HOW WE HELP

Our job is to be the catalyst for discovering your ideal life and guide while you live it

Our comprehensive planning process helps us understand each client’s individual circumstances thoroughly.

As a Meritas client, you will interact directly with our seasoned professionals who have deep experience and sophisticated expertise in investment management and financial planning. Our professionals coordinate their efforts as a team which results in personal and attentive service.

Financial Planning
Creating a financial plan is like laying out a pathway for your future. Learn more

Education
Our investment process begins by thoroughly educating you on your options.

Investment Advice
We provide you with recommendations that we believe will put you in a position to attain your goals. Learn more

We create financial plans with our clients, not for them.

Guidance
We meet with you regularly to discuss life changes or new goals that may affect your ideal life.

Tax Planning
Your financial security is based not only on what you earn, but also on what you keep. Learn more

Retirement Planning
Meritas will assist you in laying out a customized plan for retirement, in an effort to help your assets grow with minimum risk, while maintaining consistent income in retirement. Learn more

Philanthropy
Meritas strives to ensure that your charitable giving meets not only your philanthropic goals but is integrated with your financial and personal goals as well. Learn more

Specialized Services
Meritas can assist you with a variety of specialized financial services. Learn more

Specialized Services

Meritas can assist you with a variety of specialized financial services including:Real Estate Consulting We can provide investment analysis of various ownership and financing options involving your primary residence, a vacation home, or investment properties. We can assist in making real estate decisions that will coordinate your financial plan with your overall goals.Business Planning If you have a small business, professional corporation or sole proprietorship, we can provide recommendations on financing alternatives, cash flow management, creation of a retirement plan, and succession planning.Stock Option Analysis Our stock option experience can help provide clarity about the rules, the tax ramifications and the optimal time to exercise your options.Estate Planning We integrate your estate plan with your financial plan with the goal of meeting your legacy objectives. We will work with your attorney to facilitate the completion of your Estate Plan including periodic reviews as your financial and family circumstances change.Elder Care Caring for aging parents creates financial challenges for many families. We will work with other professionals to help you make compassionate decisions regarding your, or your parents, care management and investment decisions.

Philanthropy

We feel that our own activities and years of experience give us a unique perspective on supporting the public good. We believe the success of each individual stems from the success of his or her community. We work to provide tax-advantaged giving opportunities and education to allow you to pass along assets and share your values with generations to come.Philanthropy is most rewarding for you and for those to whom you give when practiced effectively. Meritas strives to ensure that your charitable giving meets not only your philanthropic goals but is integrated with your financial and personal goals as well. In pursuing your passion for giving, there are many considerations beyond tax benefits including start-up and administration costs, valuation of gifts, control of assets, governance and succession, and perpetuity. Meritas will help guide you through this process.Some effective philanthropy options:

Establishing a private foundation can be an efficient tool for transferring wealth from your estate to charities, potentially helping your family to build a lifelong commitment to philanthropy.
A charitable remainder trust allows you to defer capital gains taxes on highly appreciated assets such as stocks and real estate. These gifts may reduce your estate taxes, provide an immediate charitable income tax deduction and increase your spendable income.
Planned giving strategies and lifetime gifts can be effective ways of minimizing estate taxes.

Retirement Planning

Not everyone dreams of the same retirement – how could they? Your vision of retirement is as individual as you are. Maybe you dream of retiring early and traveling. Or perhaps you love your work and hope to continue your career in a consulting capacity. It’s likely you will want more time for family and hobbies. Possibly you hope to finally have time for some of the volunteer work you’ve always wanted to do.Choosing the right path toward the retirement you want means working with a financial advisor who knows exactly where you want to go. Meritas will assist you in laying out a customized plan for retirement, to help your assets grow with minimum risk, while maintaining consistent income in retirement.It may be a matter of diversifying your income sources or rebalancing your portfolio. We will help you consider your options in terms of current income, spending patterns, future income needs, tolerance for risk, and timeline. Because these factors vary greatly for everyone, there’s no single financial solution for everyone. Meritas will review your customized retirement strategy with you on a regular basis, so we can guide you on the right path toward meeting your goals.In addition to customized retirement plans, Meritas creates pension solutions, defined benefit packages and annuities for individuals, small businesses, and large corporations. Setting up a group retirement package can have many benefits for an organization, among them:

