George Clarke's Story

When I first became a shareholder of US Wealth Management, I had a sense that being an Advisor was mostly about helping people invest their retirement savings prudently.  That view changed quickly with my very first client.  She was a young mother with an infant and a toddler at the time of her husband's passing.  Panic stricken, she was being told by well-meaning but uninformed family and friends that she would need to sell the house and go back to work full-time, while leaving her children with day care providers.  She was horrified her children would no longer grow up in their beautiful home and would be cared for by strangers.  And to my dismay the investment advisor chosen by her late husband had invested the life insurance proceeds in the same aggressive mix of securities as when the husband was alive with an impressive salary and promising future.  Apparently, he gave no thought to the dramatically changed circumstances nor the wife’s personal investment risk tolerance and no guidance was forthcoming from that advisor about the major life decisions that lay ahead for her.  Unfortunately, the primary offering of most financial advisors’ centers on investments, with little attention paid to the unique circumstances of their clients.  In this case, as my team and I dug in we worked with her to revise her budget, create a comprehensive financial plan, adjust her investments to a less risky profile, provide continuing guidance on financial matters such as home refinancing, umbrella insurance, existing income property, and much more.  As we tackled each of these areas, I could see her anxiety level steadily decline.  She was returning to her life of significance.  We were not just her investment advisor; we were her Wealth Manager!

That experience had a profound impact on my goal for this practice.  We seek to provide comprehensive Wealth Management to people for whom we can make a major impact.  We go beyond investment advice to guide successful individuals, families, and business owners on how to prepare for and address significant transitional life events and concerns in their lives.  Our advanced financial planning recommendations help them to enhance their wealth through tax mitigation and cash flow analysis, to protect their wealth by ensuring assets are not unjustly taken away or exposed to the risk of catastrophic loss, to establish or update estate plans ensuring the efficient transfer of wealth to heirs, and to show them ways to leverage up the impact of their charitable giving intentions.  In doing all this, we effectively become their financial head coach coordinating the subject matter expert advice from their accountants, insurance providers and attorneys.  And like my first client allowing them to live their individual lives of significance.