What is The Humanity FactorTM?

Who we serve

How can one firm serve such a diverse client base?

The irony is that many firms attempt to serve everyone to whom they’re referred, often without the service models to do so. The consumer simply isn’t aware that it’s happening. Perhaps you’re the smallest client of the firm, or perhaps you’re their only client of significant net worth and complexity.

Cedar Brook was founded on a passion to provide great planning to a diverse client base, including those that are often ill-served or under-served. As such, we carefully constructed the infrastructure and expertise to live our mission. We can serve a billionaire, a millionaire next door, a superintendent, teacher and doctor in the space of a single day – each with the same quality and intentionality. It’s not a distraction, it’s our life’s work.

Ultra high net worth individuals and families

Privately-held and medium-size business owners

Pre-retirees and retirees

Educational professionals, superintendents and teachers

Doctors and other medical professionals

Ultra high net worth individuals and families

We live in a fragmented society, bombarded with bold financial and economic opinions and disparate data. Add this to the normal chaos of life as a self-made person and complexity becomes exponential. With multiple advisors handling multiple projects, it can be difficult to keep track of it all.

Every life event or business event affects multiple facets of your financial picture and so many layers of your relationships. We help you see the complete life cycle of your decisions and the many tendrils of your choices – both financially and relationally.

The Humanity Factor is about putting all these disparate pieces into context of the whole picture – and your picture uniquely. Every decision has ramifications today, tomorrow and into future generations. Every life event or business event affects multiple facets of your financial picture and so many layers of your relationships. We help you see the complete life cycle of your decisions and the many tendrils of your choices – both financially and relationally.

From a planning perspective, we have walked the walk with many families of substantial net worth. As such, we have a keen ability to align your passions, your vision and the complexities of life with wealth to create wise planning strategies. The result is a financially sound plan that can protect your lifestyle, while having multigenerational value for your family, and the potential for lasting philanthropic impact.

Privately-held and medium-size business owners

When smart people seek out help with their financial affairs, it can feel like you’re walking head-on into a wall of confusion. There’s disparate advice from a variety of disciplines, and even the savviest business owner doesn’t come to the table as an expert who can assimilate the parts into a cohesive whole.

In addition, most conversations quickly move into an oddly impersonal number-centric zone. The discussions surround what you have instead of who you are. What about the life you’ve lived to date, the life you wish for going forward, and even the future of your bloodline?

Armed with the context of who you are in the world and where you aspire to go, this non-numeric reality becomes the foundation for creating your financial plan.

The Humanity Factor takes the confusion wrapper off by placing you at the center of the conversation. We begin by helping you take stock of today. When you become clear about your sources of pride and passion, you’ll find that your biggest aspirations for your future flow forth with unexpected ease.

Armed with the context of who you are in the world and where you aspire to go, this non-numeric reality becomes the foundation for creating your financial plan. At the end of the day, your plan will feel like it’s truly your plan. Then we walk with you in a leadership role to help you live what’s on the printed page.

Importantly, Cedar Brook brings deep expertise and established service models to the table in both the personal side of planning and planning for your business. Many business owners find that for the first time, they can address both realms thoroughly and integrate them seamlessly.

Pre-retirees and retirees

Leading up to and into retirement, perhaps you’ve been offered the latest and greatest product ideas or transactional solutions to your concerns. At Cedar Brook, you’ll meet with an advisor whose primary motivation is to help you develop a plan, not distribute a financial product. For many pre-retirees and retirees, it’s a refreshing opportunity to have a professional advisory relationship and a true planning experience.

Many of our clients are managers, laborers or line workers who’ve worked their whole lives to save for a comfortable retirement. You’ve made smart and frugal choices during your working years. Now we can help you do the same for yourself in retirement.

Many of our clients are managers, laborers or line workers who’ve worked their whole lives to save for a comfortable retirement. You’ve made smart and frugal choices during your working years. Now we can help you do the same for yourself in retirement.

First and foremost, you’ll see a fully integrated financial plan live on screen in our office. You’ll understand how your assets can and need to serve you. When you can see through the clutter for the first time and really understand what you have, it becomes invigorating. Instead of saying yes or no to a product recommendation, you’ll find yourself able to make clear, confident long-term choices. You’ll finally understand what you’re doing and why. That’s why we call it The Humanity Factor.

Educational professionals, superintendents and teachers

As educational professionals, you live your whole life doing great work and living frugally. As retirement approaches, skepticism creeps in. You know you only have one chance to make certain decisions and it’s tough to believe you can trust the financial services industry to be your partner in this life-changing journey.

We understand your risks and skepticism approaching retirement. In fact, our lead advisor in this practice area is a retired superintendent, with dozens of superintendents, principals and teachers as clients. All of our clients in this area are referred to Cedar Brook by fellow educators. And because working with professionals like you is a core practice area for Cedar Brook, we often see and solve changes to various benefit packages before they become evident to our clients.

As educational professionals, you live your whole life doing great work and living frugally. As retirement approaches, skepticism creeps in.You know you only have one chance to make certain decisions.

Many educators aren’t aware that due to your benefit packages, you may have more than enough for a comfortable retirement. In fact, 12% of all white collar millionaires in our country are educators*. Through our work together, many discover they’re a proud participant in this statistic.

We know you are facing big decisions, many of which are irrevocable. Likewise, we know that the available silos of advice may not be equipped to survey the whole picture. Good planning takes all of the tax and cash flow ramifications into consideration – for today, tomorrow and even into the future for your family. It’s what we call The Humanity Factor.

* Anderson, Nancy, “Retiring at Age 50 is Realistic Using These Unorthodox Strategies”, Forbes.com, August 2, 2012.

Doctors and other medical professionals

For doctors and other medical professionals, lifestyle, career and financial opportunities are uniquely linked. You dedicate your whole life to helping other people, often leaving little or no personal time to proactively investigate and navigate financial decisions. At the same time, you expect to find expertise in the financial and planning arenas that matches toe-to-toe with the expertise you bring to your profession.

The Humanity Factor is about always honoring the people and the life stages that are poignant to your planning.

Cedar Brook offers a unique style of planning tailored to the idiosyncratic needs of you and your professional peers. We understand that early on in your career, planning is about debt management and risk management. At the same time, you may have high expectations for earning potential and lifestyle. Our approach helps you do the best you can with what you have while prudently protecting your family simultaneously.

As your career progresses, lifestyle choices – such as second homes or private education for your kids – can influence your planning, possibly warranting a shift in approach. Then, as the decades progress and you become more financially secure, you enter a phase of lifestyle, family and career that warrants a fresh look at how planning can and needs to serve you. The Humanity Factor is about always honoring the people and the life stages that are poignant to your planning.

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