A local physician and his wife in their mid-50s were looking for someone to assist them developing a financial plan and helping to save for their children's college education and their ultimate retirement. Having a number of friends who were 'financial advisors,' they interviewed a couple of advisors at the Wall Street brokerage firms, as well as at their local bank.

Introduced to Woodmont through the attorney who assisted them in developing their estate plan, they were attracted by our client-first, fiduciary model and boutique client service feel. We worked with the couple to assess their current financial status, articulate their financial goals and risk tolerance, and implement an investment program. Through our regular conversations and on-going meetings, the couple is on track to reaching their retirement goals.

A widow in her 70’s contacted Woodmont and asked for an evaluation of her investment accounts after reviewing her estate plan with her attorney. We discovered her investments were not consistent with her conservative risk profile and her desire to provide tuition for her three grandchildren who would be attending college in the next few years. Specifically, she had an aggressive asset allocation that included a large weighting in emerging market mutual funds and risky small-capitalization stocks. Both of these positions generated large amounts of income for the brokerage firm managing her money because of the funds’ high sales charges and ongoing 12b-1 expenses.

After a portfolio review and understanding that Woodmont never receives income from sales charges or 12b-1 expenses, we were retained and implemented a rebalancing effort and income-focused investment strategy. We purchased high-quality individual bonds, low-cost and broadly diversified exchange traded funds (ETFs) and blue chip equities with attractive dividends, pursuant to our client’s plans. She was able to increase the performance of her portfolio, increase the income received from her investment assets, and greatly reduce the expenses that were diminishing her investable wealth.

A recently divorced woman, “Allison,” in her 50’s, with two college-aged children, contacted Woodmont after a referral from her attorney. Following a meeting to understand her plans for the future and reviewing details of the settlement with her attorney, it was clear that the assets included in the settlement would need to be reinvested to both increase liquidity and reduce risk.