What Clients Are Saying

A Letter From Linda Humm

Dear Jeff,

I know I have said this before, but I cannot begin to thank you and your team enough for the great onboarding experience.  Your approach to holistic financial and retirement planning was something new to me, and you and your team patiently walked me through every step of the way.  I always only thought of investments and needing guidance in that space, but you enlightened me on other aspects of retirement that are real and need to be considered such as long-term care and life insurance.

Yesterday, the light bulb came on for me when I was helping my brother clean his house.  His wife had early onset of dementia approximately 10 years ago and needs 24 x 7 care now.  I looked and realized that could be me one day.  I am so grateful that I have you and your team keeping my best interests in mind.  I would not have gotten this from just a Financial Planner.

Thanks again for all you do Jeff!  I sincerely appreciate it.

Gratefully,

Linda Humm

September 10, 2023

A Letter From Cathy Makley & Family

Dear Jeff,

As I’ve said to you many times, I can’t begin to express to you how much your guidance and advice has meant to our family for over 25 years.

Morgan and I always believed in the value of life and disability insurance but having you in our corner to watch over us and guide us was invaluable. You kept us on track, when it would have been easy to put off making important financial decisions, keeping us focused on our goals.t

This all became very real to us in February 2020, when Morgan was diagnosed with stage 4 esophageal cancer. It was difficult enough to tell our kids what we were facing, thank God we were able to assure the boys that financially we would be more than ok. Both boys came to me individually that first weekend to ask if their college plans needed to change and I was able to tell them that the one thing I knew with certainty was that we would be ok financially, no matter what happened. We wouldn’t have to sell the house, our lifestyle wouldn’t change, and they could continue in school as planned, even if Morgan was unable to work or in the event of his death. I did ask them to cut back on their trips to Chick-Fil-A, because NO ONE can afford as many chicken nuggets as they eat, lol.

This also was a huge relief to Morgan, as he went through his battle. As a father and husband, the main breadwinner throughout our marriage, his overwhelming concern was making sure that the boys, Liz, and I would be ok. It was such a gift for me to be able to tell him that he had already done that – that everything was in place, and we didn’t have to worry about anything financially. This allowed him to focus all his energy on fighting cancer and I believe having that stress removed prolonged his life.

It was very difficult for him to step away from work, for many reasons. I’ll never forget being on the phone with you while he was receiving treatment one day last fall. You and I were discussing filing for long term disability and reviewing our financial situation. Morgan got in the car while we were speaking and listened quietly to the conversation during our 30-minute drive home. After we hung up, he said, “Ok, I believe you now. We’re going to be good.” He went into the house and called his boss to tell him he needed to take some time off. Again, I think that this gave us a few more months with him, where he was able to play golf and be present with friends and family. If he had continued to work, I think we would have lost him before Christmas.

One thing I didn’t realize prior to this experience, is how much concern about our financial well-being extends beyond our immediate family. Countless friends and extended family have reached out to make sure we would be ok. His work colleagues and mine have checked on us. Even his oncologist and her staff checked in to make sure that we didn’t need assistance, because she knew that financial stress would be a huge physical drain on him.

As you know, Morgan didn’t like being involved in the details of our financial plans, leaving it up to me to make decisions. It was my job to be a good steward of what he provided, and I am so grateful that, thanks to you, I was able to live up to that.

Please share this letter with or give my number to ANYONE who thinks that getting their financial affairs in order is something that can be put off. Morgan’s diagnosis came out of nowhere – we had 2 weeks from his first symptoms, to knowing that he had stage 4 cancer and that it was unlikely that he would survive beyond a year. Because of you and your team, 90 days after his death, we can focus on moving forward, knowing that we will continue to live our lives the way Morgan intended. I will never be able to thank you enough for that gift.

Gratefully,

Cathy Makley and Family

June 25, 2022