FAQ's
What services do you offer?
Gina Wells Financial Design Strategies offer a wide variety of financial planning solutions including:
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Tax Strategies
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Insurance Planning
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Wealth Management
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Estate Planning*
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Retirement Income Planning
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College Planning
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Debt Managment
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Business Legacy Planning
Gina's true value lies in her ability to act as a "macro planner,"working with your bankers, brokers, accountants, attorneys, auto and home insurance agents, to help coordinate and develop a comprehensive financial strategy that is in line with your goals and dreams. We help her clients find money they are unnecessarily, even unknowingly losing and help them bring those dollars back to the table, without taking any more risk and without making changes to their lifestyle.
What does it cost to work with you?
One of the most frequently asked questions is how much it costs to work with Financial Design Strategies. We think the better question is, "How much does it cost not to work with Gina, your Financial Design Strategist?" She is confident that the strategies will help you find the dollars at risk, define the risk, and help you to discover ways to bring those dollars back to the table to enhance your future. If she can help you find those dollars, without additional cost, and you choose to put the dollars to work in products we offer, that is the first way we are paid. The second way we are paid and also the way we have stayed in business for over 28 years, is by clients like you referring her. A simple introduction is her greatest payment.
How do you get paid?
Gina's Series 65 license allows her to charge a fee for planning. Registered Investment Advisors and Investment Advisor Representatives act as fiduciaries for all of our investment management clients. We have an obligation to act in the best interests of our clients and to make full disclosure of any conflicts of interests, if any exist. Please refer to our firm brochure, the ADV 2A page 4, for additional information.
In Gina's experience, most families are missing key financial tools that could help them accomplish their goals. If Financial Design Services helps you incorporate one or more of the products you may be missing into your model, she is paid a commission by the company who provides it. Gina feels it is counterintuitive to our mission to be compensated by both financial institutions and by you the client, whose expenses and fees we are trying to reduce. We believe it is in direct conflict with the work that Financial Design Strategies does.
Our true and unique value lies in our ability to teach you how to properly incorporate financial products into your plan. It is the strategy and the design that will ultimately help you financially both now, and in the future. For more on this concept, please click on this link for a fun video. Club vs. Swing
Our absolute favorite way to get paid is by having you introduce us to other people who may need help. If, as a client, you are happy with the work we do for you, there is no greater compliment you can pay us than an introduction to your friends or family. Ultimately, this helps us build our business and spread our mission.
How do I get started?
Our suggestion would be to schedule a 15-minute introductory call. This allows us to get some basic information about you, your family, and what your needs may be. This will also give you a chance to ask your questions, and gauge whether our services are the right fit for you.
Click below to schedule your 15-minute phone call and begin your journey to an empowered financial future.
Book a 15 Minute Introductory Phone Call
Do I need a Financial Planner/Advisor?
There is a perception that financial planning is only for the very wealthy and this is simply not true. At Financial
Design Strategies, if you are serious about your money, we are serious about your money.
Since the creation of the 401k in 1980, the task of retirement planning has been increasingly placed on employees rather than employers. Retirement planning can be overwhelming and there are many factors to consider when creating a sound financial plan. What rate of return do I need to earn in order to have enough money to retire? How do I protect against liability? Do I have an exit strategy for my qualified plans? How will my family replace my income if something happens to me? How will the future tax rate effect my retirement income? And on and on...
And with no shortage of people scrambling to tell you what to do and how to invest your money - we call that "sound bite" financial planning - it can be hard to know where to turn in order to get answers to the big and important questions about your money.
This is where a trusted financial advisor comes in. An advisor who knows you, your family, your financial position and what you hope to accomplish in the future, can be your most valuable asset when it comes to retirement planning. Gina + Cat's aim is to become your trusted financial professionals by not only answering your questions, but by educating and empowering you to take control of your finances