Tax benefits of employer contributions
Attraction and retention of key talented employees
Assistance for employees in preparing for a secure retirement

Tax Planning

Your financial security is based not only on what you earn, but also on what you keep. Creating and implementing a tax-sensitive strategy in the context of your overall financial plan requires year-round planning. Meritas provides expert advice on how to reduce your tax bill and optimize your after-tax return.Whether you have merged a business, acquired, or sold property, received an inheritance or are negotiating a compensation package, we are happy to provide valuable insights into the tax implications specific to your situation.Meritas offers a full range of tax planning and compliance services:

Tax-efficient portfolio management
Tax planning for stock options
Income shifting and planning of deductible expenses
Real estate consultations
Mortgage refinancing
Qualified retirement plan analysis, including Roth IRA conversions.
Debt restructuring to maximize deductions
Planned charitable contribution strategies

Investment Advice

Once we’ve created a financial plan, defined your goals, and established a target return, we’ll help you make specific investment decisions tailored to your plan and goals. We treat the holdings of each client’s accounts as unique, researching what we believe to be suitable investments in an effort to align properly with the goals you have established.

Our investment process begins by thoroughly educating you on your options, then providing you with recommendations that we believe will put you in a position to attain your goals. Whether you prefer conventional or socially responsible investing, we’ll work collaboratively with you to find the investment strategy that’s advantageous and comfortable for you.

With clear communication and understanding, Meritas will put your money to work for you. We strive to take the worry and anxiety out of investing so you can focus on the other important things in your life that require your attention.

For asset classes specific to a particular investment niche, Meritas calls upon a formidable network of outside professionals. For example, Meritas maintains close relationships with experts in the fields of convertible securities, fine art and collectibles and real estate investments. Providing access to this knowledgeable team of trusted experts is an important aspect of the value we bring to our clients.

Meritas Principles of Asset Allocation

Markets Work. Capital markets do an efficient job of pricing all available information and investor expectations about publicly traded securities.
Diversification Is Key. Comprehensive, global asset allocation can neutralize the risks specific to individual securities and markets.
Risk and Return Are Related. The compensation for taking on increased levels of risk is the potential to earn greater returns.
Portfolio Structure Explains Performance. The asset classes that comprise a portfolio and the risk levels of those asset classes are responsible for most of the variability of portfolio returns.

Financial Planning

Creating a financial plan is like laying out a pathway for your future. The right financial plan should feel like a guidebook for this journey, helping you to discover where you want to go and how you’re going to get there. This is a mutual process of exploration; together we’ll navigate the financial uncertainties of the market and economy and work with you to guide you towards your goals.

We believe that the value of financial planning lies not only in its ability to create wealth, but also in its ability to provide the security and freedom you need to pursue the things in life that are truly important to you. Your financial plan is about more than just money – it’s about helping you realize your hopes and dreams.

Our comprehensive planning process helps us understand each client’s individual circumstances thoroughly. We begin by evaluating your cash flow, emergency reserves, debt, and net worth. From there, we work with you to identify the investment and risk management strategies you’re comfortable with, so we can form a complete picture of your financial life.

Our focus is on education and communication. We create financial plans with our clients, not for them. Once we’ve worked together to put your plan in place, we follow a detailed implementation process that tracks your progress on a quarterly basis.

Making good financial decisions along life’s path can be challenging. Meritas helps you to define each step along the way, so you feel confident you’re moving in the direction you want to go. We strive to help you feel you’ve done everything possible to make your life’s journey a successful one.