Why Did you become a financial planner?
I’m passionate about helping others achieve their dreams! Fair Winds Financial Advice is the culmination of my own life’s journey. After earning my MBA at Cornell, I started a career as an institutional investor in New York City with TIAA. As much as I enjoyed investing for the benefit of others, I was frustrated to never see the individuals my work benefited. Seven years later I gave in to the lure of the sea and my lifemate and I sailed to the Caribbean. We spent eight years based in the Virgin Islands, taking people on sailing and scuba diving vacations. I loved being right up close and personal with my guests, seeing how our efforts pleased them, but I still didn’t feel I was achieving my highest purpose. We came back to the States and I joined the North Carolina Community College System. I started out teaching, then advised small businesses, and finally created and ran a community college internship program—I was getting closer to my sweet spot. When I reflected on how much I enjoy helping people understand money matters and my talent for clarifying complicated situations, my purpose became clear. I started Fair Winds Financial Advice to offer accessible hourly, advice only, financial planning. I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM professional.
Will we spend a lot of time talking about my investments accounts?
Probably not. In fact, if you love talking about the stock market and your investment accounts, I’ll gladly refer you to an advisor who is on your wavelength. In my view, investments are tools that allow us to lead the lives we choose. First we’ll make sure we know where you want to go, then we’ll make sure that all of your assets (a far larger category than just your financial investments) are aligned to get you there.
What do you mean by my “assets”?
The financial services industry likes to reduce us to the sum of our investment accounts…with a possible nod to the real estate that we own. At Fair Winds, we believe in taking a much more expansive approach. Much of our monetary value lies in our earning power in the workforce due to our unique skills and abilities or in the value we’ve created in our own businesses. But more importantly, we create value in our lives by investing our time. The energy and love I put in to caring for my elderly parents and then my lifemate over the last fifteen years is a huge and important part of who I am and deeply affected all of my decisions, but you won’t see it showing up in an investment account. These non-traditional assets play a large role in our advice at Fair Winds because we believe they’re the key ingredients in most of our lives.
OK, so what about those traditional investments—stocks, bonds, etc.?
Once we’ve determined what monetary resources you’ll need to live the life you want, we’ll make sure your traditional investments are aligned to deliver the returns you need at a level of risk you can stomach. We’ll be recommending high quality, low cost investment solutions…because no one can predict market performance, but by holding down expenses, we’ll know we’ve done the best we can in any given market. If you’re looking for an investment advisor who will help you choose exotic hedge funds or trade individual stocks in an effort to beat the market, Fair Winds isn’t going to be a good fit.
What’s a Fiduciary and Why should I care?
The Certified Financial Planning Board defines a fiduciary as ““One who acts in utmost good faith, in a manner he or she reasonably believes to be in the best interest of the client.” I wholeheartedly pledge to be your fiduciary! You should care because, practically speaking, a fiduciary is going to give you sound advice tailored for you with no competing interests or ulterior motives.
do I have to be wealthy to become a client?
No. Fair Winds doesn’t have any minimum account sizes, asset levels or annual fees. To become a client, you have to have a problem we can tackle and a willingness to pay for our advice.
What’s your investment philosophy?
Set goals
Allocate assets
Choose high quality, low cost investments
Stick with it
How do you price your services?
Our fees are based on the amount of time we’ll spend on your particular project, both working with you and working behind the scenes on your behalf. Our hourly rate is $300. Before you agree to work with us, you’ll receive a cost estimate.
Will we have a written agreement?
Yes, before we begin our work together, we’ll sign an agreement that lays out the scope of work and the compensation.
Where will we Meet?
We meet virtually, using on-line meeting software. You will need internet access for our meetings.
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