Dear Ambassador Family,

Summer is over and our head is in the game!

1. Website:

   We sent you an email in the middle of August announcing the official launch of our new website and resource center. As you know, we were able to go live over a month early from what we previously told you.

   This project had been our top priority all year. You and our professional colleagues expressed a desire for content and resources that are directly related to the situations our clients and their clients are dealing with every day. We heard this request and delivered.

   Our resource center is full of blogs and white papers that we wrote based on our conversations with you. Here are four white papers you can quickly access from our website’s home page:

   • 3 Ways Reaching for Income Can Make You Broke
   • 2018-9 Tax Guide: Don’t Get Trumped By The Tax Reform
   • Investment Dashboard 2018 (Part 1: Stocks vs. Bonds)
   • Investment Dashboard 2018 (Part 2: Economies: US and International)

   We are continuing to produce content that will be a valuable resource for you and your loved ones to live your lives with purpose. Please share these articles with anyone who might find this information to be helpful.

2. Tour:

   We would also like to give a formal tour of our new website through a series of emails. I want to make sure you fully understand this resource outlet and know where to access any information you may need.

   I encourage you to read these emails and familiarize yourself with our website. This is where we have our menu of services, our process, along with information to help you understand what it really means to work with a Fiduciary Advisor.

3. Our Trademark:

   In my last couple of letters, I have been introducing the concept of the Family Barometer number. Our team is working on producing a white paper that explains what this number is and how you can maximize your financial planning services here at AWM. It helps our team here at Ambassador and you to understand the complexities surrounding your financial situation.  This also helps us to strategically advise you as we work together to reach your goals.

4. Technology Advancements:

   Technology is constantly changing, and we are keeping up. We have had to manually fill out every single form in order to gather the proper information we need from you. This process not only increases the number of times we transfer information, it also highly increases the chances of copying the information incorrectly.

   In order to protect your information and security, we are taking every measure we can to ensure we confidentially handle all of your private and personal information.

   Later this quarter, we will begin to make things easier for you. We are transitioning to a new, secure, electronic system and away from paper. This new system ultimately will allow us to give you timely, pertinent advice based on the current information you submit. This will allow you to verify, change, or add information seamlessly and correctly. The less mistakes made, the better our service can be for you.

5. Approaching the New Year:

   On December 22, 2017, the most sweeping tax legislation since the Tax Reform Act of 1986 was signed into law. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) implemented some positive and negative changes. To better understand some of these changes, I encourage you to read our tax guide, which can be downloaded from our resource center.

   If you have any questions or concerns about the implications of this new tax code, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us. You could retain us to do planning work to make sure you take full advantage of the new tax laws and prevent paying more than you need to.

2018 has been full of changes in the tax code, market, fiduciary landscape, the Ambassador firm, and much more. Our goal is to empower you to make better financial decisions as we approach 2019 whether you are focusing on tax, estate, or retirement strategies. In order to do that, we want to be proactive in learning about you and the changes in your life. Starting this quarter, we will ask you to review all your information we have, make any necessary changes, and prioritize your goals. By gathering information before our in-person meetings, our time together will be more productive and centered around what’s most important: helping you navigate your life with purpose.

Sincerely,

Petr Burunov

President / Financial Planner

Schedule appointment

The post Client Newsletter 4Q18 appeared first on AWM.

Dear Ambassador Family,

We keep adding new ways to serve you.

Stuart just celebrated his first year with us.  We brought him in to upgrade the management and trading of your investments.  His mandate is to manage your money not just to seek return, but also to defend against higher market volatility which we anticipate going forward.

Please read the Investment Letter.  It describes enhancements for you from the investment side.  For instance, did you know we just saved many of you half a percent every year from now on?

In my April newsletter, I introduced the concept of a Family Barometer number. I want to explain more about this concept.

1. What is it: A Family Barometer acts the same as a weather barometer. A weather barometer is an instrument that measures the changes in our atmosphere. We base much of our lives around this tool because of the information it gives us. In a similar way, your “Family Barometer” gauges your family’s overall financial health.
2. How it works: Because this tool paints a picture of your entire financial situation, it helps us to understand where you are, where you want to be, and how to get there. By understanding as much as we can about you and your goals, we then can help you design the number you will need to improve your financial state. We want you to maintain or improve your lifestyle in retirement.
3. Why use it: Much like receiving and implementing a treatment plan from your doctor, using your Family Barometer will drastically increase your odds for success. With an accurate diagnosis and the appropriate change in direction (or behavior), we can help you navigate to success, independence and fulfilling your dreams.

