[AFA] Knowledge...Understanding

 Ancona Financial Advisors

Preparing for Initial Meeting

We do not expect fees for initial meetings. Their purpose is not to provide services, although we frequently resolve issues for people during these meetings. If we can help someone determine that they do not need a financial planner, we are glad to provide such assistance without charge. We venture our time, to determine whether our visitors can be clients who will benefit from our services for many years. It is a time for you to explore whether our services will improve your lifestyle and for us to explore whether we believe a good long-term relationship is likely to evolve.

Come prepared to talk about your financial situation, the reasons you think you may need a financial planner, the issues that are difficult for you to manage, and your expectations for your future. When spouses are involved, we are very interested in hearing both viewpoints, so we like for both to visit together.

We want this meeting to be tailored to your issues. Please complete your one-page Financial Satisfaction Survey and return it (mail, fax or Email) prior to our meeting. This will help us focus on some of the topics for us to discuss.

Also, please complete and either send in advance or bring with you to the meeting:

  • Your Personal Financial Planning Confidential Questionaire.

There are several other documents that can facilitate effective use of our time together. The broad request is for anything that helps us understand your current financial situation. Suggested documents, and their uses, are listed below. These may remind you of other useful items. You can copy them before the meeting, or we can copy the ones we believe we need after discussing them

  • Recent brokerage statements (mutual funds, brokerage houses, College 529 Plans, UGMA ).
  • Company benefits and retirement plans statements (401k, 403b, 457, pensions plans) and prospectus for each
  • Life and disability insurance policies (through employer or privately purchased)
  • Home value and mortgage information (rate, balance)
  • Consumer debt - (amount and rates on credit cards, car loans, home equity loans)
  • Estate plan documents – Will, Power of Attorney, Health Care Directives , Trusts
  • Deferred compensation statements (including vesting schedules)
  • Federal Tax Return for the most recent year - Unless there are significant extraordinary items in previous years, we are not likely to need previous returns.

We will use the information you bring as a guide in our discussion. If our relationship continues after the meeting, we can study the documents more carefully later.

"Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication"
Leonardo Da Vinci