"It is not how much you make that counts, but how much money you keep."
- Richard Kiyasaki
In today's global investment environment, high net worth individuals face signifiacnt complexity in their financial lives as they attempt to strike the optimal balance between wealth preservation, growth and income generation. Robbins Financial Group offers our clients a process-driven, holistic approach that brings diverse investments and established strategies together in an easy-to-understand framework.
Overview
A Process Driven Approach
Many of our clients have found that successful growth and preservation of the wealth they have accumulated is based upon a disciplined process that leverages professional expertise and world-class analytics. Our approach to wealth preservation and investment management begins with an in-depth analysis of each client's current financial situation. This customized financial snapshot is then used as a benchmark as we work with our clients to evaluate and define his or her long-term financial objectives. Once realistic wealth accumulation and preservation objectives have been identified, Robbins Financial Group can propose unique solutions to help fulfill those objectives..
A Thorough Review of Client Assets
We begin with a thorough, top-to-bottom review of the client's situation. Topics that will be covered in our initial interview may include: What are the current investments? Is there a strategic investment plan? In whose name are the assets owned? Has the family engaged in estate planning, and if so what structures are in place?
Analysis of Financial Commitments and Goals
Properly structuring a client's investments and adequately managing his or her risk depends on the clients goals, both financial and non-financial. Financial goals may include spending goals or asset-level goals; non-financial goals may include tax-efficient transfer of assets to future generations or philanthropic cause. We work diligently to establish and maintain deep, long-lasting relationships with each of our clients in order to provide them tailored investment and risk management advice.
Development of Investment Strategy
Once financial goals have been clearly defined, Robbins Financial Group can recommend customized solutions that may include, for example:
- Strategic asset allocation plans
- Individual investment opportunities
- Stock diversification techniques
- Estate and tax planning strategies, or any combination of these and other options. Each aspect of our advice is informed by the others, leading to an integrated investment strategy.
Fee-Based Financial Planning
Your wealth is a part of your legacy - and it deserves proper attention and consistent review. A customized, integrated financial plan provides you the foundation from which to develop and implement customized investment management and wealth preservation solutions.
Once your plan has been finalized, we'll stay in close contact with you, monitoring your changing needs and recommending adjustments that reflect your current personal and financial life.
Your plan, its implementation and evolution will include specific recommendations to help us to :
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Identify tax reduction strategies
- Enhance cash flow
- Lower borrowing costs or increase borrowing effectiveness
- Strengthen your retirement plan
- Refine your estate plan
- Protect your assets and family more effectively
- Provide for business succession
Philanthropic Planning
Robbins Financial Group can assist our clients and their tax advisors in developing charitable giving strategies that both meet our clients specific philanthropic goals and take advantage of tax, financial, and estate planning opportunities. To help our clients achieve their legacy objectives, we capitalize on our experience in combination with a myriad of resources available through our affiliations.
Setting Philanthropic Goals
Robbins Financial Group spends a significant amount of time identifying and understanding the specific goals of our Philanthropic Planning clients. Key topics addressed during our initial interview may include:
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What is the target amount of the gift?
- What is the time frame in which the giving will occur?
- Will a gift be made with attribution or anonymously?
- Will children be involved in the giving process?
- Does the client wish to give on a deferred basis to maintain investment control of the charitable gift?
- Are income tax benefits a concern?
Developing a Customized Solution
In certain cases, direct, immediate gifting to charities is a simple, effective solution to philanthropic planning. In many instances, though, more sophisticated strategies are available to our clients, allowing them to achieve more appealing results. Depending on the individual client's personal and financial situation, we can work with our clients and their advisors to create donor-advised funds; private non-operating (i.e. grant making) foundations; private operating foundations; supporting organizations; split-interest vehicles (e.g., charitable lead-trusts, charitable remainder trusts, pooled income funds, charitable annuities) and gifts of fractional assets.
Alternatively, Robbins Financial Group can work with our clients and their advisors to develop an indirect philanthropic giving strategy through the creation of a trust. In general, Robbins Financial Group may recommend our clients work with their advisors to found remainder trusts or lead trusts. (The former pays the donor an annuity over a specified time frame and then pays any remaining principal to charity while the latter does the opposite, paying the annuity to charity and leaving the remainder to family members.)
Through an in-depth, process-driven consultation with our client's and their tax and legal advisors, we can help determine which is right for our client and his or her family, given his or her specific financial situation and long-term goals.
Personal Trust Services
Robbins Financial Group will work closely with you and your attorney, accountant and others to create a plan that meets your specific goals.
Charitable Financial Planning
Robbins Financial Group also can help you develop a personal financial plan to reach your philanthropic objectives, which may include significant financial contributions to charitable organizations, institutions, and your community.
Strategic Tax Planning
In devising a successful strategy to preserve your current wealth and generate future income, there may be nothing more essential than maximizing tax efficiency. Experienced advisors at Robbins Financial Group will review traditional tax strategies (e.g., trusts, qualified plans, 529 plans, and insurance), helping to determine which vehicles are best suited for each client's particular set of circumstances.
Income Tax Strategies
Based on an individual's particular financial situation, Robbins Financial Group may recommend the use of one or more income tax planning strategies. For example, with regard to the Alternative Minimum Tax, there are strategies to help maximize the use of available deductions and tax credits may benefit from a systematic approach to income realization and deferral (including stock option management and tax-effective Section 83(b) elections).
The information is provided with the understanding that it is not intended to be interpreted as specific legal or tax advice. Neither Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company nor any of its employees or agents are authorized to give legal or tax advice. Individuals are encouraged to seek the guidance of their own personal legal or tax counsel.
Transfer Taxes
With few exceptions (including life insurance) transfers of wealth from one individual to another are subjection to taxation. Transfer taxes can greatly reduce the legacy you would like to leave your family or charitable organization. Robbins Financial Group provides our clients access to top legal, accounting and tax advisors through our affiliations, and can help our clients reduce the transfer taxes in one of two ways:
- Freezing the value of assets and transferring substantial appreciation to beneficiaries
- Discounting the taxable value of assets transferred.
While freezing and discounting each applies to specific types of assets and trusts, the two methods can often be combined with even greater success. For example, transferring limited partnership interests (which may be eligible for discounted valuation) to an irrevocable trust (which may freeze the valuation of its assets) can produce dramatic tax savings over time.
The information is provided with the understanding that it is not intended to be interpreted as specific legal or tax advice. Neither Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company nor any of its employees or agents are authorized to give legal or tax advice. Individuals are encouraged to seek the guidance of their own personal legal or tax counsel.
Asset Allocation Considerations
Asset allocation is a critical consideration for transfer and income tax planning. Assets should be properly allocated both within asset classes and among various entities and accounts (e.g., personal, retirement, trust or partnership) For instance, clients may choose to hold appreciating assets and entities whose economic benefit will accrue to their beneficiaries free of estate and gift tax, while holding income-bearing assets in their estate.
Asset allocation neither assures a profit nor protects against loss in a declining market.
Insurance Products
Where appropriate, Robbins Financial Group may recommend insurance products to cover the cost of any remaining estate taxes. We have the ability to offer our clients unbiased advice and access to some of the most stable and secure insurance products available.