What SFS Provides For You

Once you come on board at SFS, we work together to develop a plan based on your current financial assets, current allocations, short- and long-term goals, and risk tolerance. We then develop a strategy for you to pursue and we carefully construct an action plan. We periodically review this plan with you, and we examine the success of its execution to determine whether you are staying on course or if sail trimming is necessary. Our goal is to chart a course to make sure that you arrive safely at your destination.

A key to maintaining a tight financial ship is to keep exposure to stormy seas to a minimum. By working closely with a small firm, such as SFS, you become familiar and comfortable with the crew--the CPA staff and the financial advisors. SFS employs sophisticated tools and analysis reports that aid in the development of your investment model.

How SFS Provides Superior Service

By building strong associations with experts in all fields of financial services, SFS is able to offer expert advice in:

Stock Option Planning
Business Tax and Financial Planning
Succession Planning
Business Benchmarking
Small Business Accounting Systems Implementation and Staffing
Corporate and Individual Tax Return Preparation
Estate Planning
Retirement Planning
Analysis for Financial Decisions (e.g. Lease/Buy, Pricing of Products and Services, Expansion Investment Analysis)
Education Planning
Employee Benefits
Elder Care/Medicaid planning
Insurance Planning
    Life
    Long-Term Care
    Property and Casualty
    Disability

For many clients, SFS provides asset management services for investments in mutual funds, bonds, REITs, and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). When appropriate, you are referred to a securities investment manager that has specific expertise for more specialized investments, and we monitor their performance on a regular basis. We work together in achieving and maintaining the goals set forth in your action plan.

Fee-only vs. Commission-based

More and more investors are opting for a fee-only arrangement and for a very good reason. Commission-based financial advising lends itself to conflicts of interests and hidden charges. As a fee-only advisor, we do not rely on products to earn a commission; we earn our fee by the amount of time and effort devoted to developing, implementing and monitoring a specific investment model for you. We have an established fee structure, and we both sign a formal contract or agreement to ensure both parties have a complete understanding of the services to be provided.

As a caution, some unqualified people advertise themselves as "financial planners" and prey upon the uninformed consumer. The State Securities Division and/or the Securities and Exchange Commission regulate all investment advisors. When selecting an advisor, consider only those who are legitimately licensed.

Our Investment Philosophy

The investment environment is a challenging one. Competent financial management capitalizes on the opportunities presented by new challenges.

You face a daunting array of decisions as we develop your action plan. High-risk? Low-risk? Small-cap stocks? Mid-cap stocks? Bonds? Real Estate? Cash? Other? We present and explain all of the available options to you. We'll explore the benefits and drawbacks of each option. What works for one investor may not work for you, so we never force-fit you into a generic plan.

SFS often selects mutual fund companies and Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs). We search for specific funds exhibiting a proven track record that meets the criteria we established as part of your client profile. As a rule, we do not believe in "Buy and Hold" (which becomes "Buy and Forget"). We believe in "Buy and Review" to ensure that our mutual expectations are being met. It is imperative that we review the selected funds periodically so that we maintain the asset allocation that best fits your needs.

SFS provides advice on:

Alternate investment categories (gold, real estate, collectibles, etc.)
Saving for college/school loan consolidation
Mortgages and refinancing
Car loans and leases (many hidden costs and charges)
Time-shares
Stockbrokers (full service vs. discount)
Annuities and other specialized investment products
And many others

SFS's mission is to help our clients become savvy and confident investors--in both calm and turbulent sea states.

How is SFS Different?

Combined Investment and Tax Planning
By combining the strength and expertise of Sechrest & Associates, CPAs with Sechrest Financial Services, LLC, we offer comprehensive and all-encompassing life planning for individuals and businesses. Our integrated approach gives you the benefit of financial advisory services that consider the tax and accounting implications of all decisions. By using this synergistic approach, you are able to meet your specific goals in a cost-saving and tax-beneficial manner.

Personalization
Being a small company, SFS advisors do not have the operating expenses or pressures of a large firm and thus, more time is devoted to working directly with you one-on-one. Most of our clients are neighbors, local residents, and small business owners--we share common concerns regarding regional taxes, laws, school systems, municipalities, etc. It is a collective goal to improve the quality of life in our surrounding towns.

SFS provides navigational guidance in establishing a disciplined long-term commitment to wealth accumulation and security. In the action plan we develop for you, we establish milestones and track vital issues that may affect your plan's success.