Services
Check the news on any given day, and you'll probably find stories of financial fraud. Unfortunately, this type of misconduct is widespread and affects people everywhere, regardless of their age or wealth. It's not a new phenomenon, as a 2009 CFP Board survey of Certified Financial Planner™ professionals found that 60% of respondents knew someone who had experienced fraud or abuse at the hands of another adviser. So in case you may be asking yourself what makes Master Plan Advisory worthy of your trust, here are some points to take into account:
- Built & operated around the principles promulgated in the CFP Code of Ethics & Professional Responsibility. Since its founding in 1994, Master Plan Advisory has been steadfastly committed to putting clients’ interests first. Learn more about CFP Board’s Standards of Professional Conduct ;
- Independent and unbiased. In contrast to "captive" financial-service providers -- such as wirehouses, insurance companies, etc. -- Master Plan Advisory is not limited to any proprietary products and/or platforms;
- Spotless disciplinary history. Neither Master Plan Advisory nor any of its associated persons have ever been subject to a fine, suspension or any other regulatory sanction. Feel free to visit the SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site and FINRA BrokerCheck® (these free tools allow to search for information on investment advisory firms and FINRA-registered investment professionals, respectively);
- Equally unblemished record with clients. Neither Master Plan Advisory nor any of its associated persons have ever been subject of a client complaint, arbitration or lawsuit of any kind. Average client has been with the firm for approximately 15 years, and many relationships go back even more.
But in addition to trustworthiness, there are other important factors to weigh when choosing a financial adviser. A 2011 survey of affluent investors by Northstar Research Partners and Sullivan, a communications strategy and design company, found that 25% of respondents were considering moving assets from their advisor in the next year. The chief reason cited in the study was an inadequate level of service and attention, so in case you’re looking at this page because you’ve felt under-served or ignored, here’re some additional points to consider:
· Easy to reach and responsive. You won’t have to wade through several menu levels just to get a live person on the phone, or wait for days for someone to get back to you when you leave a message;
· Personal care and attention. Unlike competitors that work with hundreds or even thousands of customers, Master Plan Advisory conscientiously maintains a low client-to-adviser ratio to make every client feel like they are the only one we have;
· Solutions specifically designed for each client. Master Plan Advisory doesn't believe in cookie-cutter or one-size-fits-all solutions. Each financial plan and investment portfolio is prepared for the specific client and their unique goals and objectives;
· One-stop shopping convenience. Master Plan Advisory offers a full range of services to help clients pull their finances together and address a diverse range of goals such as wealth management, retirement, estate or philanthropic planning.
To see further details about the different types of services offered by Master Plan Advisory, click on the links below:
Individual services Business services
Services for Individuals
Master Plan Advisory, Inc. serves mature high-net worth individuals and business owners in NYC, Long Island, New Jersey and Pennsylvania who seek financial planning advice for a variety of reasons, some of which include:
* Receiving a lump-sum retirement plan distribution upon retirement or separation from service
* Coming into a large sum of money through inheritance, lottery winnings, or lawsuit settlement
* Becoming "suddenly single" due to divorce or death of spouse
* Contemplating sale of a highly-appreciated asset
* Considering a lifetime or post-mortem charitable gift
* Impending exercise of executive stock options
* Seeking to liquidate a business interest or pass one on to the next generation
Typically, these and many other financial concerns can usually be boiled down to the following five questions:
* Can I invest my money better to minimize risk and maximize return?
* Can I keep more of my money and pay less income taxes?
* Can I ensure my family's well-being in case of a financial contingency?
* Can I retire comfortably and avoid impoverishment should I need Long-Term Care?
* Can I protect my estate against the ravages of settlement expenses and estate taxes?
To help find answers to these questions, Master Plan Advisory, Inc. provides a range of comprehensive personal financial planning services.
Personal Financial Planning
Master Plan Advisory, Inc. is committed to the six-step financial planning process as defined by the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (to learn more about financial planning from the CFP Board, click here). In a nutshell, the process can be summarized as follows:
1) Identifying your goals and objectives
2) Gathering relevant data
3) Preparing an objective written analysis
4) Developing and presenting recommendations
5) Implementing your plan of action
6) Periodic monitoring and review
In order to provide maximum freedom of choice and flexibility, we have broken down the above into three separate "phases." Instead of forcing a fixed schedule of services on you, you can decide just how far you want to go.
