At Highlander Financial Group, our focus is on assisting clients on their financial journey. This typically includes an in-depth analysis of your current financial position, a detailed discussion of your personal goals for the future, and implementation of strategies recommended. The sophisticated financial planning approach we take includes an in-depth analysis of the following income topics:

Protection Planning: Strategies like life insurance, disability insurance, and long-term care insurance that provide complete protection for you and your family.

Investment Planning: Assessment of your personal risk tolerance, evaluating investment strategies, funding major expenses such as a home or future education, and designing an asset allocation strategy that works for you.

Tax Reduction Strategies: Projections of federal income taxes, evaluation, and implementation of tax-minimizing strategies utilizing tax-favored investments.

Retirement Planning: Estimation of retirement income and expenses, determination of retirement savings needs and ultimately creating a retirement income distribution strategy.

Current Financial Position: Determining current income and expenses as well as current and projected net worth, and creating a base of liquid emergency funds.

Estate Planning: Designing and implementing a strategy to transfer wealth according to your wishes while minimizing estate taxes and expenses.

Our financial planning clients are able to track their progress toward specified goals through web tools that we make available. For additional information regarding the financial planning process, please contact us at caseycraig@financialguide.com.

The Role of Your Advisory Team

Your team, comprised of your financial advisor, the investment platform, your investment strategist, and investment managers, works ‘with’ and ‘for’ you. They are focused on your investments and committed to helping you pursue your goals.

Your Financial Advisor Will:

• Analyze your current financial position and how well it supports your goals and objectives
• Recommend an investment strategy designed to help you work towards your goals
  
• Monitor portfolio performance and suggest appropriate adjustments
  
• Regularly review your plan and changing goals with you
  
• Strive to be your trusted advisor every step of the way
  

The Investment Platform Will:

• Research and select the investment strategists
• Create your Investment Policy Statement
  
• Check your portfolio at least quarterly for correct allocations and rebalance your portfolio when needed
  
• Provide performance reporting
  

Your Chosen Investment Strategist Will:

• Develop strategies and asset class allocation
• Evaluate opportunities and risks
  
• Aim to select the best-of-class money managers*
  
• Recommend asset class shifts and money manager changes
  

Your Chosen Money Manager Will:

• Analyze and identify specific holdings using their specific style
• Maintain a disciplined and predictable investment style
  
• Provide a competitive performance/risk ratio relative to peer group and asset class benchmarks
  

*Past performance is no guarantee of future results

Major accomplishments require careful discipline and cannot be reached using shortcuts. The road to your financial goals requires a map in the form of an investment process. The straightforward and disciplined approach at Highlander Financial Group will make it easy for you to follow each step on your journey and will help you move toward meeting your objectives and long term goals.

Step 1: Complete Financial Analysis

You are a unique investor, and we believe in customizing portfolio strategies based on your unique goals, financial needs, time horizons, and tolerance for risk. First, we need to understand what your financial position is today. Together with you, we will tailor an investment strategy based on a detailed analysis.

Your tolerance for risk will be measured by your answers to a Risk Tolerance Questionnaire. Using your questionnaire results and your current financial information we will recommend a risk/return profile matching your unique situation. This profile sets the framework for your recommendations of the investment strategists and money managers.

Step 2: Select Your Investment Strategist

The investment strategist is a critical member of the team. The strategist’s role is key to creating portfolios that are well balanced and maintain the appropriate blend of asset classes. Your financial advisor will assist you in selecting the investment strategist that can help pursue your objectives.

Step 3: Portfolio Construction

According to leading experts, portfolio performance is mostly driven by appropriate asset allocation. Having the right mix of stocks, bonds, and cash is more important than selecting the right security or investing at just the right time. That is why an investment must follow a disciplined strategy and be monitored on a regular basis, while remaining flexible enough to adjust to ever changing market conditions. Choosing the appropriate model requires a thorough understanding of your tolerance to risk and a commitment to a minimum time horizon.

Step 4: Implement the Strategy

After your financial advisor assists you in selecting the right investment strategist and portfolio, your personal Investment Policy Statement will be created. This statement will guide and direct the team to assure that the appropriate investment strategy is followed. Your financial advisor will assist you in completing required documents necessary to implement the strategy, and will transfer your assets into your new account.

Step 5: Monitor Performance

Your portfolio will be monitored and never left to chance. Using disciplined and expert advice, we will help you move toward your financial goals. Changing economic conditions are often accompanied by the market forces that directly affect your portfolio and prompt the need for realignment of the asset classes. A member of the team will check your portfolio for re-balancing each quarter and bring the assets back into balance when needed. Your financial advisor will keep you informed of the investment strategist’s philosophy, market commentary, and up-to-date portfolio allocations.

You may receive core summary reports for your accounts on a quarterly basis and custodial statements on a monthly basis. This allows you to review and measure your progress toward your financial goals and suitability of investment strategies. Your financial advisor will continually monitor the investment portfolio, oversee the investment strategist’s decisions, and keep you on track.

All investing involves risk including loss of principal. There is no guarantee that a diversified portfolio will enhance overall returns or outperform a non-diversified portfolio. Asset allocation and diversification does not ensure a profit or protect against a loss.