Frequently Asked Questions
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We found an article in the Real Simple magazine called “Questions to Ask Your…” in
which they gave a concise list of questions that they advised asking of a dozen
different professions. The top most frequently asked questions of Financial Planners
were:
How long have you been a financial planner?
Our office is in its 33rd year of business! Lynn Appelman received his life insurance
license back in 1983 and started his business by selling life insurance and annuities.
He received his first securities license in 1984. Lynn is a Certified Financial
Planner™, Chartered Financial Consultant® and an Investment Advisor
Representative. Lynn’s daughter, Alissa Conklin, has been working at Appelman
Financial since 1999. She is currently a Chartered Financial Consultant®, Registered
ParaplannerSM, Registered Tax Return Preparer, and an Investment Advisor
Representative.
How many clients do you have?
We currently have over 500 clients that we service through our office. Our office is
always growing and evolving, and we are pleased to announce that we are still
accepting new customers.
What experience do you have in the specific area I need help with?
Lynn and Alissa have numerous financial designations. Feeling that it is important to
help their customers in whatever financial arena necessary, they are also licensed to
prepare client income taxes, and until recently Alissa was a licensed home mortgage
broker. We think you will find our services are nicely comprehensive. We have
extensive experience and can provide products in most areas you would be interested.
How do you get paid? On a fee basis or by commission?
We can get paid either by fee or commission, but predominantly our business is on a
fee basis. We have a decreasing fee schedule based on the amount of the assets
under management.
Are you affiliated with a bank or mutual fund? Will you be pushing the
company’s products?
We are an independent financial firm not related to a specific bank or mutual fund
company. We pride ourselves on offering big city capability with a small town
personality as we are not a “chain”. We do a high volume of our clients’ investments
through the nationally recognized TD Ameritrade platform. We are associated with
the Trustmont Financial Group, Inc. and the Trustmont Advisory Group, Inc. They
have no proprietary products; therefore, we are able to search for and provide a wide
range of products to help meet your financial needs. Plus, as representatives under
a Registered Investment Advisory firm, we are bound to put your interests first and do
only what is best for you and your financial situation.
Do you get paid for referrals (to lawyers, accountants, etc.)?
We do not get paid for any type of service referrals. However, we do have a working
relationship with many of the local attorneys and CPAs in order to piece together all
aspects of our clients’ financial fabric. We have also created a connection with the
local Area Aging Office in order to assist our clients on other senior issues as well.
Will we meet just once or will we have an ongoing consultation?
Typically our initial meeting is an introduction and a bit of a fact finding mission to
understand an individual’s financial holdings and preferences. Our second meeting is
often a time to share our financial proposal and possibly fill out the necessary
paperwork. At that point, we typically ask our clients what type of time table they wish
to review their portfolios with us; most wish to meet with us for an annual review, but
a few like to monitor their accounts quarterly or semi-annually. We strongly urge that
our clients meet with us at least once a year--we think of it similar to a yearly physical
or an annual inspection for your vehicle. And of course, our clients know we are
always on hand to answer any questions or take care of any changes or additional
needs that might arise.
Do you work by phone or only in person?
The bulk of our office dealings are done in person at scheduled appointment times.
However, we can certainly accommodate telephone conferences if needed. For
example, we do have many clients who are “Snowbirds” or who have children acting
with Powers of Attorney that may not be local. We are typically open from 9:30-5 on
weekdays, but we can schedule evening appointments as needed in order to best
accommodate our clients.
Will you offer investing options or just one recommendation?
Lynn and Alissa work up an ideal proposal for each prospective client. Clients would
be presented this scenario with information about how well each fund has performed
historically. This would be their primary recommendation, but of course they can be
flexible based on the clients’ input and wishes.
Will I meet with you personally or with one of your colleagues?
All of the clients at Appelman Financial are assigned to either Lynn or Alissa
specifically so you will have your own personal Financial Advisor. However, in the
event that you need answers right away or one of our advisors is temporarily
unavailable, the other can certainly assist you.
