What is financial planning?

​

While financial planning may seem like something only for wealthy individuals, we all make financial planning decisions each day. The goal of financial planning is to follow a process to examine your current financial situation, identify your short-mid-long term goals, and strategize a way to reach those goals while maintaining a comfortable level of financial protection.

 

What's an AFC®?

​

Accredited Financial Counselor® professionals are certified through the Association for Financial Counseling and Planning Education (AFCPE). The AFC® certification is accredited through The National Commission for Certifying Agencies (NCCA) and is earned through a combination of Education, Exam, Experience, and Ethics. The education curriculum includes a holistic counseling framework that addresses life cycle financial decisions to help clients realize their goals and achieve lasting financial well-being. AFC® professionals are  trained to assist clients with remedial, preventive, and productive financial issues.

 

 

What's a CFP®?

​

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals are uniquely qualified to help individuals pull all their finances together, solve financial problems, and make a plan to achieve their financial goals. CFP® certificants earn the designation after satisfying a combination of an Approved Educational Curriculum (Insurance Planning & Risk Management, Retirement & Employee Benefits, Investment Planning, Income Tax Planning, and Estate Planning), passing a 6-hour Comprehensive Exam, having 6,000 hours of financial planning Experience, and adhering to a strict Code of Ethics. Only a select group of  planners have met the rigorous requirements necessary to call themselves CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals.

 

What's a CDFA®?

​

A Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® is a financial professional skilled at analyzing data and providing expertise on the financial issues of divorce. The role of the CDFA® professional is to assist the client and his or her attorney to understand how the decisions he or she makes today will impact the client’s financial future. The CDFA® professional also brings an innovative and creative approach to settling cases. With in-depth knowledge of tax laws and financial issues specific to divorce, CDFA® professionals can provide clients and attorneys with data that shows the financial effect of any given divorce settlement.

 

 

What's an EA?

​

The enrolled agent credential is an elite credential issued by the IRS to tax professionals who demonstrate special competence in federal tax planning, individual and business tax return preparation, and representation matters. Enrolled agents may generally represent any taxpayer regarding any tax matter before any IRS office, also known as unlimited practice rights.

 

Where’s the value in fee-only financial planning?

​

With a fee-only planner, you're paying for unbiased guidance that's solely based on your best interest, not recommendations which may be suitable for you and profitable for me. Some advisors, brokers, and consultants in the financial industry are motivated to sell you items which may not completely fit what you need. LBA does not sell any products and stands firm behind the following statement: recommendations will only be made that are in your best interests.

 

​

Would we be a good match?

​

If you're looking for an investment guru who can make you rich quickly, or sell you a popular stock while you're deep in credit card debt, with no emergency savings and are not adequately protected through insurance, I'm not your gal. I am not an investment guru nor do I sell stocks. I am a financial planner who believes in reviewing & assessing your entire financial situation and then recommending solutions. I believe in the buy and hold strategy of investing (until it doesn't make sense anymore) and do not emotionally react to market swings. While monitoring investments is definitely a part of what I do, it is a small part in the grand scheme of the entire financial plan. I seek to work with responsible women who are given a task and are able to execute it within the agreed-upon time frame to achieve their goals. If that’s you, we may be a match!

 

Why should I work with you?

​

Because you’re getting someone who is passionate about helping everyday women learn about personal finance topics to achieve their life goals, in a relatable, non-judgmental manner.