Because everybody is different, the best financial plans are those that are tailored precisely to each individual's needs. To achieve such customization, the advisors at Cedar Brook follow a very structured and disciplined process for financial planning. This six-step process is the result of years of experience in building financial plans for many clients with unique challenges, situations and goals.

1. Establish mutual understanding

The first step in the process is a meeting to discuss your outlook on investing, your tolerance for risk and your general situation, and the specifics of how the advisors at Cedar Brook will be compensated. Once the planning process has been initiated, the advisors at Cedar Brook emphasize meeting periodically to ensure that the advisors at Cedar Brook remain aligned.

2. Gather data and set goals

At this stage, the advisors at Cedar Brook strive to learn everything that is relevant to your financial life: your family dynamics, every insurance or financial product you own and why, and any special needs of children and/or parents that should be planned for. Working closely with you, the advisors at Cedar Brook use this information to establish your specific retirement planning goals.

3. Analyze the situation

After gathering data and setting goals, the advisors at Cedar Brook analyze your assets and liabilities, your cash flow, and your current insurance coverage and investment portfolio. At the end of this step in the process, the advisors at Cedar Brook understand your strong suits as well as the key barriers you face.

4. Build the plan

Next, the advisors at Cedar Brook bring together their experience to develop a plan to bridge the gap between where you are and where you want to be. That plan can either be focused on one aspect of financial planning, or it can be comprehensive. The advisors at Cedar Brook present the plan to you, answer any questions you have, and make any necessary adjustments.

5. Implement the plan

At this point, the advisors at Cedar Brook take all the actions necessary to make the plan a reality - from buying, selling and re-titling investment and insurance products to working closely with your accountants and attorneys on related accounting and legal matters. One of the advantages the advisors at Cedar Brook have over other firms is our in-house insurance underwriting, which enables us to negotiate with insurance providers to get the best deals - i.e., the most coverage for the premium dollar. This can mean a great deal to clients for whom insurance is a major and complicated issue.

6. Monitor and make adjustments

Once the plan has been implemented, the advisors at Cedar Brook actively monitor it, checking its performance against your goals and recommending any necessary adjustments. The advisors at Cedar Brook also continually review information we receive that could have an impact on the plans built for clients - for instance, new tax laws or accounting practices, changes in insurance policies, or transitions in fund managers - and discuss them with our clients. And, the advisors at Cedar Brook remain informed on your life, and actively suggest changes to your plan to accommodate changes in your situation.