Welcome to Shakespeare

We begin every inquiry with an introductory meeting, to learn about each other and identify if we are a good fit for your needs. If so, we complete a comprehensive financial plan as part of our Initial Engagement (IE) Service. This process can be completed with 2-5 client meetings, depending on the complexity of your situation. At the end of the IE, we provide written recommendations with specific action items to improve your situation. We then help implement these recommendations as part of our Full Engagement (FE) Service. With the FE, we work with you on an ongoing basis making adjustments as needed based on changes in your situation, changes in the tax code and estate laws, changes in your health, changes in employment, changes in your family situation, changes in goals, and more.

Give us a call and we’ll schedule an introductory meeting. Don’t be shy…your future depends on it.

Shakespeare has a deeper technical knowledge of the tax and estate laws than most advisers. Our financial planning process monitors your situation on an ongoing basis, and Shakespeare takes the lead in implementing the numerous items need to keep your plan on track.. Our investment process not only leverages four specific factors that have been proven to enhance return and reduce risk, it is also customized to best fit your overall financial goals. Shakespeare combines technical knowledge, with ongoing advice, the ability to implement change on a timely basis, and investing your assets in a manner that meets your specific needs. The result is you win.

Shakespeare is a Fee-Only Financial Adviser, which means we do not accept any form of commission. This creates a higher level of transparency and eliminates the conflicts of interest present from most financial advisers. Our ongoing fee is determined at the end of our Initial Engagement Process and is based on the level of complexity in your situation relative to the work we will do. We charge an asset management fee comparable to most advisers and mutual funds but provide significantly more value to our clients. In summary, our fees range between 0.50% and 1.5% depending on your situation.

A ‘Fee-Based’ adviser is able to charge an advisory fee to manage assets, but also has the ability to sell you financial products that pay commissions (annuities and insurance products). This creates conflicts of interest, with the adviser having the ability to earn higher compensation if they steer you into certain products. Shakespeare is a Fee-Only Adviser, working only on an agreed upon fee. This creates the transparency necessary for you to receive objective advice and leads to a trusting relationship with Shakespeare.

So how do you find out what type of adviser someone is? Ask your adviser what broker-dealer they are registered with. If they are a Fee-Based adviser, a broker dealer will be listed on their website and business cards, and you’ll see words like ‘Securities offered by…..’ and acronyms like SIPC and FINRA, followed by lots of legal disclaimers. Fee-Only advisers like Shakespeare, must register with the SEC and do not have to register with a broker dealer.

Shakespeare always operates as a Fiduciary, having a legal requirement to put your interests first. If you’ve never worked with a fiduciary adviser, now is the time to find out the difference.

Shakespeare does not sell any financial products. Given our deep understanding of your financial situation relative to your goals, we will provide insurance advice based on your needs and goals. We will then work with an insurance professional to ensure you get the right product at the right price. Having Shakespeare properly quantify your insurance needs and then serve as your advocate in this process ensures you get the best results.

The world is rapidly changing. If you are not actively monitoring your financial plan and making adjustments, you will not achieve optimal results. Many of the changes our clients experience, at various times of their lives include changes to tax laws, changes to estate laws, employment, income, family situations, health, and more. You need an adviser who will make necessary adjustments to your plan as things change.

Shakespeare has seen too many horror stories of people who haven’t worked with an adviser on an ongoing basis. As a result, we have chosen to work only on an ongoing advice with our clients.

Shakespeare’s minimum investment is $500,000. We implemented this minimum so we can maintain a high level of service to our existing clients. As an addendum, we will provide 18 months for clients to meet our minimum, recognizing there are liquidity events that need careful planning prior to a liquidity occurrence such as retirement, inheritance, business sale and more.

Our clients have several commonalities, including:

• A more complex financial situation relative to your average investor
• Several moving parts to a financial plan, including multiple retirement accounts, investment accounts, real estate investments, second homes, businesses, LLC investments, complex family dynamics and more.
• Clients who have saved consistently throughout their life and whose asset levels now require the guidance of a more sophisticated adviser
• Clients preparing for retirement, needing help navigating Social Security, Medicare, 401k Rollovers, Pension distributions, tax planning, and more
• People experiencing life transitions, such as loss of a loved one, divorce, widowed, business sale, retirement, career change, and more.
• Clients whose number one asset is their family, and who have a strong desire to provide contingency planning for their family. They want to make sure they have a trusted adviser in place to help manage the family’s finances before a sickness or death occurs.
• Many of our clients live modest lives but have accumulated significant assets.

Shakespeare has a robust Investment Management Program that is customized to best meet the needs identified in your financial plan. Our process is built on academic research and focuses on four factors of return that have been proven to enhance return and reduce risk. We have taken the guesswork out of the investment process and instead rely on trusted disciplines to add value. We build and manage portfolios based on your real world needs, such as income replacement and risk management. We employ powerful software that helps us implement and monitor your portfolio and make changes to keep you moving forward.

Shakespeare has clients located throughout the country. Based on our sophisticated financial planning software that allows for easy collaboration, we are able to serve clients throughout the United States.

Shakespeare’s core values are Faith, Family, and Fee-Only. If any of these items are important to you, we welcome the chance to meet.