As most of you have probably heard and seen by now, we are steadily working on our new website to make it as user-friendly and informative as possible.

With the feedback I have heard from certain clients and professionals, I understand the need for more education and resources.

Our goal is to launch our content library for you to use and answer any questions you might have about our industry.   Our team has been steadily working on developing content and designing the platform.  We expect to launch it formally on October 1, 2018.

Once this platform goes live, we will notify you of new articles. We seek to have an interactive relationship with you through this resource center. I encourage each of you to read our articles and forward them on to your friends and family.  Let us know of additional topics you want us to address.

The last update I want to mention is technology.

Our office has contacted most of you, asking you to sign up for our client portal and begin filling it out. This is one of our financial planning tools to enhance our strategic advice. By compiling all of your assets and financial accounts onto one platform, we can visually see how to help you achieve your goals. It is important for us to see the whole picture when discussing your financial plans and situations.

This portal serves two main functions:

1. We can communicate seamlessly with you. You receive a variety of reports and newsletters, which you might find useful for your other professionals who assist you with tax planning.  You can also share information with us in an environment more convenient and secure than Email or snail mail.
2. We can strategically build comprehensive plans for your household’s finances. For those clients who want to maximize and utilize these planning services, we encourage you to link all assets and accounts to the portal. When you have questions and come in for a meeting, we can analyze tax strategies, estate planning strategies and charitable giving strategies, to name a few.

To see the full value of this resource, I want to point back to the Family Barometer. Once we are able to see your entire financial picture, we will be able to properly diagnose your situation and offer you proactive recommendations.  Think of me as your financial doctor.  On the other hand, if you were to keep vital information from me, I would never be able to set you up for the most successful outcomes.

Thank you for being a member of the Ambassador Family.  We look forward to getting to know you better and help you live life with purpose.

Sincerely,
Petr Burunov
President / Financial Planner
 

Schedule appointment

The post Client Newsletter 3Q18 appeared first on AWM.

Dear Ambassador Family,

We are keeping our eye on the ball.

In the midst of the enhancements we are striving to implement at Ambassador Wealth Management, I have gained a renewed appreciation of helping you with strategic and holistic thinking.  I am convinced that your “Family Barometer” ought to play a role in helping you live your life with purpose.

Others who do not incorporate their “Family Barometer” into their lives hinder the success of achieving their goals.

Here are two of the biggest pitfalls I have seen others make:

(1) not having any plan for the future

(2) letting emotions rather than logic and vision drive their finances and their lives

Regarding (1), our response is “Hope is not a strategy!”  We appreciate that clients like you recognize the value of thinking strategically and proactively.  We think about you beyond your investments and we consider your overall financial health and how it can serve your life goals.

Regarding (2), the temptation is to get excited and take more risk when markets are toppy – and to despair when markets are choppy.  Instead, by taking a strategic perspective, you potentially can lessen the possibility of making poor decisions based on emotions and market fluctuations.

Your Family Barometer is a key component in helping you to avoid the pitfalls others might suffer.

I am currently working on a future letter to better explain this concept in more detail.

In the meantime, here is a brief update on new changes we have already made to deepen our relationship with you.

New Staff

Most of you have already met Deanna Koehler, one of our new additions. Deanna started last November and has transitioned into a more solidified position. Her new role focuses on client services and operations.

Earlier in February, Andrea Beneke resigned from Ambassador to accept a position in a different industry with Papa Murphy’s.

Another addition is Emylina Burunov. Emylina first interned during her time at George Fox University and continued to work on various projects during the last four years. She now works full time as our marketing director.  Her role includes improving the functions on our website, content development, and strengthen client communications.

Client Portal

In early January, we launched your individualized Client Portal in an effort to deepen our relationship with you.  We encourage you to sign up and start linking all your assets and financial accounts. The better understanding we can have of your total financial picture (current and future), the more comprehensive our advice will be for you and your family.  It is important for us to see the whole picture when discussing your financial plans and situations.

This portal serves two main functions:

1) We can communicate seamlessly with you. To name a few, our team can upload various performance reports, give updates on our client’s RMDs (Required Minimum Distribution for those 70.5 or older), and provide you with advisor fee statements.  It also gives you the opportunity to share information with us in an environment more convenient and secure than Email or snail mail.

