A Step-by-Step Walkthrough
Financial planning can feel overwhelming if you have never done it before.
At CooksonPeirce, our financial planning process is designed to be structured and easy to understand. Our goal is to replace reaction with a repeatable plan, so your decisions stay in line with your long-term goals.
This step-by-step walkthrough explains how our process works, what you can expect at each stage, and why the ongoing relationship matters just as much as the initial plan.
Why the Financial Planning Process Matters
A strong financial planning process gives you a framework for making decisions during stressful moments, like market volatility, major life changes, or shifting priorities.
We believe that emotions can lead to costly decisions, so we use a disciplined approach based on real evidence and analysis to help keep your financial plans on track.
What Sets CooksonPeirce Apart
The financial planning process itself is what separates a real advisory firm from a bank, a wirehouse, or a life insurance shop. What separates CooksonPeirce from other advisory firms is how we execute that process.
Many advisory relationships follow a single-advisor model. One person covers everything: sales, service, and planning. The result is often surface-level attention spread thin across too many clients.
At CooksonPeirce, we operate differently. Here is what that looks like in practice.
A Collaborative Planning Structure
Every client plan is built through a collaboration between your financial advisor and a dedicated, full-time financial planning specialist. This is not incidental. It is structural. Having a specialist whose sole focus is detailed planning work means every avenue gets explored, not just the obvious ones.
Your advisor handles the relationship and client service. The planning specialist digs into the numbers. When it comes to investment decisions, our portfolio managers are involved in that process as well. Many clients at other firms never benefit from dedicated investment management talent sitting behind their plan. At CooksonPeirce, that expertise is built into the structure.
This structure separates us from life insurance firms, wirehouse shops, and banks, where the person managing your investments is often the same person who sold them to you.
Annual Plan Updates and Tax Analysis
Many firms revisit a financial plan reactively, if at all. We build annual reviews into the process by default. Each year, we update your plan and run a tax analysis specifically designed to identify strategic maneuvers that can reduce your tax burden over time.
This service is available to every client, though not everyone currently takes advantage of it. If you are not receiving annual tax analysis as part of your relationship, it is worth asking about.
Coordination With Your Accountant and Attorney
We do not work in a silo. When it is in your interest, we collaborate directly with your existing accountants and attorneys to develop and implement tax and estate planning strategies. If you need a referral, we can connect you with reputable partners in accounting, insurance, and law.
Our goal is to produce optimized outcomes, not to protect our lane. Maximizing your long-term wealth sometimes means bringing in other professionals and coordinating the whole picture.
7 CFPs. 5 CFAs. Unusual for a Firm Our Size.
We have a large arsenal of financial planning software and one of the most credentialed teams in our category: 7 Certified Financial Planners (CFPs) and 5 Chartered Financial Analysts (CFAs). That combination is uncommon at firms of our size, and it matters for the depth of analysis we are able to deliver.
For context, a CFP designation signals a formal commitment to comprehensive financial planning. A CFA signals deep investment analysis capabilities. Having both, in significant numbers, means your plan benefits from both dimensions.
We primarily serve clients with investable assets over $1 million who are looking for something more than high-fee mutual funds and annuities. That is the audience our process was built around.
Who Our Process Is Built For
Our financial planning process is designed to support three groups of people.
Professionals and Pre-Retirees
The right time to start planning for retirement was when you started working. The next right time is now.”You may be building wealth, maximizing contributions, and navigating trade-offs between current lifestyle and long-term goals. Our planning helps position your wealth during your working years so you can set yourself up for success in the future.
High Net Worth Families
Planning for high net worth families often involves coordinating tax and estate strategies, charitable goals, and multigenerational wealth transfer decisions. We review existing strategies and collaborate with reputable accounting, insurance, and law partners when appropriate.
Retirees
Retirement planning is not only about investments. We do thorough analysis behind the scenes, then explain the plan in plain language so you can make decisions with confidence.
Our 7-Step Financial Planning Process
Step 1: Get to Know You
Every plan starts with context. We begin by learning about your personal situation, your financial history, and what matters most to you. This step sets the foundation for a plan that feels personal.
Step 2: Set Your Goals
Next, we define clear short-term and long-term goals based on your priorities. Good goals are specific enough to plan for, yet flexible enough to evolve as life changes.
Examples of goals we might help you define:
- Retirement timeline and lifestyle needs
- College funding or family support
- Major purchases or upcoming transitions
- Legacy planning and charitable intent
Step 3: Review Your Current Plan
We review your current strategies and look for gaps and opportunities. This is where we assess what is working, what is not, and what could be improved. The purpose is not to complicate your situation. It is to build clarity and identify the areas that may have the biggest impact.
Step 4: Build Your Strategy
After we understand your goals and your current setup, we build a tailored financial plan designed to help you reach those goals. This is where our disciplined approach matters most. We aim to use evidence-based decisions and a numbers-driven process to keep the strategy grounded, especially when emotions or headlines could push investors off course. No cookie-cutter solutions. Your household is unique, and your plan should reflect that.
Step 5: Share the Plan
A plan only works if you understand it. We walk you through recommendations in plain language, explain trade-offs, and answer questions so you feel confident moving forward. This is a collaborative stage. You should leave feeling informed, not overwhelmed.
Step 6: Put the Plan Into Action
A financial plan becomes real through implementation. During this step, we will help you implement the plan across investments, insurance, and savings.
Step 7: Track Progress and Adjust
Financial planning is not a one-time event. Life changes. Markets shift. Goals evolve. We regularly review and update your plan to help keep you on course as your circumstances change.
Ongoing planning can include:
- Scheduled plan reviews and check-ins
- Updates after major life events
- Re-alignment when goals change
- Reviewing progress toward retirement or legacy priorities
- Adjustments when the facts suggest it is time to act
Tracking progress goes beyond monitoring a portfolio balance. We look at whether your overall plan is advancing: whether you are on pace for the retirement you want, whether your tax strategy is playing out as intended, and whether your estate structure still reflects your wishes.
Tracking progress goes beyond monitoring a portfolio balance. We look at whether your overall plan is advancing: whether you are on pace for the retirement you want, whether your tax strategy is playing out as intended, and whether your estate structure still reflects your wishes.
What Makes Our Financial Planning Process Different
Many people assume financial planning is a binder, a one-time meeting, or a list of generic rules. Our process is built around discipline, personalization, and clear communication.
We believe emotion has no place in the investment equation. Our process is designed to help you avoid the common mistakes that derail long-term outcomes.
We are not competing with banks or insurance companies for your attention. We are built for clients who have accumulated real wealth and want a firm with the credentials, structure, and discipline to help them protect and grow it.
Next Steps
If you are evaluating a financial planning relationship with CooksonPeirce, reach out to our team. We would be glad to talk with you about what you are looking for and answer any questions you have.
Contact your CooksonPeirce advisor, or reach us at info@cooksonpeirce.com to schedule a time.
Disclosure:
CooksonPeirce is a registered investment adviser. This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, or legal advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Please consult with a qualified professional regarding your specific situation. For more information about CooksonPeirce, please see our Form ADV on file with the SEC.
about cooksonpeirce
CooksonPeirce is a Pittsburgh-based, 100% employee-owned registered investment adviser founded in 1984. We manage the All Cap Equity strategy for individual investors and financial advisors seeking a disciplined, momentum-driven approach to active equity management. Assets under management exceed $2.5 billion.
Materials discussed are meant for informational purposes only and are not to be construed as investment, tax, or legal advice. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The views expressed represent the opinions of CooksonPeirce and are subject to change. Please refer to CooksonPeirce’s Form ADV for full disclosures.
