The second part of summer always feels bittersweet. As the long days of summer sun begin to shorten, we’re greeted with the warm glow of sunset at a much faster pace. And with it, we’re reminded of just how fleeting each season is.
“The older I get, the faster each year seems to pass,” notes Jed Levene, Certified Financial Planner and the Managing Director of Rockwater Wealth Management.
While we should embrace every moment, from the first signs of spring to the late August bonfires and autumn walks in the crisp leaves, Jed says these moments also serve as a reminder to plan for the seasons to come.
Whether planning for retirement, mapping out your travels, or preparing to fund your children’s or grandchildren’s education, working with a financial planner can help you make every moment count.
Jed and his team of certified financial planners help their clients calculate exactly how much they’ll need to accomplish all their goals and help them set up a solid, actionable and accomplishable plan to meet them.
“We’re here to estimate how much you’ll need to retire, and help you determine where to invest those funds now to reap the best return,” says Jed.
Plan-centric partnerships
While everyone’s goals are unique, Jed’s team uses the same steadfast principles when crafting their clients’ investment plans.
The most critical part of crafting a financial strategy is articulating what you’re planning for and why you’re doing it in the first place. To begin without a goal, says Jed, is a lot like climbing into the driver’s seat of your car, putting the car in drive and taking off without considering the destination. Eventually, you’ll become confused, or worse, lost.
“To be successful, we must first define what success means for you —that is the identification of your life’s purpose and the goals associated with that purpose,” he says. “And the only way that we can deliver what you need is to understand what those needs are.”
Jed’s team does this through Rockwater’s No Stress Prospect Process of getting to know you and helping you understand what they can do. Once their professionals have a better sense of who you are and what you wish your financial future to look like, they can work together to create a financial strategy to help you fulfil those financial objectives.
While many firms focus primarily on financial products – whether insurance or investments – Rockwater Wealth Management takes a planning-first approach.
“We know that decisions made in one area of our lives will impact many others,” says Jed.
As a husband and father, he always considers his clients’ needs beyond the 9-to-5. “We all have families ourselves. I’m not just a financial advisor: I’m a husband and father with my own goals and aspirations. I know that my clients have their aspirations and obligations to consider, as well.”
Through a systematic strategy-building process, Rockwater can create personalized, holistic plans for the short, intermediate and long-term, that will help you fulfill your overall financial strategy.
“Our planning process is intensive, and we do it using a consultative and iterative approach. Each session brings us closer to helping you achieve the financial objectives that we set out together.”
Adaptive investing
The world’s markets and economy are ever-changing, as are our personal lives. Our incomes can change, as can our health and our family dynamics. So your financial plan should be flexible as well.
“A plan that sits on a shelf and collects dust couldn’t possibly account for all that life will throw at you,” says Jed. “It has to be reviewed regularly to make sure it’s meeting your needs.”
Jed meets regularly with his clients to review their plans, adjusting them as needed to reflect the
current reality.
While each plan is adaptable, Jed says you won’t catch them flipping an investment strategy with the dawn of a new investment fad. “For your financial success, your investment decisions must hold up to current empirical data, research, studies, and common sense.”
The best investment portfolio accounts for life’s ‘what-ifs’: What if there is an unexpected death, health issues, accidents, lawsuits, or disability? By planning for these possibilities and insuring against the risks, you give your finances a solid defensive and offensive strategy.
“We cannot control what happens to us, but we can be prepared,” says Jed.
Long term vision
The team at Rockwater Wealth Management views every client relationship as a lifelong partnership.
“We’re here for the long haul,” says Jed. In every season, their single objective is to help you look to the sunset and smile, knowing you’re achieving your multi-decade goals with confidence every step of the way.
TEXT SHELANNE AUGUSTINE
PHOTOS ANDREW FEARMAN
INFOGRAPHICS CARL RICHARDS, BEHAVIOUR GAP
