| Advisor Profile |
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| Name: |
Georgia Bruggeman |
| Phone Number: |
(508) 306-0124 |
| Website: |
Visit Website
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Business Description |
Meridian Financial is an independent, fee-only firm that creates customized financial solutions for individuals, families and small businesses. While we provide advice on Insurance, Taxes, Retirement Planning and Estate Planning we specialize in Portfolio Management and securities research. We give one on one attention to each of our clients and develop plans that consider your specific time horizon, risk tolerance and goals - no generic advice intended to sell that firm's products. We receive no compensation from any product we recommend. Our mission is to create the best plan for you with the best products for you.
We prefer that our clients have investable assets of $150,000 excluding 401k assets. Investable assets would include IRAs, Roth IRAs, Rollover IRAs, Coverdells and all other taxable accounts. |
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General Information |
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| Name of Custodial Firm: |
TD Ameritrade
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| Years of Experience in Financial Services: |
22
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| Number of Years with Current Firm: |
18
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| Work Experience: |
Have provided comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management services since 1990.
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| I work with the following types of clients: |
Individual Investors
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Education |
| Academic Background |
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BS, Business Administration - Skidmore College
MBA, Finance and Investments - Babson College
Passed Levels I and II of CFA Program |
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Services |
| Investment Types: |
Alternative Investments, Bonds, Stocks, Annuities, Mutual Funds, Mortgages & Real Estate, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Socially Responsible Investments (SRI)
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Qualifications & Memberships |
| Certifications, Accreditations & Designations: |
Certified Financial Planner (CFP®)
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| Financial Organization Memberships: |
Paladin Registry, Financial Planning Association (FPA), CFA Institute, National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)
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Firm Information |
| Number of Advisors in Office: |
Up to 10 employees
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| I work with clients as part of a team: |
Yes
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| Assets Managed by Firm: |
Yes
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| Advisor's Number of Clients: |
42
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| Advisor's Number of Managed Clients: |
42
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| Assets Managed by Advisor: |
18,000,000
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Compliance |
| Registered Investment Advisor: |
Yes
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| Investment Advisor Representative: |
Yes
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| I am an acknowledged fiduciary: |
Yes
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Compensation & Fees |
| I am a fee-only financial professional: |
Yes
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| Minimum Portfolio Size for New Managed Accounts: |
250,000
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| Compensation Methods: |
Based on Assets, Flat Fee
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| Additional Details on Charges: |
Pricing for the written financial plans are dependant on the size of the portfolio. The minimum charge for a written plan is $1500 for assets under management of at least $250,000. For assets less than $250,000 the charge for a written plan will range between $1500-$1750
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| Minimum Fee Charged for Flat Fee Accounts: |
2500
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| Prepared By: |
Georgia Bruggeman |
| Most Recent Update: |
07/16/2008 |
Frequently Asked Questions |
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What are your qualifications? What is your education background? |
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My qualifications include an MBA in finance, providing planning services since 1990, passed levels I & II of CFA designation, CFP |
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What is your approach to financial planning? |
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Our approach is based on your specific goals. We gather information, analyze your situation, develop recommendations and implement those recommendations. Regular meetings occur to monitor the progress of the plan. |
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What services do you offer? |
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Cashflow planning, retirement, estate, college funding, Long Term Care, individual equities, bonds, mututal funds, ETFs, closed end funds |
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How many clients do you currently manage? |
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We currently have 50 clients |
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Will you be the only person working with me? |
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Georgia & Richard Bruggeman are the principals of the firm. All meetings will include at least one principal. |
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How are you compensated? How will I pay for your services? |
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There is a flat fee for the financial plan and ongoing planning and management is charged as a percentage of assets under management. All ongoing financial planning advice is included in this fee. |
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If you are going to manage my account, will you obtain my permission every time you buy or sell something? |
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Obtaining prior approval for trades presents difficulities since time is crucial and prices can and do move away. I would do everything I can to make sure you knew beforehand of my intentions. |
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Do you offer any guaranteed results? |
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We do not offer any guarantees. |
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How much risk should I be willing to take? |
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The amount of risk that is appropriate for you depends on your time horizon, liquidity needs, taxes and goals. Your willingness to take on risk also may be different than your ability to take risk. There is no standard amount by age. It all depends on the client. |
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Have you ever been charged with any breaches? |
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I have never been charged with any breaches. |
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What services do you provide? What are your specialties? |
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WE provide comprhensive financial planning services and portfolio management. WE specialize in securities research and portfolio management.
We do all portfolio performance accounting inhouse and provide quarterly reports to clients to guage their progress. |
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What is your experience? How many clients do you currently manage? |
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I have been providing comprehensive planning and portfolio management services since 1990. WE currently manage 50 clients. |
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What financial institution(s) do you represent? |
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We do not represent any financial institutions. We are compeltely independent and can recommend any security that helps you to reach your goals. |
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How do you charge for your services? |
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There is a flat fee for the intitial financial plan. The fee for ongoing planning and investment management ranges from .50% to 1.25% depending on the individual situation. |
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Do you provide a free initial consultation? |
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We provide a no obligation intial meeting |
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Why should I choose you as my financial advisor? |
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Meridian Financial Advisors, LLC brings experience and integrity to your planning and investment management needs. We are fee-only and do not sell any products. As REgistered investment ADvisors we have a fiduciary duty to all of our clients to put their interests first and fully disclose all conflicts of interest. Stockbrokers are not held to the same standard. |
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What are your qualifications? |
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MBA Finance Babson College
CFP Northeastern University
CFA Passed Levels I & II |
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What is your approach to Education Planning? |
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Education Planning approach depends on the clients assets, attitudes and expectation of child contributing. If parents do not expect to be eligible for aid then the approach is different than for a family expecting to be eligible for aid. Ways to maximize aid by knowing what is included in the FAFSA form and how kids can use IRAs are explored. Every plan is different. |
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How long does the process of setting up an Education Plan usually take? |
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Setting up an education plan happens over many years. There is more to it than just contributing to a 529 or Coverdell account. |
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What financial institutions do you represent? |
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I do not represent any financial institutions. |
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How many years of experience do you have? |
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I have been practicing since 1990 |
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What are your fees for this service? |
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Education funding is part of the ongoing financial planning fee. |
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Why should I work with you on setting up an Education Plan? |
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I don't sell 529 plans. I recommend the lowest cost plans that has the best performance. I do not recieve any compensation from the plans I recommend. |
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What is your approach to 401 K plan rollovers? |
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Once the rollover takes place your entire portfolio will be reviewed. A new asset allocation will be developed to reduce your risk and ensure that your portfolio is properly diversified. |
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How long does the process of rolling over a 401K plan usually take? |
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It can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 6 weeks. it depends on the delivering insitituion. |
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What financial institutions do you represent? |
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How many years of experience do you have? |
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Handling rollovers since 1990. |
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What are your fees for this service? |
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The fee for this service is part of the financial plan. |
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How many 401K rollover clients do you currently manage? |
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Almost 90% of my clients have 401k rollovers with me. |
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Why should I roll over my 401K plan to your firm? |
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I don't charge to roll over your plan assets to an IRA. There is no additional fee to manage your 401k rollover. Your 401k rollover is handled with the same expertise and integrity as the rest of your assets. |
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Do you provide a free initial consultation? |
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