wealth management |
Helping Clients Navigate Financial and Life Decisions
Every client who selects Ferguson Wellman is in a unique place in his or her investing life and is facing different opportunities and challenges. Through our eight disciplines, Ferguson Wellman and West Bearing Investments have the knowledge and resources, as part of a collaborative professional team, to help our clients productively steward their wealth.
Wealth Planning
Wealth planning at Ferguson Wellman and West Bearing is a comprehensive process of understanding clients' financial, family, and philanthropic goals. Our team leverages our Wealth Horizon planning process to help evaluate how a client's financial picture may evolve over time and what strategies may be most appropriate to consider.
Retirement
Ferguson Wellman and West Bearing view retirement planning as a dynamic and evolving process aimed at helping clients maximize every life stage. We assist clients in evaluating the resources needed for a comfortable retirement based on factors such as current resources, savings rates, asset allocation, and desired spending. Our services encompass cash flow and spending analysis, wealth projections and withdrawal strategies. We can also help with employer retirement plans, executive and employer stock compensation, Social Security strategies, and referrals to Medicare resources.
Life Events
Life events have a variety of financial implications that require thoughtful consideration and input from your entire advisory team. These events may include: starting or selling a business, marital changes, the loss of a loved one or planning for children or grandchildren. Having a wealth plan in place enables clients to be ready to manage these changes as they occur.
Trusts and Estates
Estate planning encompasses critical decisions surrounding wealth inheritance, protections or restrictions on inheritance, control over decisions, desired legacy, and tax management strategies. We help clients navigate the complexities of account titling, beneficiary designations, professional referrals, education and preparation tools for estate planning meetings.
Taxes
It’s not what you make, it’s what you keep. Our services include managing portfolios for optimal after-tax returns, using strategies like tax-loss harvesting and investing in tax-exempt bonds. We guide capital gain strategies, estate and gift tax planning, charitable contributions, and retirement income strategies. Additionally, we address challenges such as tax planning.
Philanthropic Strategies
At Ferguson Wellman and West Bearing, we help clients establish and clarify their philanthropic goals and provide education on basic charitable structures. We work with CPAs and attorneys to recommend the best structure and source for charitable contributions, maximizing tax savings and impact. Our team provides guidance on philanthropic goals, budgeting, tax-wise philanthropy, and various donation methods, including charitable trusts, donor-advised funds, and cash donations, to ensure meaningful and impactful giving.
risk management
Most clients have three main goals: wealth accumulation, wealth protection, and wealth distribution. Risk management is an essential aspect of wealth protection, involving the identification of potential hazards and taking steps to mitigate them. At Ferguson Wellman and West Bearing, we help clients understand the extent of their risks, whether related to assets, resources, profession, behaviors, health, or aging. We collaborate with clients’ professional teams, assess their current insurance coverage and identify any potential gaps.
Education planning and funding
Planning for college starts well before applying to top schools on your list. When clients start planning for educational expenses, our Wealth Management team can model projected costs to offer a clear financial outlook. We’re happy to assist in making direct gifts to educational institutions, establishing 529 plans, educational trusts, and UTMA accounts, and ensuring children have a strong financial foundation for their education.
