1. Initial Consultation: Understanding Your Financial Priorities

Our first meeting serves as an in-depth discovery session, where we focus on understanding your financial goals, concerns, and priorities. We will take the time to learn about your current financial situation, your lifestyle, and what matters most to you—whether it’s planning for retirement, managing risk, or securing your legacy.

We’ll also explore your tax situation, estate plan, and investment experience to ensure we provide suitable, comprehensive recommendations. As fiduciaries, we are committed to offering accurate, unbiased advice, so we ask that you provide key documents such as tax returns, financial statements, and estate planning materials to help us assess your situation.

2. Strategy Presentation: Formalized Recommendations

After gathering the necessary information during the initial consultation, we will develop a tailored financial strategy designed to meet your goals. In our follow-up meeting, we will present a Financial Planning Action Checklist—a clear, organized list of recommendations that address the most critical aspects of your financial plan. These may include retirement planning, income strategies, tax planning, legacy goals, wealth protection, and investment management.

3. Implementation: Bringing Your Plan to Life

Once we’ve reviewed our recommendations with you and answered any questions, we encourage you to take the time to reflect on the proposed strategies. When you’re ready, our team will begin implementing the agreed-upon plan, taking care of every detail to put your strategy into motion.

4. Ongoing Engagement: Adapting to Life’s Changes

Financial planning is a continuous journey, not a one-time event. To ensure that your plan remains aligned with your evolving goals, we offer ongoing support, including:

• Regular Check-ins: We schedule periodic meetings to review progress, reassess your situation, and make adjustments as needed.
• Portfolio Monitoring: We actively monitor your portfolio, ensuring it remains aligned with your goals and making adjustments in response to market conditions or life changes.
• Communication: We keep you informed of any important market changes, tax updates, or new opportunities that may affect your financial situation.
• Ongoing Education: We provide valuable updates on relevant financial topics to ensure you stay informed and empowered in your financial decision-making.

By following this thoughtful, personalized approach, we ensure that your financial strategy remains dynamic, adaptable, and focused on supporting your long-term success.

How “Advance & Protect” Works

This strategy is based on more than 25 years of independent market research and focuses on adjusting investments based on market conditions rather than simply buying and holding. We regularly monitor investments and make changes as needed to keep client portfolios positioned for potential growth while reducing risk.

There are two key components of our approach:

1. Market Trend Monitoring – We track market trends to invest in areas showing strong growth potential.
2. Risk Management – We use data analysis to identify warning signs of market downturns and adjust investments accordingly to help protect client assets.

A Focus on Risk Management

The main goal of “Advance & Protect” is to help protect investors from large market downturns while still taking advantage of potential growth opportunities. If market conditions become unfavorable, we may temporarily shift investments into safer assets, like bonds or cash-equivalents to attempt to reduce risk.

This strategy is disciplined, data-driven, and designed to help you navigate the ups and downs of investing with confidence.

Investment Selection & Portfolio Management

We primarily use Exchange-Traded Funds (ETFs) in our portfolios because they offer diversification, transparency, and lower costs compared to traditional investments. Our strategy includes multiple portfolio models designed to match different levels of risk tolerance and financial goals, balancing stocks and bonds to align with each client’s comfort level.

Each portfolio follows a market condition framework, where we assess whether the market is:

• Positive (favorable for growth)
• Neutral (mixed signals, cautious approach)
• Negative (high risk, defensive positioning)

Based on this assessment, we make informed investment decisions, reviewing and adjusting portfolios regularly to stay aligned with market trends. We review our investment selections quarterly to ensure they remain aligned with market trends.

At Barzideh & Nadeau Wealth Management, we take our fiduciary responsibility seriously. Our “Advance & Protect” strategy is built on a structured, research-backed process designed to help protect and grow your wealth over time.

How We Stand Out from Other Firms

• Comprehensive Gold Medal Services: We provide in-depth reviews of tax reduction strategies, estate plans, investment plans, retirement strategies, and protection plans.
• Regular Scheduled Meetings: Our commitment to scheduled meetings ensures your financial plans remain up-to-date and aligned with your evolving needs.
• Consistent Communication: We offer high-quality newsletters, tax reports, and informative articles to keep you informed.
• Educational & Appreciation Events: We host a variety of exclusive events designed specifically for our clients.
• Personalized Service: Our team delivers the latest insights, recommendations, and solutions to help you achieve your financial goals.

Our Gold Medal Services:

Tax Reduction Planning

• Comprehensive review of your tax return to identify opportunities for maximizing tax reduction strategies.
• Annual review of your tax situation and planning to incorporate any new tax law changes.
• Complimentary consultation with your tax preparer.
• Recommendations for tax strategies that leverage current opportunities within existing tax laws.
• Ongoing updates and presentations on new tax laws that may impact your financial situation.

Retirement Income & Distribution Planning

• Analysis of your current and future income needs.
• Comprehensive review of Social Security strategies to coordinate with your other income sources.
• Ongoing development and implementation of income strategies to optimize your lifestyle.
• Recommendations for the most appropriate distribution strategies for your employer retirement plans and IRAs.
• Assistance with establishing an Inherited IRA.
• Review of Roth IRA conversion opportunities.

Family Wealth Planning

• Analysis of your current estate plan.
• Review of strategies to efficiently transfer wealth to your loved ones.
• Complimentary consultation with your attorney.
• Assistance in transferring assets to your living trust or other trusts.
• Guidance on necessary steps in the event of a loved one’s passing.
• Review of beneficiary designations and asset titling.

Investment Oversight Services

• Personalized portfolio design tailored to your financial needs.
• Year-round monitoring of your investments.
• Regular meetings to review investment performance, update financial objectives, and reallocate as needed.
• Independent, objective financial advice.
• Recommendations for positioning funds within employer-provided retirement plans, such as 401(k)s.
• Quarterly economic reports featuring updated analysis and market insights.

Communication

• Quarterly Newsletter: Stay informed about the most current financial planning options.
• Regular Reviews: Ensuring your financial plan evolves with your needs.
• Special Reports: Insights on tax reduction strategies and other essential topics.
• Gold Medal Service Events: Client education and appreciation events where you may bring guests.