Our Process

Our first meeting is simply an opportunity for us to get to know each other. This is a time for you to ask questions about us and to share your thoughts on what you’d like to achieve.

In turn, we’ll share our financial planning philosophy with you and introduce you to the next phases of our process.

We want to take the worry out of financial planning. This is why we ask that you share information about yourself. To help you provide this information in the most efficient manner, we’ve developed our Plan Preparation Databook. Through a series of worksheets and questionnaires, this time-saving booklet helps you provide the detailed information we need to begin your customized plan.

The members of our team will use the data you provide to create easy-to-understand financial statements that will offer insights into your current situation. During this process, we may contact you to clarify and/or expand upon the information in the Databook. Of course, as with all communications with The Starner Group, your input in the Databook and during follow-up sessions will be kept completely confidential.

In our next meeting, we’ll be ready to discuss your needs in greater detail and we’ll present you with your Engagement Meeting binder. The most important part of this binder is a series of working documents we’ll use to confirm your goals and concerns, adjust our assessment of the information you have provided as necessary, and form the framework for your financial plan. The binder also includes a general outline of our philosophies, legal and regulatory information, the fees involved with moving forward with your financial plan, and an overview of our recommendations.

If we decide to proceed, we’ll formalize our relationship with a contract. Half of the agreed-to fee will be required with the balance due upon presentation of your plan.

We will work together to build out your financial plan. This likely takes several meetings as we will make adjustments based on your feedback. The custom plan will be specific to you and it will guide our decisions from this point forward. Your input and overall comfort with the plan are of utmost importance.

After we’ve fully presented your financial plan, we’ll put it into action. Working as necessary with your other professional advisors, such as your accountant and attorney, we will implement the various aspects of your plan.

Financial planning is not a one-time event. Rather, it is an ongoing process, reflecting the evolution of your goals, family, financial affairs ... and your life. We’ll not only follow your investments, but monitor all aspects of your plan to ensure that it grows with you over the years.

What we don’t do is react to short-term market or economic shifts. We adhere to a long-range approach to financial planning and design your plan to weather shifting external factors. If we feel a change is justified based on your risk tolerance or future goals – or where life in general seems to be taking you – we’ll discuss potential strategies with you and make specific moves to adjust your plan.