Meridian Blog

When the world stopped in March with the arrival of COVID-19, we got a small reprieve from the endless string of ‘grown-up’ appointments…no routine doctor visits, hair cuts, teeth cleanings, vet visits, etc.  It sort of felt like playing hooky from doing adult things…but now, sadly, all of those adulting things are stacked up on top of one another, and as the businesses reopen, my calendar is full of catching up on routine appointments.  In the last month, our family has been to the orthodontist/dentist 11 times (braces for 2 kids, deferred), the vet 4 times, the doctor 4 times, and the salon 3 times.  Lots of running around!

Even though I feel accomplished after each of these appointments, I always dread them—especially the doctor and dentist ones.  It is hard to feel vulnerable and exposed and sort of simultaneously judged (although I’m sure the judgement part is in my own head…).  And I realized, sitting in the doctor’s office at a routine physical that I have dreaded for the past few weeks, that meeting with a financial planner must feel the same sometimes!  Eek.

When you meet with an advisor, you bring all of your financial decisions—good or bad—and present them for someone else to assess and analyze.  Understandably a bit awkward and anxiety inducing!

From my seat as an advisor, I am only interested in what you are trying to do and how we can best assemble what you have to accomplish your goals, but I realize it may feel a little different as the one presenting your financial picture…

So, much like doctors have their Hippocratic Oath, here is our advisor’s creed to you, our clients and potential clients, and we hope it allays some worries:

Meridian Financial Partners exists to bring peace to the pursuit of financial dreams.

We strive to deliver holistic, unbiased financial advice to help you achieve your life goals. We expect to build a trusted, advisory relationship with you over your lifetime. We believe that the secret to any successful relationship is to have clear expectations from the beginning.

Here are the tenets by which we operate, and what you can expect from us:

Our Tenets:

1. We believe financial planning integrates the key areas of your financial life—cash flow planning, risk management, investment management, tax planning, and estate planning. We believe all of these areas are integral to achieving personal financial success. Successful clients need and value all aspects of financial planning
2. We agree to communicate openly, clearly, and respectfully. Good communication is critical to the success of our relationship.
3. We strive to create engaging and productive client experiences, free of stress or fear.
4. We believe in a disciplined investment approach based on long term tactical asset allocation. We do not believe in continuously timing the market.
5. We believe in the value of synergy. Effective communication and exchange of data and ideas among all related advisors is essential to creating an exceptional plan for you.  We will work with your accountant, attorney, insurance agents and any other advisors to optimize the financial advice we give you.
6. Everyone should have the opportunity to live a great life. Our goal is to help people achieve this with clarity, comfort, and confidence.

What We Deliver:

1. We look at all aspects of your life to create an ongoing financial plan that fits your goals, values, and resources, as well as maximizes your opportunities.
2. We keep all your information confidential, safe and secure. We share information only as needed with attorneys, accountants, and other professionals with your permission. Our client portals and office systems employ advanced security features and protocols to protect your data.
3. We strive to return all calls and emails within one working day. We will inform you of any short term deviations from this policy.
4. We will contact you throughout the year to keep you up to date on your portfolio. We review your full plan annually at our Annual Summit Meeting. In addition, we welcome your calls anytime with questions or concerns you may have.
5. We will direct you to the best and widest range of investments that fit our investment philosophy at the best possible cost.
6. We commit to always doing our best on your behalf. We are proud to serve in a fiduciary capacity for you. We love what we do and take pride in doing the best job possible.
7. We are compensated by client fees only. Our fees are fully disclosed to you and we do not accept any commissions or referral fees.

We hope to see you soon—virtually or otherwise~