FAQs

The adage goes “If you don’t know where you’re going, how will you know when you get there?” The planning process helps identify not only what is achievable given your resources, but sometimes what is being overlooked. Ideally, it solidifies that your goals are really your goals and helps balance the pull and push of today’s needs, wants, and wishes with those of the future.

The quantifiable items are what you own, what you owe, and what you earn. In conversations with our team, we will help you uncover the qualitative factors such as your history with money and your core values, as they help you set achievable goals.

A Retirement Income Plan should include a review of your goals and objectives, net worth, cash flow, investment portfolio, insurance, retirement budget, long-term medical expense needs, and taxes. These are the building blocks used to help create and tailor a plan for implementing strategies to help you achieve your goals. The plan should also reflect varying likelihoods of reaching your goals. We start with income planning to help provide clarity and a solid foundation for the future.

You need a team because you need someone to guide you toward financial flexibility. Even with a steady source of income and relatively little debt, a job loss, market crash, or other emergency could destroy your sense of a financial plan. You need access to experienced financial professionals who can guide you through each financial change as it occurs.

Find out what the qualifications, credentials, and life experiences of your “planner” or “advisor” are before you entrust them with your finances. We offer a complimentary get acquainted visit via phone, video, or in person.

Our team is qualified to help you with your financial advisory needs. This means that we adhere to a rigorous code of ethics, and are registered with many states, and for some of our team members, the Securities Exchange Commission. We adhere to the NEA Code of Ethics and Practice Standards for transparency and trustworthy business practices.

As an Investment Adviser Representative, I have a Fiduciary Responsibility to act in my clients’ best interest when offering or recommending investment advisory products and services. This means that within my capacity as an investment adviser representative, I am obligated to disclose any conflicts of interest when offering investment products.

Our firm is supported by the diverse experience of our financial professionals and Investment Advisor Representatives. With a multigenerational team that includes both male and female professionals, we bring a broad perspective to identifying and addressing potential financial risks. We work with you to develop strategies designed to support long-term financial stability and help you pursue reliable income throughout retirement.

With Smarter Retirement Solutions, you may receive advice from all members of our team from time to time– unlike other firms that only give you access to one financial advisor. Our team brings many years of experience regarding risk management, as well as a strong commitment to personalized service.

We work with clients all over the United States and meet with them using a variety of channels (i.e. in-person, email, phone and video conferencing). Our corporate office is located on South Harbour Island in Tampa, FL. We also have an office on Westshore Blvd and Kennedy Blvd, Tampa, FL. We have offices in Orlando, FL, Austin, TX, Denver, Loveland, Fort Collins and Colorado Springs, CO. We utilize office sharing outlets across the U.S. to visit anywhere closest to and most convenient for you.

Meetings can be held in person or by video. If your meeting is by video, we prefer that web cameras are turned on to improve the effectiveness of our meetings. We utilize Microsoft Teams, Zoom or Google Meet. The locations of our primary offices are below, although we have access to office sharing networks to facilitate a visit anywhere closest to and most convenient for you:
FLORIDA
Downtown Tampa – 600 S Harbour Island Blvd., Ste. 109, Tampa, FL 33602
Westshore – 5401 W Kennedy Blvd., Ste. 100, Tampa, FL 33609
Mall of Millenia – 5323 Millenia Lakes Blvd., Ste. 300, Orlando, FL 32839

TEXAS

Hill Country Galleria – 12600 Hill Country Blvd., R-275, Bee Cave, TX 78738

COLORADO SPRINGS

Academy – 1155 Kelly Johnson Blvd., Ste. 111, Colorado Springs, CO 80920

DENVER

Downtown – 1624 Market St., Ste. 202, Denver, CO 80202

Eldorado Ridge – 11001 W 120th Ave., Ste. 400, Broomfield, CO 80021

Loveland – 1635 Foxtrail Drive, Ste. 355, Loveland, CO 80538

Fort Collins – 155 E Boardwalk, Ste. 400, Fort Collins, CO 80525

At Smarter Retirement Solutions, our goal is to ease your financial stress, especially as you transition to our services from another provider. We will ensure a simple transfer to our services, regardless of how long you have been working with your present financial advisor. Our three-step process does the work for you and just requires your signature. Call 877-309-3364 to learn more.

