Estate planning is a broad term with many different interpretations and definitions. At Koss Olinger estate planning means starting with what is most important to you and what you want to see happen when you are gone. We begin by clearly defining your goals and objectives using a series of questions designed to clarify how you feel. Then we develop a game plan to help achieve those desired goals using the strategies and tools that fit your plan the best.

We map out a flow chart of how your assets would flow upon death to enhance your understanding of where the assets flow and to whom they will go. Next, we map out a second flow chart showing our recommendations based on your answers to our planning questions. We discuss all of the issues that must be considered when moving from your current plan to this new plan, which is more in alignment with your current objectives. Finally, we tweak the plan until it reaches a point where you feel comfortable.

At Koss Olinger we use a fee-based planning process, The Wealth Navigator System™. The reason we have structured our business this way is so that we can provide you with a custom financial plan that you can the choose to implement yourself, have someone else implement, or you can make a decision to continue working with Koss Olinger to put the plan in place. By having a fee-based planning process there is full transparency from the very first day of our working together, and if you need a plan but do not need help putting it into action, you are positioned to walk away with the confidence of a custom financial roadmap without any pressure to continue working with us if it does not make sense for your situation.

This is defined as, “Involving trust, especially with regard to the relationship between a trustee and a beneficiary.” In layman’s terms it means someone working on behalf of you and making decisions with only your best interests at heart--regardless of what the benefits would be for them. Rules and regulations surrounding the enforcement of a fiduciary relationship ebbs and flows, with some years bringing more stringency in regulatory bodies requiring financial advisors to make recommendations to clients with only their best interest in mind, while other years you may see a more laid back approach where advisors can make decisions that might be acceptable (rather than the best) for a client but these decisions are truly being made because they are most beneficial to the advisor. At Koss Olinger we have always been and will always be a fiduciary for our clients, regardless of what the latest regulatory ruling is. Your best interest has always been and will always be our only guiding principle.

This simply means planning with a full understanding of your situation. In the same way that a skilled craftsman would live by the philosophy, “Measure twice, cut once,” we take the time to understand your full situation before we ever talk about investment strategy or recommendations. This is not always the case with wealth advisors.

What we mean when we talk about independence is that we are not beholden to any one product or company. We work with many different companies and leverage many different products to create the best possible situation for you. Other advisors may work for one single company with one set of products and that limits their ability to position you and your money in the best possible way given your situation and goals. Another way to think of it is that independence allows us to work for our clients first then consider the products and companies whereas non-independent advisors work for the company first then the client.

A Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) is an advisor or firm engaged in the investment advisory business and registered either with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or state securities authorities. An independent RIA is a firm or individual that is also independent of large banks and brokerage firms. What this means for you is that as an independent RIA Koss Olinger is positioned to serve you with full transparency, fiduciary responsibility, and independence.

Imagine retiring, losing your spouse, or trying to sell your business on the same day that your financial advisor retires or changes firms. It happens every day. Our firm has been around for five decades and our advisory team is three generations strong. The reason for this is because we are committed to being there for you, your children, and your grandchildren. The team you work with today will still be there on the most important days of your life so there won’t be any unwanted surprises or new faces when you need us the most.

By using a team approach we provide our clients with the expertise of the many financial professionals on our team. Although you will primarily work with one or two of our advisors, rest assured that the entire team is well-versed on your situation, provides their individual expertise to help make your dreams a reality and, in the rare event your advisor wasn’t available and you needed something urgently, any one of our advisors would be able to step in and handle your issue.

Wealth management is a very commonly used term that can mean very different things dependent upon the situations and who is using it. It can feel ambiguous and confusing. At Koss Olinger when we speak about wealth management we are specifically referring to four categories:

1. Asset Management- Oversight and ongoing management of investment portfolios
2. Family Services- As a client, we are always here as a resource to your family and friends.
3. Wealth Management- Retirement and estate plan advising and management, life event strategy sessions, optimization of new and existing life insurance, college funding guidance, and simplification of all paperwork, transfers, beneficiary changes and monthly cash flow, etc.
4. Tax Planning- Tax analysis of each portfolio, tax loss harvesting, coordination with your CPA, philanthropic planning, RMD planning, and tax losses to carry forward for future property of business sales, etc.