Phase I includes steps 1-4
Phase II covers step 5
Phase III covers step 6
Phase I - Developing a Financial Plan
Your financial plan will be custom-tailored just for you, and based on a thorough discovery and analysis of your specific needs, may cover a review and recommendations concerning all or some of the following aspects of your finances:
1) Current financial position - assessment of your current cash flow and net worth
2) Protection planning - review of your insurance and other risk management needs
3) Investment planning and Asset Allocation - analysis of your portfolio, risk tolerance and savings needs
4) Income tax planning* - examination of ways to reduce your income taxes through tax deferral and other techniques
5) Retirement and Long-Term Care planning - assessment of your ability to maintain your desired retirement income, funding alternatives and distribution options
6) Estate and Charitable planning* - analysis of alternatives designed to minimize settlement costs and estate taxes
*Neither Master Plan Advisory nor RNR Securities provide specific tax or legal advice. We are happy to work with your tax and legal professionals to address your unique tax and legal needs.
Phase II - Implementation
This is where you directly benefit from our independence! Because neither Master Plan Advisory, Inc. nor RNR Securities* are affiliated with any insurance company or another entity that pushes its own products, we can help you choose from a wide variety of non-proprietary investment and insurance vehicles. Because Master Plan Advisory takes very seriously the trust that our clients place in us, we spend a great deal of resources on diligent research striving to come up with the most appropriate recommendations possible.
* Securities offered through RNR Securities, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC. Master Plan Advisory and RNR Securities are independent companies.
Phase III - Ongoing Monitoring and Reviews
Because establishing a long-term relationship is very important to most clients, if you so desire, you can choose from a full range of post-implementation services. These typically include portfolio management, performance reporting, and periodic meetings to adjust the initial plan for changes in the economic environment, tax and estate laws, as well as personal circumstances. As with other services, Phase III can be custom-tailored to your exact needs and preferences. Back to Top
Services for Businesses include:
* Retirement plans
* Deferred Compensation plans
* Split-Dollar and Key Person Insurance programs
* Buy-Sell Agreements
* Business Succession/ Discontinuation planning
Retirement Plans
Profit Sharing... 401(k)... SEP... SIMPLE... ESOP... These are just some examples of defined-contribution plans. In addition, there are also defined-benefit and "hybrid" plans available. Quite a number of choices to consider, each involving somewhat different rules and maximum contribution limits. Even though each can provide valuable tax benefits to both the employer and the employees, it is very important to carefully analyze the differences among the different plan features to find an optimal, cost-effective fit.
Deferred Compensation Plans
Unlike a Qualified Retirement Plan (such as a Profit Sharing), which must meet strict ERISA eligibility and vesting guidelines, a Deferred Compensation plan gives the employer the flexibility of choosing only a select group of key employees for inclusion under the plan. Furthermore, a Deferred Compensation plan can be structured with a vesting schedule designed to promote continued loyalty of key personnel. While the employer does not get a tax deduction until the funds are paid to participating employees, a properly structured plan helps avoids inclusion in current income for the participants.*
Split-Dollar Plans
A Split-Dollar plan is another type of executive benefit. Under such a program, the company and selected executive(s) generally share the ownership and benefits of a life insurance policy in proportion to their relative investment in the contract. A common approach in a Split-Dollar plan would be to provide for the return of premiums paid by the company either from the policy's cash value or death benefit.
Key Person Insurance
How would your business fare if it suddenly lost one of its key people? How long would it take to hire and train a replacement? Could your company's credit rating be negatively affected? A well thought-out Key Person insurance plan can help your company deal with these potential problems.
Buy-Sell Agreements
Would you like to go into business with your partner's spouse or children? Even if the answer is no, it could still happen if your company does not have a properly structured Buy-Sell Agreement. Contingencies covered by this key business arrangement can include disability and retirement in addition to a partner's death, and can be cost-effectively funded with appropriate business insurance coverage.
Business Succession/ Discontinuation planning
Let's face it - every business owner (sooner or later) is going to retire. When it happens, there are usually two choices concerning the business: sell to a third party or pass on to younger family members. In each case, minimizing unnecessary income and estate taxes is very important! In addition, when passing the business interest to the younger generation, the retiring owner may have to make provisions for the children who do not participate in the day-to-day affairs of the business. While leaving an equal number of shares to each child sounds like an equitable solution, it may eventually lead to resentment and even intra-family lawsuits.*
*Neither Master Plan Advisory nor RNR Securities provide specific tax or legal advice. We are happy to work with your tax and legal professionals to address your unique tax and legal needs.
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