Who is your typical client?
My typical client is a couple in their 20s or 30s, a business woman, or an entrepreneur. They do not have any credit card debt and they are consistently saving each month. My clients are motivated to make changes in their financial situation to build their net worth faster and expect me to hold them accountable.
What if I’m not part of Gen Y? Can I still be a client?
I work with a few GenXers but I refer all my prospects that are Baby Boomers and beyond to other financial planners. There are so many fabulous financial planners that cater to this demographic. If you’re nearing retirement and want a detailed analysis of retirement scenarios and withdrawal strategies, then I’m not the best fit for you since I don’t have advance financial planning software to run that detailed retirement analysis.
Who is NOT a good fit for Gen Y Planning?
If you are interested in debating Modern Portfolio Theory or the Efficient Frontier and insist on seeing 100 pages of fancy-schmancy analysis and graphs, then I’m not the woman for the job. But I’m sure you can find that person by going on FPA Planner Search or www.letsmakeaplan.org. Hint: look for a CFP®/CFA wearing a bow-tie!
Also, if you have credit card debt and or are not consistently saving each month, then what you really need is a spending plan that works for you, before you invest in a financial planner.
I have a ton of credit card debt and am having difficulty keeping up my monthly payments, can you help?
If you are struggling to keep up on your monthly payments, then you do not need a financial planner, but you might need credit counseling. Start by contacting the National Foundation of Credit Counseling, and see if a Debt Management Program might be a good fit for you. They have trained counselors in your area who can help assess your situation and help guide you through credit counseling, foreclosure, and bankruptcy.
What is your investment approach?
Passive. We use index funds in our 401(k) recommendations whenever possible, which is included as part of our ongoing financial planning services. As an add-on to our financial planning services, we can also manage client investments outside of their 401(k). We use Betterment for Advisors to outsource our investment management. We charge 0.86% (86 basis points) to manage assets and Betterment charges 0.14% (16 basis points) to use their platform for an all in charge of 1% (100 basis points). We reduce this fee once assets cross over $1M to 0.61% (61 points) and again at $2M to 0.51% (51 basis points). You can add this service at any time as it is separate from the financial planning fees.
How many clients do you serve?
About 80 – 100 ongoing clients at the moment. Gen Y Planning is currently on a waitlist. We’ll be accepting new clients in the second half of 2025. Our goal is to always have a personal relationship with all of our clients.