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Design. Retire. Live.

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Dedicated to Elevating Your Expectations

Based in Fort Mill, South Carolina, we’re a firm motivated by the opportunity to better the lives of our clients through objective, straightforward financial planning and our community through educational and informative workshops. We are Financial Advisors in Fort Mill, SC

We offer retirement planning/income strategies focused on your goals in building, preserving and passing down your wealth. Our passion lies with developing a financial plan that you can count on for years to come. There’s no better time to get started than by:

Discovering

Get started by scheduling a meeting with us to discover what your ideal retirement looks like.

Evaluating

Utilizing our Retirement Income Design Experience®, we’ll develop an understanding of your current financial situation and determine your unique retirement needs.

Implementing

Together, we’ll create a personalized strategy to help you reach your goals for the road ahead.

Rooted in Who We Are & the Work We Provide

We’re focused on building genuine relationships with both you and your family as we work together to understand your interests and aspirations. As a team that is passionate about people, we’re excited to get to work with you.

You can get started online with a free portfolio analysis from Riskalyze to identify any questions or concerns you may want to address.

Let's Get Started

At Vertex Capital Advisors we understand that life has many transitions and turning points. Our primary goal is to help guide our clients through the transitions of life. Every major life event can have financial implications, and we feel it is essential to prepare for what may come. A small sample of life events where finances play a role could be: moving to a new area, starting a new career, sending kids to college, changing jobs, getting married, or a death in the family. Life events are highly individualized, and as Financial Advisors in Fort Mill, SC, we can help. We work with people who want to get on the right track to save money and reach their financial goals.

While some individuals may be concerned about the financial advisor cost, it is essential to know that we are financial planning professionals that are held to a fiduciary standard of care. This standard requires financial professionals to put the needs of clients above their own interests.

Before searching “financial advisor near me,” it is vital for individuals to know what services and solutions a financial advisor may offer. Our firm has a “Plan First” financial philosophy, which means that we believe in financial engagement. Thus, we believe that financial guidance and financial advice are most useful when they are delivered within the context of a comprehensive financial plan. This financial planning process need not be complex to be effective. Some of the areas we explore when crafting a financial planning strategy include:


Goal Setting Methodology

Goal setting can be an integral part of financial planning. In personal finance, goals may vary depending on a variety of factors like age, marital status, current financial standing, and many other dynamics. Financial goals typically fall into three categories, either short term, midterm, or long-term goals. Establishing a framework for these goals is an important piece of financial planning. Our hope is that a better understanding of appropriate financial goals can help create greater clarity and confidence with one’s financial plan.

Short-Term Goals

Emergency Fund Management

Short-term goals typically include things like establishing a budget and creating an emergency fund. Financial advisors will often recommend having the equivalent of a minimum of three to six months of necessary living expenses saved in case of an emergency. Creating an emergency fund or cash reserves may seem like a boring financial task; however, in times of financial uncertainty, cash reserves can be a huge relief from financial stress. Our financial coaching includes helping our clients to determine a cash flow plan that can them determine how to reach that goal for themselves.

Another important short-term goal to consider is retiring certain types of debts. While there may be some debate about whether a person should focus on establishing an emergency fund or paying off high-interest debts, Michael Baker our CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional in Fort Mill, SC can assist with this type of financial decision.

Mid Term Goals

Mid-term goals may include things like funding investments, insurance planning, and debt management. Progress towards these goals should ramp up once a person has made significant progress on or met their short-term goals.

Insurance Planning

Insurance planning with our team includes a review of your life insurance, income protection (disability) insurance, and any annuity contracts. For those who have spouses, children, or other dependents, having appropriate insurance protection is a critical part of risk management. For people preparing for retirement, annuities are a product that can be confusing and misunderstood. We believe that knowing what you own is imperative overall financial wellness.

Life insurance protects family members against loss of income when the insurance holder passes away unexpectedly. Term life insurance is a straightforward and potentially inexpensive type of life insurance. Our financial advisors can help a person decide how much life insurance they need and help them determine insurance affordability. We may help them find a plan that works best for them or connect them with a trusted insurance partner.

Disability income insurance replaces a portion of a person’s income if they cannot work because of illness or injury. Personal income protection is a critical component of financial planning, and it should not be overlooked. Having your own disability protection can offer a higher safety than Social Security Disability Income. We work with a team of experts in disability insurance when it comes finding plan that work for your situation.

Debt Management

Many Americans may find themselves in debt over the course of their lives, especially if they have purchased a home or vehicle, taken out student loans, or used debt to begin a small business. Not all debt is bad debt; however, it’s important to consider how we use debt. Student loan payments after graduation can be high, taking up a large portion of a person’s monthly budget. The same may be true for other forms of debt, such as personal loans and auto loans. Real estate and mortgage debt can also be a burden if it gets out of control. Part of financial stewardship is using debt wisely, and we can work with you to develop a cash flow plan that addresses debt use and debt retirement.

Long-Term Goals

Long-term goals will almost always vary by individual, but some of the most common long-term financial goals are planning for retirement, saving for a child’s education, paying off a mortgage and estate planning.

Retirement Planning

There are many factors a person should consider when planning for their retirement. Some of these areas include social security income planning, healthcare costs in retirement, retirement plan assets, desired retirement income, thoughts about inflation, and how their current budget fits into their long-term retirement goals. In order to make some realistic retirement goals, we feel that developing a written retirement income plan should be an essential step in planning for one’s retirement years. We have extensive experience with planning for retirement income, and our goal is to help you make an actionable plan. Some people attempt to use a retirement planning calculator to determine the amount of money a person will need to save in a tax-advantaged retirement account, such as an IRA or 401(k), yet we believe that retirement income planning should be done with a competent financial planner as early as possible.

Proper retirement planning will be ongoing process that develops as you move through different life stages, including your retirement years. It’s also possible for your retirement goals to shift over time, and we feel that having a plan that is flexible to adapt to those changes is a tremendous asset. 

Education Funding

When a person has children, they endure many sleepless nights, buying tons of diapers, and the costs of childcare. One item that may be important for some families is getting a good start on preparing for their college education. Financial planning professionals can help their clients understand how to save for their children’s education through traditional savings methods, tax-advantaged methods like a 529 tuition plan, and more. We are able work with clients to find affordable, budget-friendly ways to minimize the financial impact of a college education on their children and themselves in the future.

Real Estate Planning

Home ownership has long been part of the American Dream. Homeowners often have a financial goal of paying down a mortgage, and the importance of this financial goal can vary depending on one’s stage in life. As you approach your retirement years, paying off the mortgage usually becomes a priority. Reducing mortgage debt can free up additional cash flow, and it often brings peace of mind.

In additional to traditional home ownership, some individuals have an interest in real estate investing. Our team of financial planning practitioners can help clients by leveraging our network of tax professionals, attorneys, and real estate management companies. Other areas to consider are tax planning, capital allocations, and appropriate use of cash flows. Real estate is a valuable asset class, and we stand ready to help clients with their real estate planning needs.


Essential Service Areas


The Bottom Line

We believe that personal financial planning is essential to living a financially confident and secure life. Our team of financial planners in Fort Mill, SC, can help clients reach their financial goals and feel excited about their potential future. However, when it comes to choosing a financial advisor, we feel that it is not enough to choose the first name on the list after a search for “financial planner near me.” Individuals and couples should know the level of loyalty, duty and competency that they should expect when engaging a financial services professional. Our team is committed to excellent service combined with next level expertise. Our goal for every client is for them to achieve their financial goals in a way that brings clarity and confidence, where we plan for the long-term yet celebrate financial milestones along the way.