Doug Gibson has helped countless individuals and business owners navigate the many challenges investors face daily. His philosophy is simple, have a plan, and play it S.A.F.E. The S.A.F.E investment philosophy is simple, the market is unpredictable but by having a disciplined approach and focusing on the factors we CAN control, we can significantly improve the ability for clients to achieve their goals. Those factors are Strategy, Allocation, Fees, and Expenses. Adhering to this philosophy along with a tax centric, comprehensive financial plan, his clients have total transparency, and a vital understanding of their financial objectives. By putting the needs of his clients first and using the S.A.F.E investing philosophy he pioneered, his clients not only understand the implications of financial decisions but can make the ones that will have a positive impact on their financial future.
SMART Group Houston is not your ordinary Financial Services firm. Most firms are transactional, focusing strictly on the accumulation of assets using arbitrary risk/reward criteria to select financial products. In our experience taking on additional risk will not necessarily yield greater returns. We approach our clients finances from a broader perspective. We focus not just on accumulating wealth but protecting it as well. We focus not just on your immediate needs, but how each piece fits in within your entire financial strategy. Our approach enables us to identify opportunities that other firms may, and usually do, overlook. We look for ways to make your money work harder for you in ways that you might never have imagined. We have found that many common investment strategies seriously underestimate the challenges facing you as you transition into other phases of your financial journey. Ultimately, we strive to give each client the opportunity to spend less time worrying about their portfolio and wondering whether your money will be enough to give you the financial freedom you expect. We do this, not through unrealistically optimistic and risky investments, but through a comprehensive strategy that outlines the ideal path to your financial success. In our view, taxes remain one of the biggest risks to wealth creation and accumulation. Every dollar is taxed in 4 ways, when you EARN it, when you GROW it, when you SPEND it, and when you PASS AWAY. At SMART Group, we won't file last years tax returns, but we will do your FUTURE tax returns by providing you with custom strategies designed to help you save taxes in each of the 4 phases of taxation. Our team of licensed CFP's and CPA's will help guide you throughout each step of your financial journey.
General Information |
| Firm Start Year: | 1991 | |
| No. of Employees: | 10-19 | |
| Insurance License#: | 1548341 |
| Name of Broker/Dealer: | World Equity Group |
| Name of Custodial Firm: | TD Ameritrade, Schwab, SEI, Fidelity |
| States Licensed in: | TX, LA, FL, GA, HI |
| Number of Years with Current Firm: | 3 |
| Work Experience: | I began my financial services career working for a large, well-established company with tremendous name recognition. I did not recognize it at the time, but these types of companies tend to be more product focused instead of solution oriented. However, as time went on, I realized the larger, more successful these companies grew, the less focused they became on sourcing and implementing creative solutions to meet the unique needs of clients. They focused on profit over principle and compliance over creativity, often requiring advisors to use higher margin, proprietary products, and other services that were not aligned with the clients best interests. At the end of the day, I felt like my time was spent chasing prospects, trying to sell insurance, annuities, and rolling over IRAs, and never really delivering any true long-term value. When I finally decided it was time to make a change, I evaluated numerous companies to filter out firms that exhibited those characteristics. I focused on finding a company that truly placed the interests of their clients first, regardless of the product or margins. I wanted a tax centric planning company, focused on delivering value, that not only allowed advisors to explore any available solution that would address client needs, but encouraged and supported it as well. Smart Group Houston exceeded those expectations. We are a small boutique firm that has been around for over 50 years, specializing in finding solutions for individuals and business owners to address the unique and complex financial challenges they face daily. As a data driven, holistic planning firm, we assess and compare every strategy, product, or service available in the marketplace, in a simple, easy to understand format that we call The SMART Plan. This not only enables our clients to easily evaluate whether our recommendations achieve their goals, but also to understand the long-term impact each decision will have on their lifestyle in the years ahead. |
| Work with the following types of clients: | Businesses, Non-Profit Organizations, Individual Investors |
| Foreign Languages Serviced: | English, Spanish |
| Advisory Services Provided: | Financial Advice & Consulting, Investment Advice & Management, Estate Planning & Trusts, Insurance Products & Annuities, Portfolio Management, Retirement Planning, 401K Rollovers, Wealth Management, Money Management, Risk Management, Education Funding and Planning, Financial Planning for Individuals, Financial Planning for Businesses, Tax Advice and Services, Legal Advice and Services, Financial Planning |
Services |
| Investment Types: | Mutual Funds, Stocks, Alternative Investments, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Mortgages & Real Estate, Commodities, Insurance, Annuities, Bonds, Options & Futures |
| Can meet clients in the following ways: | Our Office, Your Home, Phone, Video Conference, Email, Your Office |
Qualifications & Memberships |
| Insurance and Annuity Licenses: | Disability, Accident, Health, Life, Variable Annuity, Long Term Care, Variable Life, Annuity |
Firm Information |
| Advisor's Number of Clients: | 200+ |
| Advisor's Number of Managed Clients: | 200+ |
| Advisor's Number of Planning Clients: | 180+ |
| Assets Managed by Advisor: | $178,500,000 |
Compensation and Fees |
| Fee Structure: | Fee-Based |
| Minimum Portfolio Size for New Managed Accounts: | $250,000 |
| Fee % Based on Assets: | . |
Education |
| Bachelor of Business Administration - General Business | Sam Houston State University
08/01/2000-06/01/2004 |
Financial Services |
| Portfolio Management
Our portfolio management solutions are designed and implemented based entirely on the unique goals and risk expectations of our clients. Using the S.A.F.E investment philosophy, we believe that we can significantly improve the chances of generating positive outcomes in any market environment by controlling portfolio STRATEGY; what is your investment goal and risk for the portfolio, ALLOCATION; how the portfolio is constructed and what assets are selected, FEES; what costs are you paying for the account or strategy, and EXPENSES; what are the costs of investments selected and how do they impact overall returns. |