2) We can strategically build comprehensive plans for your household’s finances. For those clients who want to maximize and utilize these planning services, we encourage you to link all assets and accounts to the portal. When you have questions and come for a meeting, we can analyze tax strategies, estate planning strategies, and charitable giving strategies, to name a few.

Guide to Reading Your Quarterly Family Barometer Report

This guide will give a quick overview of your new personal reports: performance reports, RMDs (Required Minimum Distribution) for clients over 70.5 years, and billing invoice for our advisory fees. Please reach out to us if you have any questions regarding this guide or your quarterly report.

I am excited to take full advantage of these new tools to maximize your financial plans and discover your family’s financial barometer.

Sincerely,

Petr Burunov
President / Financial Planner

Building relationships to help you navigate life with purpose.
 

Schedule appointment

The post Client Newsletter 2Q18 appeared first on AWM.

• Going from “I” to “We”
• Focusing on Clients Like You (and Shedding Others Who Are Not)
• Adapting Technology to Expand Our Services for Clients Like You

Dear Clients,

Welcome to the Ambassador Family!

Nearly three years ago, I sought counsel from our top clients and professional partners. My purpose was to understand how we could better serve you.  What struck me was your passion for our Relationship.  You told me I need to excel in three areas:

1. Build deeper relationships by understanding your needs better
2. Offer sophisticated solutions and guidance to help clients make wiser decisions
3. Spend more time with clients to figure out how to live your lives with purpose

Your feedback told me to go deeper with my existing mission statement:

“Building relationships to help you navigate life with purpose.”

To accomplish this mission, you helped me realize that I needed to expand my capabilities.

I narrowed the list down to a few items which needed to happen before I could commit to growing in those areas:

Team

I personally was wearing too many hats.  My work and family life were out of balance.  I needed more help.  Ambassador had to go from “I” to “We”.

So, I redefined Andrea’s and Debbie’s roles.  I promoted them both to full time positions.  They received more training to take on more responsibilities.

I also hired new and experienced staff.  In April, I brought in Stuart, who has 25 years in the industry, as Managing Director of Investments and Compliance.  Towards the end of last year, Deanna joined the team.  She will assist with client service.  Deanna previously worked for Moss Adams and successfully raised three kids.

This new growth prompted our big move at the end of December.  Now we not only have a much better work environment for our team, but we also have space which will allow us to serve our clients professionally and efficiently.

Client Focus

I realized we needed to focus more deeply on clients who could benefit from our mission – and let go of those who did not want to engage.

In order to provide more one-on-one time and better understand clients’ needs and wants, we discovered that we had too many clients who lacked commitment to building deeper relationships or lacking engagement with our services.  During the transition, we let go of over 60 households.

We also introduced a Menu of Services to explain specifically how we can help you and allow us to spend more time with you.  Going forward, we will accept a limited number of client referrals.  We want to focus only on clients who need and value our planning services.  This requires us to invest one-on-one time with each client.  This focus will allow us to continue building deeper relationships with our elite group of clients like you.

Cutting Edge Technology/Partners

Great companies embrace great technology.  By upgrading to state-of-the-art technology partners, we could come closer to providing concierge service to our elite clients.

After years of working with our former custodian to improve our technology and efficiency, we concluded that LPL was no longer the right partner for our model.  We began an extensive due diligence process to see if our clients could benefit from a new custodian.  We interviewed multiple custodians.   As a result of our search conducted over a year, we selected TD Ameritrade as a custodian with serious investment in technology, competitive pricing, and a commitment to minimizing conflicts of interest.

We also invested significant resources to upgrade our technology in 2017.  The more automated our back office, the better service we can provide you.  In 2018, we expect to spend more time with our clients with less risk for error in back office operations.

Additionally, our new technology will empower us to understand your needs better and offer more holistic solutions.  Your new customized client portal will allow you to examine your total financial picture.  Clients can view all their other financial holdings, including both assets and liabilities.  The more we can work together to understand your whole financial picture, the better we can serve you.  We can devise more robust, strategic plans that can maximize the likelihood for successful outcomes.

You asked for us to deepen our relationship with you.  Now it is your turn to come and benefit.

Sincerely,

Petr Burunov

President/Financial Planner

Building relationships to help you navigate life with purpose.
 

Schedule appointment

The post Client Newsletter 1Q18 appeared first on AWM.