-: My name is Helen Curtin.
I'm a financial advisor with a large brokerage firm.
Well, the first meeting with a client is always,
or prospective client, I should say,
is always a getting to know you meeting.
The most important thing that we can do
is to get to know and understand what's important
to the client,
and listen.
So the first meeting is 100 percent
always a getting to know you meeting,
and see if there's a meeting of the minds,
and a meeting of the personalities.
I'll answer any questions that the client might have.
I'll examine their risk tolerance,
their financial goals,
I'll do a full intake evaluation,
but most importantly I want to hear
what's important to them,
and the goals that they want to reach.
So, what we would need to know first
is what assets are on hand.
And that would be a full evaluation from
what's in cash,
and money market,
and the savings account or checking,
to what might be in the brokerage account
or 401k.
So, we can get a global picture
of where the client stands.
Then we need to know what short term goals they have.
Is there anything coming up in the next three
to five years that they have to have money
stocked away for.
And what does it cost them to live?
They need to have three to four months
cash on hand in case of emergencies
before I'll even talk to them
about investing any money.
So it's really important to know
that, you know, that their short term goals are met
before we start planning for the long term.
Having said that,
we work with everybody,
from people who can only afford to put away
50 to 100 dollars a month,
which is really a wonderful way to get started,
because you're actually dollar cost averaging,
buying fewer shares when the market's high,
more shares when the market's low,
and you know,
it's amazing what you can accrue over a period of years,
especially if you start early.
So we work with everyone from people
who are investing 50 to 100 dollars a month
in an IRA,
to people that have come in with several million dollars
that need to work out plans not only for themselves,
but legacy plans for their children.
So we need to know what resources are available
that will suit the individual's goals,
and the individuals I work with,
they are serious long term investors,
either individual people or small business owners.
And, I'm lucky enough to work with
a fortune 500 company that has the resources to...
To vet all of the companies
that make these financial products
because we don't make any products,
it's our job to vet the companies,
the management,
and then the products that these companies offer.
So, they're fully vetted before they get to my office.
And then it's my job to know
how they all work together.