buy. Characteristically, Baby Boomers consider time to be their most valuable asset and they outsource as many tasks as possible. They find it efficient to involve a financial professional in their lives, not because they lack financial acumen, but because they prefer to commit their time to other areas.
Others rely on a financial advisor because they find it difficult to understand the complexities of modern financial markets and laws. Some are unable to be objective because they find it difficult to remove emotion from financial decisions. With several thousand finance sites on the internet, many people feel overwhelmed trying to sift through so much information.
An individual’s financial picture influences whether a financial advisor is needed. As income and net worth increase, financial issues that were once simple become complicated; tax considerations begin playing an increasingly significant role in financial decisions, protecting assets becomes an issue, and guarding the estate from erosion at death becomes a concern.
We have both single and married clients, many of whom hold jobs in professional fields in management. Most clients invest before coming to SLFA but they often feel investments are disjointed.
There is no charge for the initial appointment; if the decision is made to proceed, a fee is charged for designing and producing a Financial Plan. Most investments used pay an annual fee to SLFA, usually a percentage of the amount invested. Some financial instruments pay a one-time commission to SLFA and in that case no additional fee is accessed to the client. In the monitoring process, the employer-sponsored retirement plan is included in order for the investments to demonstrate a common agenda; for that service and for periodic review conferences there are no additional fees. Client’s generally prefer an annual fee, accessed from the investment account, because fees are tax deductible (commissions are not) and because they believe advice is more objective.