| Retirement Planning
Asset location is equally important as asset allocation when it comes to retirement planning. With tax rates almost certainly headed higher in the years ahead we believe it is more important than ever clients have sufficient income sources in each of the 3 types of accounts, Taxable, Tax Deferred, and Tax Free. This will allow clients the optimal flexibility to generate retirement income without having an overwhelming impact on their tax rates. We create a well-rounded financial plan that will determine how much you should be saving and if you are on track to meet your retirement income goals. Our comprehensive planning tools will help you understand: 1. How much you should be saving 2. What you need to earn to meet your income goals 3. If you are on track for your retirement date 4. If your income is sufficient to meet lifestyle needs |
| Financial Planning for Businesses
Our suite of services for Business Owners is second to none in the industry. We offer customized solutions for each stage of your business cycle. Our GAAP Certified Informal Business Valuations will identify potential shortcomings and help implement solutions to operate and grow your business more efficiently as well as identify red flags that could potentially lead to a reduced sales price upon exit. We help you incentivize, reward, and retain your key talent so they dont develop the skills on the job that enable them to become your competition down the road. Using a complex suite of planning tools, we can evaluate and modify your entity structure to reduce taxes and eliminate professional liability. We will help educate and guide you as your business grows all the way through transition. Whether we are assisting you to implement strategies to transition your business to the next generation in a tax efficient manner or going to the marketplace to find a qualified buyer, our team has the knowledge and resources to assist you every step of the way. Our processes are used by numerous business owners to reduce taxes, improve cash flow, and make your business more profitable. |
| Financial Planning for Individuals
Our SMART Planning Process identifies every obstacle to your financial success. Using a highly intuitive suite of planning tools, we create a comprehensive and holistic financial plan that will give you total transparency and empower you to make decisions that will have a positive impact on your financial future. By bringing every asset, liability, income, and expense into an easy-to-read format, you will be able to evaluate the long-term impact of every financial decision. We actively monitor and adjust the plan annually as well as evaluate additional strategies that will improve your chances of achieving a prosperous future. |
| Tax Advice and Services
Whether you are an individual or a business owner TAXes are a major impediment to your wealth. We assess and evaluate the impact taxes will have on your financial future throughout all 4 phases of taxation and provide strategies to mitigate, reduce, or eliminate taxes throughout the planning process. The first step is to understand your tax situation so analyzing your tax returns is a standard component of our process. Once the data is gathered, we not only better understand the effect taxes are having on your bottom line but are now able to begin implementing ways to reduce the tax burden as well as illustrate the value to you. Our planning tools enable us to print tax returns for future years which help assess and evaluate the impact of each recommendation to ensure the strategies are having the desired outcome. |
| Insurance Planning
Insurance and risk mitigation strategies are often a critical part of financial plans. Structured effectively, these products can offer significant benefits beyond the basic protection aspect. Many higher income earners have limited ability to save in strategies that are as tax efficient as life insurance. In these instances, when structured appropriately, utilizing a life insurance product can be an incredible tool for wealth creation and transfer. For business owners, an insurance policy can be an invaluable tool for Buy Sell, Executive Retention, and even Business Transition. We look for every strategy or product that can help individuals and business owners build wealth in a tax efficient way. Having a plan allows us to evaluate and illustrate the viability of these strategies to ensure they have the desired impact. In addition to life insurance, we specialize in all types of protection strategies, such as Disability to protect your ability to produce income and Long-Term Care to protect you against longevity risk and ensure you have the type of care you deserve later in life. |
FAQs |
Do you have a customer satisfaction or refund policy?YES! While we cannot guarantee performance or returns, any financial plan, strategy, or service where we do not meet client expectations or are unable to deliver a service paid for by the client, we will refund the clients fee for that service. |
How are you compensated? How will I pay for your services?To meet the unique and often complex needs of our clients, we offer services that are billed in a variety of ways. Although different services may have varying commission or fee structures, as fiduciaries we will always seek the most advantageous structure available for each account or service. |
Will you be the only person working with me?While I will be your primary contact and point person, our firm is structured to leverage the expertise of other departments and operations team to better service our clients. |
What financial institution(s) do you represent?We are not captive or required to use proprietary, higher commission products. We can utilize products from hundreds of institutions to find the best solutions available across the industry to meet our clients needs. |
Disclosures |
| WiserAdvisor provides referrals to financial professionals. WiserAdvisor is not a current client of advisor or advisory services. Financial professionals pay cash compensation for these referrals, which creates the incentive for WiserAdvisor to make these referrals, resulting in a conflict of interest. |
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Additional Detailed Disclosures |
Disclaimer |
| Securities and advisory through World Equity Group, Inc. Member FINRA and SEC RIA. Exponent Prosperity Accelerator Advisors, LLC & SMART Group Houston neither owned nor controlled by World Equity Group, Inc. |
Registered Investment Advisor:
Yes
Registered Representative:
Yes
Investment Advisor Representative:
Yes
Acknowledged fiduciary:
Yes
Compliance Disclosures in Last 5 years:
I have a clean record
Criminal Disclosures in Last 5 years:
I have a clean record
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