Our process
We have refined the same sequence for twenty-five years because it protects the client. You always know what happens next, what it costs, and what you are committing to — which, until the final step, is nothing.
Step 01
About 45 minutes, in person or by phone
A relaxed conversation with no cost and no obligation. You describe what you have built, what concerns you, and what you want retirement to look like. We describe how we work and whether we are a fit.
Step 02
One to two weeks of work on our side
With your permission we gather the detail: retirement accounts, pensions, Social Security estimates, insurance policies, recent tax returns and your projected expenses. Then we stress-test it.
Step 03
Presented in a second meeting
You receive a written strategy in plain language: your income year by year, which portion is guaranteed, what remains exposed, the tax consequences, and exactly what we recommend changing.
Step 04
Ongoing, for as long as you want us
If you decide to proceed, we handle the applications, transfers and paperwork, and confirm everything landed where it should. Then we keep the plan current.
Our commitment
There is no stage of this process where you owe us anything or are obliged to continue. That is deliberate. Advice given under pressure is worth exactly what it costs you, and we would rather earn a client for twenty years than close one this quarter.
Common questions
Yes. The introductory meeting and the analysis that follows it are complimentary and carry no obligation. You are under no pressure to become a client, and many people who meet with us do not.
Nothing at all. The first conversation is about your situation and your goals. If we move to the analysis stage, we will give you a short, specific list of documents — typically retirement account statements, your Social Security estimate, any pension information, insurance policies and a recent tax return.
No. A good number of our recommendations involve leaving things exactly where they are. Where we do suggest a change, you will see the reasoning in writing before any decision is made.
The consultation and written plan are provided at no cost. When a client chooses to implement an insurance or annuity recommendation, the firm is compensated by the issuing carrier. Any fees, riders or surrender provisions within a product are disclosed to you in writing beforehand.
It is close to ideal. The decade before retirement is when the decisions with the largest effect are still available to you — Roth conversion windows, reducing sequence risk, coordinating a claiming strategy. After you retire, several of those doors have already closed.
Most of our clients are in Louisiana and the Gulf South, and many prefer to meet in person. That said, we work with clients at a distance by phone and video where it suits them better.
An indexed annuity is an insurance contract, not a market investment. Your account is credited based on the movement of an index, subject to caps, spreads or participation rates, and it is contractually protected against losses caused by index declines. In exchange you accept limits on the upside and restrictions on access during a surrender period. We walk through all of those terms before anything is signed.
That contingency is part of the plan itself. We model the surviving spouse’s position specifically — income, taxes, benefits and beneficiary designations — because it is one of the most common places a retirement plan quietly fails.
Still have a question? Ask us directly — we answer them without requiring a meeting first.
Start the conversation
A first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing. We will look at what you have built, what it needs to do, and whether the two line up.