(If you want to see the full article, it was in the June 2007 issue on pages 205-212!)
which they gave a concise list of questions that they advised asking of a dozen
different professions. The top most frequently asked questions of Financial Planners
were:
How long have you been a financial planner?
Our office is in its 33rd year of business! Lynn Appelman received his life insurance
license back in 1983 and started his business by selling life insurance and annuities.
He received his first securities license in 1984. Lynn is a Certified Financial
Planner™, Chartered Financial Consultant® and an Investment Advisor
Representative. Lynn’s daughter, Alissa Conklin, has been working at Appelman
Financial since 1999. She is currently a Chartered Financial Consultant®, Registered
ParaplannerSM, Registered Tax Return Preparer, and an Investment Advisor
Representative.
How many clients do you have?
We currently have over 500 clients that we service through our office. Our office is
always growing and evolving, and we are pleased to announce that we are still
accepting new customers.
What experience do you have in the specific area I need help with?
Lynn and Alissa have numerous financial designations. Feeling that it is important to
help their customers in whatever financial arena necessary, they are also licensed to
prepare client income taxes, and until recently Alissa was a licensed home mortgage
broker. We think you will find our services are nicely comprehensive. We have
extensive experience and can provide products in most areas you would be interested.
How do you get paid? On a fee basis or by commission?
We can get paid either by fee or commission, but predominantly our business is on a
fee basis. We have a decreasing fee schedule based on the amount of the assets
under management.
Are you affiliated with a bank or mutual fund? Will you be pushing the
company’s products?
We are an independent financial firm not related to a specific bank or mutual fund
company. We pride ourselves on offering big city capability with a small town
personality as we are not a “chain”. We do a high volume of our clients’ investments
through the nationally recognized TD Ameritrade platform. We are associated with
the Trustmont Financial Group, Inc. and the Trustmont Advisory Group, Inc. They
have no proprietary products; therefore, we are able to search for and provide a wide
range of products to help meet your financial needs. Plus, as representatives under
a Registered Investment Advisory firm, we are bound to put your interests first and do
only what is best for you and your financial situation.
Do you get paid for referrals (to lawyers, accountants, etc.)?
We do not get paid for any type of service referrals. However, we do have a working
relationship with many of the local attorneys and CPAs in order to piece together all
aspects of our clients’ financial fabric. We have also created a connection with the
local Area Aging Office in order to assist our clients on other senior issues as well.
Will we meet just once or will we have an ongoing consultation?
Typically our initial meeting is an introduction and a bit of a fact finding mission to
understand an individual’s financial holdings and preferences. Our second meeting is
often a time to share our financial proposal and possibly fill out the necessary
paperwork. At that point, we typically ask our clients what type of time table they wish
to review their portfolios with us; most wish to meet with us for an annual review, but
a few like to monitor their accounts quarterly or semi-annually. We strongly urge that
our clients meet with us at least once a year--we think of it similar to a yearly physical
or an annual inspection for your vehicle. And of course, our clients know we are
always on hand to answer any questions or take care of any changes or additional
needs that might arise.
Do you work by phone or only in person?
The bulk of our office dealings are done in person at scheduled appointment times.
However, we can certainly accommodate telephone conferences if needed. For
example, we do have many clients who are “Snowbirds” or who have children acting
with Powers of Attorney that may not be local. We are typically open from 9:30-5 on
weekdays, but we can schedule evening appointments as needed in order to best
accommodate our clients.
Will you offer investing options or just one recommendation?
Lynn and Alissa work up an ideal proposal for each prospective client. Clients would
be presented this scenario with information about how well each fund has performed
historically. This would be their primary recommendation, but of course they can be
flexible based on the clients’ input and wishes.
Will I meet with you personally or with one of your colleagues?
All of the clients at Appelman Financial are assigned to either Lynn or Alissa
specifically so you will have your own personal Financial Advisor. However, in the
event that you need answers right away or one of our advisors is temporarily
unavailable, the other can certainly assist you.
(If you want to see the full article, it was in the June 2007 issue on pages 205-212!)