Smarter Retirement Solutions helps individuals, families, and companies of all shapes and sizes plan for their retirement and future. We focus on income planning, financial risk management, and responsible portfolio strategies for individual workers, business owners, government contractors, 1099 contractors, federal employees, municipal and state employees, and more.

We believe that people choose to work with us for five primary reasons:

• What We Do (Our Mission)
• Our Process
• Our Team and Expertise
• Our Core Values
• Our Tools

The tools we provide are designed to save time and help uncover opportunities to get more out of your time and your money.

No. We have no income or investment account minimums.

Yes. People who need more sophisticated financial planning or advice will find our services appealing and beneficial. We can provide a professional review or second opinion.

A big part of an effective plan is becoming aware of and addressing the risks that may lie ahead. Insurance helps protect you and your loved ones against catastrophic events. Health insurance, life insurance, long-term care options, and disability insurance, can all be considered in a Retirement Income Plan. Our team of professionals will analyze existing policies for their cost effectiveness and potential benefits for you and your family.

Any individual or family seeking financial confidence could benefit from our services. We serve people from all walks of life. Clients have the flexibility to work with us on a one-time, as needed, or ongoing basis. We welcome clients who simply need a one-time financial consultation or second opinion, as well as those who need full financial planning or ongoing investment management services. In addition, any business or organization seeking quality unbiased financial education for their employees or members can benefit from our financial education seminars. Our seminars cover topics such as federal employee retirement benefits, women in retirement, life after divorce, social security optimization, long-term care risks and options, and income planning.

While we might make a different recommendation based on your unique circumstances, we typically schedule visits with you at least once a year. We conduct annual reviews to thoroughly review your progress and make any necessary adjustments. You should also consider making an appointment with us in anticipation of life-changing events such as marriage, the birth of a child, divorce, or in preparation for receiving an inheritance.

Education is the key to increasing employee participation. We can help your people understand the benefits of your programs. We are happy to customize a training program for your organization.

We provide advice for all types of securities, such as ETF’s, mutual funds, stocks (as they relate to your portfolio holdings), bonds, bank deposits, and annuities. We also provide advice on 401(k) and 403(b), Thrift Savings Plan and other retirement programs.

We believe in the following fundamental principles when it comes to designing an investment portfolio and making specific recommendations:

• Income is the outcome that matters most in retirement, as Karlan Tucker says.
• The purpose of money should dictate the placement of money.
• The design of your Retirement Income Plan must consider your financial objectives, tolerance for risk, needs for current income or liquidity, and special considerations such as income and estate taxes.

The important thing to remember is that no one can predict the future. Difference of opinion makes a market. Investment and economic “experts” provided with the same information often come to different conclusions. We do not suggest that we, or that any of the money or mutual fund managers that we may recommend, will make the correct decision every time. We do believe, however, that studying the historic trends and relationships of investment classes and the philosophies and approaches of other confident investment managers can provide valuable insight. If you have lifetime income, then your investment options with the rest of your assets are endless.

As our friend from Tom Hegna says, “I’m not trying to be the richest guy in the cemetery.” Our team believes that you should create lifetime income so that you can enjoy your go-go years to the fullest, while mitigating the risks of extended illness or a cognitive impairment so you can live out your slow-go years and no-go years with dignity and confidence.

We do not guarantee investment performance in any way. Past performance is certainly no guarantee of future results. In fact, we believe that there are several factors more important to your financial future than rate of return, such as how much you pay in taxes, how much you save, how much consumer debt you carry, and so on. However, we assist our clients

What you can expect to get is returns which are appropriate for the level of risk you take and consistent with your financial needs. With that in mind, our philosophy that “Income is the outcome that matters most in retirement” helps ensure that our Retirement Income Planning Process designs future income instead of chasing after returns or market upside. We explore financial instruments that aim to align potential growth with measures intended to manage downside exposure, helping clients stay focused on the broader goals of retirement rather than short-term market fluctuations.

Before recommending any investment, we consider the current economic conditions, the outlook for a particular asset class or type of security, and how the investment fits within a client’s portfolio given his or her objectives and tolerance for risk.

As an independent firm, we strive to obtain the most appropriate investment vehicles to meet a client’s objectives, while being very conscious of total expenses and risk exposure.

Your first step is an initial inquiry to visit with us. As with all visits with our team, the initial visit has no cost and requires no obligation. We’ll discuss our comprehensive Retirement Income process. The end result is greater confidence in your financial future.