How We Work

Getting Started With Seneschal Advisors, LLC

Many of our clients have managed their own financial affairs for many years, and have done a good job. When it comes time to bring in a professional advisor here’s what you can expect from working with us.

We work with clients on an annual retainer basis. Our fees are based on the size and complexity of your financial situation.

Our first step in working with clients, however, is to pull together a complete financial picture and to organize your finances in a systematic way. You don’t need to have done this work before we begin! While each client situation is unique, in the first year, each client experiences the following steps:

Getting to Know You

We take the time to listen deeply, and find out more about you, your family and what you’d like to accomplish – both financially and otherwise – before we begin any kind of financial analysis or planning. We work with you to explore and clarify your values, your purpose, and your goals. Then we assist in a comprehensive information-gathering process to bring your financial picture into focus. We cover:

• Goals and Objectives
• Cash Flow
• Income and Taxes
• Assets and Liabilities
• Risk Management and Insurance
• Employee Benefit Accounts
• Property and Associated Liabilities
• Wealth Transfer and Charitable Giving

Analysis and Recommendations

Our next step is to compile and analyze the information you have provided, and compare it to the goals and values we’ve discussed. First we develop projections for your assets and debts, income, cash flow, estate tax and retirement plans. Then we prepare recommendations for:

• Income tax minimization
• Debt reduction and management
• Cash management
• Life insurance
• Property and liabilities
• Charitable gifts and wealth transfer
• Other estate planning
• Investment portfolio management and structure

At this stage, our recommendations are preliminary and subject to refinement as we discuss them with you. Once you have decided how you would like to proceed, we develop your action plan.

Action Plan and Implementation

Based on our discussion of strategies and recommendations, we develop a written action plan to accomplish your goals. We support you in taking action – coordinating with your attorney, accountant, broker or insurance agent – to implement the plan. We arrange for quarterly updates to monitor progress. We also provide continuous support in response to questions or issues that arise between quarterly reviews.

Annual Review and Replanning

Each year on the anniversary of your engagement with Seneschal Advisors, LLC, we conduct a comprehensive review of progress toward your goals. Changes may have occurred in your thinking, your life’s circumstances, or in the financial markets. We review everything that has changed, analyze the progress to date, and update your action plan accordingly. Most importantly, we celebrate the successes you’re experiencing as you align your financial decisions with your life’s purpose and values.

Client Communication

Each Seneschal Advisors’ client has a secure client page through which we communicate about your account and action plan. We keep up-to-date records of your financial documents, action plan and progress reports on your page. We use the page to remind you of next steps in action planning and other news.

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