Wealth Management

Having a clear picture of your current financial situation is one of the first steps in creating your plan. As Certified Financial Planners™, we can help you take a snapshot of your current financial situation, and make a solid plan for the future.

Cash flow is the cornerstone of your wealth management plan. Without a clear picture of what money is flowing in and out each month, it is impossible for you to make informed decisions with respect to the other financial issues that affect you. In addition to cash flow, your debt level and credit history are also important barometers of financial health. Good debt management ensures you have credit when you need it, make wise borrowing decisions, and avoid disaster if you become overextended. We can go through both your cash flow and debt levels, and assist you in better understanding your current financial status as part of the overall planning process.

Are you prepared for the unexpected? Even the best investment and financial plans can falter if you have not properly prepared for the risks that exist for your family. Should something happen to you or a family member such as disability, death, or a long-term-care need, the careful planning and investing you have so diligently developed can become unraveled. As part of the planning process, we review your current situation, and make recommendations to assist you in being better prepared should the unexpected happen.

We take the time to get to know you, your family, and your business, to understand what you need in order to protect your assets. As your life changes, so do your income protection and insurance planning needs. Whether you’re celebrating a marriage or a birth, we work with you to make sure your income protection strategies are up to date.

Risk management is a key part of the 8-Point Tax-Smart Framework that goes hand-in-hand with investment planning. We incorporate risk planning into your larger financial plan, so you can prepare for life’s curveballs while you build your wealth.

At Couto DeFranco Wealth Management, we believe in being proactive. When you work with us to plan for the worst-case scenario, we’ll help you minimize the negative effects and get you back on track.

Income Protection & Asset Preservation services offered include but are not limited to:

• Income Replacement
• Disability Protection
• Long-Term Care
• Liability and Umbrella Policies
• Creditor Protection
• Trust Management

How do you visualize your retirement? Chances are your expectations are very different from those of past generations – as should be your approach to planning a comfortable, fulfilling retirement.
What’s the best way to keep your retirement on track? We are a firm believer in asset management as part of the retirement planning process.
That includes:

• Establishing objectives
  
• Developing wealth building strategies
  
• Reviewing progress regularly
  

As part of the retirement process, we will sit down and determine your retirement goals based on your input, and advise you on how to get there.

It may seem like you have all the time in the world to plan for retirement, but it can sneak up on you faster than you think. Whether you own your own business or have been employed for years, it can take a lot of careful planning to achieve the retirement you want for yourself.

Whatever your goals, good retirement planning can help you have the life you want to live when you are ready to stop working. You need to understand the options available to you and the decisions you need to make in order to ensure that you get the retirement you want.

When it comes to planning for your retirement, you’re in charge. At Couto DeFranco, we use your goals for retirement to help you understand how to manage your savings so that you’re getting the most value out of your money while minimizing tax liability.

Retirement planning is a key part of the 8 Point Tax -Smart Framework. Saving for retirement is many people’s first priority when they are looking to begin investing, and we are committed to helping our clients find options to fund the retirement they want.

• When we talk to clients about money and retirement, we ask these questions:
• How much do you want to spend?
• What are the different tax rates presented to you?
• What accounts do you plan to take money from so that you won’t be pushed into a higher tax bracket?
• How do you have your money invested?
• Where is your income coming from?
• Do you have a safe place to pull money from in case of an emergency
  

Working together with the tax professionals at Couto DeFranco, P.A., we stay up-to-date on the latest tax laws so that we can offer our clients tax optimized solutions for their retirement plans. Our goal is to make sure that your income is sustained during the years of your retirement, regardless of changes to tax laws. As an independent firm, we give unbiased advice that will help you find the right retirement plan for you and your employees, so you can look forward to realizing your retirement dreams.

Some options we consider when building your retirement plan:

• Employer-sponsored plans, including 401(k), Roth 401(k), 403(b), 457 and pensions
• Social Security or other government programs
• Individually-owned retirement plans (IRAs, Roth IRAs, rollover IRAs)
• Individually-owned investments

For those self-employed, or for small business owners, some options we may recommend:

• SEP IRAs
• Simple IRAs
• Defined contribution retirement plans
• Defined benefit retirement plans 

College tuition is often a family’s greatest financial hurdle, second only to buying a home. That means it’s never too early to map out a plan – and to get the best possible guidance along the way:

• Up-to-date guidelines on contribution limits and restrictions
• The benefits of education planning

Together, we’ll explore the alternatives and create a plan to make you feel comfortable about meeting your children’s educational needs.

Whether you are planning for college or looking to enroll your child in a private school, it matters how you plan. You want to make sure you are saving the right way, and that you’re avoiding making mistakes that can have far-reaching consequences. In fact, mistakes you make in planning for college now can affect your child’s (or grandchild’s) ability to get financial aid.

College may seem a lifetime away for your newborn or young child, but the best time to start planning is now. At Couto DeFranco Wealth Management, we work with you to ensure that you are prepared to pay for your child’s education. We begin the process of investing for your child’s future with the help of tax-advantaged investment vehicles like 529 plans, with the help of the Avantax 8 Point Tax-Smart Framework. We create tax-smart, flexible plans so that you can start investing and saving for your child or grandchild’s future as soon as possible.

Education Planning services offered include but are not limited to:

• 529 College Savings Plans
• Trust Services (UTMA/UGMA)
• Various others including family gifting

Designing your estate plan and defining your legacy is one of the most difficult and emotional components of your wealth management plan. Successfully planning the transfer of your wealth is critical to fulfilling the promises you’ve made in your life.

Tax-efficient estate planning starts with an understanding of your overall financial picture. At Couto DeFranco Wealth Management, we’re Certified Public Accountants as well as Certified Financial Planners™ – drawing on multi-tiered expertise to offer the guidance you need to make timely, informed planning decisions.

We offer a variety of individualized estate planning services, including:

• Wealth transfer strategies
• Business succession planning
• Charitable gift giving
• Planning for retirement distributions*

Having a will is only the first step of comprehensive estate planning. You also need to understand Federal inheritance laws so that your wishes are carried out properly. We make sure that the transfer of your wealth will not be derailed by legal loopholes.

Estate planning doesn’t stop at your initial plan. Things can change in your life that will impact what you leave to your heirs. We work with you to regularly evaluate your situation to make sure your estate plan is up to date.

Income and estate taxes can have a significant impact on what you leave behind. Couto DeFranco uses our tax-smart approach, powered by the Avantax 8-Point Tax-Smart Framework, to minimize these taxes so you can provide your heirs and chosen beneficiaries with the best possible financial opportunities.

Estate Planning services offered include but are not limited to:

• Wealth Transfer and Tax Reduction
• Multigenerational Wealth Transfer
• Charitable Gifting
• Trust Services