The Practice
Summit is an independent financial planning and investment management firm providing wealth management to individuals and trusts. Focused exclusively on building and preserving wealth, we deliver a disciplined approach including portfolio management, generating retirement income, minimizing income taxes and risk management.
As a fiduciary, we are not beholden to specific products or services. We listen to you, provide 100% customized and coordinated advice, integrate complex financial strategies...and work with you over time because planning is a process not a one-time event.
Our mission is to be the single resource for comprehensive wealth management for successful individuals and business owners by completely serving their unique needs. Our clients rely on us to organize and integrate many aspects of their financial lives, with retirement planning as the centerpiece.
Since 1998, Summit has been an independent Registered Investment Adviser. All of the advisory activities provided by the firm are directly regulated by the Securities & Exchange Commission. You can find links to the firm's most recent regulatory filings in the footer at the bottom of the page. It includes the Advisor Disclosure Document referred to as "ADV Part II" and the explanatory "Schedule F".
What is a Registered Investment Adviser? Under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, an Investment Advisor is "any person who, for compensation, engages in the business of advising others, either directly or through publications or writings, as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities, or who, for compensation and as part of a regular business, issues or promulgates analysis or reports concerning securities..." A typical Investment Advisor is registered with the SEC by filing Form ADV and meeting other requirements; evaluates client's needs and risk tolerance, and advises on appropriate investments; monitors client's portfolios; and uses a broker-dealer or bank to custody assets and to settle and execute trades.
The coordinated financial planning begins with open discussions with our advisory team. The areas for consideration include your current position, risk management, investments, stock options, education funding, income taxes, employee benefits, retirement planning and your estate plan. A written analysis and specific recommendations are developed by a Certified Financial PlannerTM.
What is a Certified Financial Planner? The CFP® marks represent a Certified Financial Planner designation. An individual who has earned these marks has met the education, examination, experience and ethics standards established by the Certified Financial Planners Board of Standards (CFP Board). Therefore, a financial planner who has earned the CFP® marks should be distinguished from a financial planner who has not. Consumers need to be aware that there is nothing preventing a person from declaring themselves a "Financial Planner", and it is therefore incumbent upon the consumer to differentiate between a planner who has earned the marks and one who hasn't.
Asset management is available to clients so they can enjoy the benefits of institutional money management. The firm maintains strategic relationships with custodians such as Schwab Institutional, Fidelity Independent Wealth Services and other money management and investment companies. A written analysis and a specific investment strategy are developed by an Accredited Investment Fiduciary®.
What is an Accredited Investment Fiduciary? The ACCREDITED INVESTMENT FIDUCIARY® professional designation was introduced by the Center for Fiduciary Studies in October of 2002. It is the first and only designation that illustrates knowledge and competency in the area of fiduciary responsibility. Those who hold the designation of AIF® understand and articulate the legal and regulatory environment surrounding the fiduciary, be able to develop and implement an effective investment management process, perform and document all due diligence measures, and above all, treat their clients with the utmost prudence and care.
Please contact us to learn more how we can help you...and to enjoy a:
- Comprehensive, disciplined and independent approach.
- Coordinated financial planning provided by a team of competent, experienced professionals.
- Thoughtful investment strategy executed through the institutional platforms at Schwab and Fidelity.
