Our Services " Conflict Free"

  Stephen Chappell,  MSFS,CFS offers highly personalized, comprehensive wealth management for individuals with a high net worth through Raymond James Financial Services Inc.  Each plan is customized with specific recommendations, unlike many of the cookie cutter versions of major firms. Most importantly, Stephen guides clients, as needed, with the implementation of their plan to help ensure that their goals are met. 

I take a "conflict-free" approach to everything I do to ensure that my only consideration in analyzing and recommending specific actions is helping my clients accomplish their financial and personal objectives.  Many investment adivisors offer commission-based services.  I believe such an approach inevitably breeds conflicts of interest.  First, firms selling commission-based services are compensated by the investments or products they recommend and implement. Second, these firms' commissions are immediately substracted from an investment-regardless of whether or not wealth has been created for the investor.  My business exists to help clients steward their resources and improve their quality of life.  As such, I offer investment management and financial planning services on a "fee-only" basis, meaning Im not compensated by the investments or products I recommend and implement. My "fee-only" policy eliminates potential conflicts of interest and ensures that my clients' investments are dedicated entirely to building wealth.

An Ongoing Conversation

I believe that planning is most effective as an ongoing dialogue.  So I see the planning process as a framework to build on, rather than a rigid, "one-size-fits-all" template.

To be effective, financial plans must evolve as our lives evolve.  In life, we always find ourselves in new situations. New opportunities and challenges emerge.  Our goals change. Unforseen circumstances require us to take short-term actions we didn't anticipate.  It's imperative to make sure our financial plans evolve accordingly.

This is why I take great care to make sure my recommendations afford you the flexibility and liquidity to evolve your plan as your story about the future evolves.

Access to a Trusted Advisor:

Since life is always evolving, it's enevitable that people will find themselves at unforeseen crossroads:  a point in time when they must make a choice that has the potential of having a significant impact on their financial well-being.

As a result, I invite our clients to engage with me as a thought partner-trusted advisor, who not only brings  competence in financial and investment management, but is already intimate with your goals, concerns and values.

My committment to my clients, as always, to help them make the most prudent and effective moves, and to do so in a way that does not diminish their ability to take care of the other concerns in their lives.

Beginning with a complete assessment of assets and liabilities, Stephen identifies short and long term goals and develop strategies designed to meet those goals. He coordinates client needs in areas of: Asset Management, Asset Allocation, Asset Preservation, Investment Planning, College Planning, Estate Planning,  Income Tax Planning, and Retirement Planning. Stephen recognizes the importance of a team approach to wealth management, and works closely with their clients other trusted professionals: attorneys, CPAs, auditors, trustees, etc. *Tax planning is provided independently of RJFS.

The financial plans I develop for clients include the following where appropriate:

• Net worth statement:  We will create a document that specifies your assets and liabilities and pinpoints where you are in the wealth-accumulation process.  

• Current position evaluation:  We're professionals at making financial assessments. We'll analyze and evaluate all of your current positions and specify an action plan for now and the future.  

• Recommendations for improving strategic asset allocation:  During planning engagements, we often find that a client's 401k investments are not coordinated or balanced with their brokerage and other investments.  This can cause situations where investments are concentrated(not diversified) and everything declines dramatically at the same time.  We'll help you avoid these breakdowns.  

• Life insurance review and recommendations:  Are you under-insured, over-insured, or just right? We'll provide well grounded assessments that help you answer these questions and more.  


• Retirement Plan:  When do you want to retire or have other options?  What level of annual income in today's dollars do you want in retirment?  We'll create a plan that takes the financial mystery out of retirement and helps you make well-grounded assessments about your future.  

• Education Plan:  We work with you to develop specific answers to questions like:  How much will it cost to help fund our children's education at a public or private university?  What should we be doing now to take care of it?

• Cash flow Statement:  How much are you currently saving? We will analyze your income and expenses to determine how much money you can save towards your financial goals.  This oftern leads to the development and implementation of a personalized budget.

• Recommendations for debt management:  We'll show you how to balance debt reduction with saving and investing for other concerns.

• Real Estate acquistions strategies:  Thinking about buying a home or some income property?  We'll design an action plan that includes real estate acquistion, retirment and education planning along with other concerns appropriate to your situation.

• Estate planning:  Is your will current? Do you understand the tremendous value of a living trust to those who survive you?  For the sake of those you care about, call us for an informational meeting with a qualified attorney at no cost or obligation.