Who We Are We have the education, experience, and resources to help you build and preserve your brighter financial future. THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST I'm Steve Bell, a Certified Financial PlannerTM professional and the founder of Steve Bell Financial Planning, a Fee-Only financial planning and investment advisory. We've been serving California residents since 2001. We can help you answer the most important questions regarding your financial future, questions like: How can I better align my life's ambitions (which may require money) with my financial goals (the money)? What can I do differently to meet my goals? When can I hope to retire? How could I invest my money so that it is in better alignment with my required rate of return, my personal tolerance for risk and my needs for liquidity? Am I appropriately insured against relevant insurable risks? What are the best ways for me to save for my children's or grandchildren's college education? Is there anything I can do now to make sure, that in the event of my incapacity or death, the people I trust to act in my place will be in a position to : Make the financial and medical decisions I would make were I able to speak for myself. Carry out my wishes for guardianship and property distribution. I encourage you to continue reading so that you can discover why my Fee-Only, by-the hour, as-needed financial planning model is perfect for addressing one or two issues as well as for doing a completely integrated financial plan. You will also see why any distance between your location and mine does not have to be an issue. WHY CHOOSE A FEE-ONLY FINANCIAL ADVISOR? If you are looking for objective advice, you should not ignore how your financial advisor is compensated. There is a significant conflict of interest if the advisor stands to gain financially from his or her recommendations. As a Fee-Only financial planner, I am compensated solely from the fees paid my clients pay directly to me. There is no room in my recommendations for company sponsored offerings and sales-driven opportunities. The result is objective financial planning and investment advice from a professional who is committed to acting as your fiduciary in a client-centered relationship ... Why Fee-Only? WHY CHOOSE A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional? You need to feel confident that the person you select to help plan your financial future is both competent and ethical. Anyone can call him or herself a financial planner. As a matter of fact over 450,000 people do. But the lion's share of these are sales people. Less than 7% of all financial planners are CFP® professionals. This is the most coveted financial planner credential. Before I could call myself a CFP® professional, I had to (a) complete a comprehensive financial planning curriculum, (b) pass a rigorous two-day/10-hour certification examination and (c) commit to a strict code of conduct, which absolutely requires me to put my clients' interests ahead of my own ... Why CFP? WHY CHOOSE STEVE BELL FINANCIAL PLANNING? I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and I offer Fee-only financial planning and investment advice on an hourly, as-needed basis. This combination distinguishes me from 99% of all financial planners because it allows me to reach-out to people from all walks of life, not just to the wealthy. In a recent Baltimore Sun article Sheryl Garrett, my mentor, is quoted as saying: "I really got discouraged having to turn away clients I would have liked to work with but who couldn't afford the fee" In 2000 Ms. Garrett formed the Garrett Planning Network, an association of over 260 like-minded financial advisors who offer their services on an hourly and as-needed basis. I've been a proud member of the Garrett Planning Network since I first opened my independent financial planning business in 2001. Today, many of my clients are do-it-yourselfers who simply need a second opinion, younger couples who are just starting to build their financial futures, and other middle-income Americans who may have been turned away by traditional financial planning firms because they did not meet the firm's minimums for income or investment assets. My model also appeals to those of more substantial means who prefer to delegate the management of their investments to a financial professional. As an independent registered investment advisor, I am obligated by law to put my clients' interests ahead of my own. .... Our Promis. Broker dealer representatives have no such legal obligation. DISTANCE DOESN'T MATTER Don't let the distance between us dissuade you from calling. Though mos of my meetings are held fact to face in my Livermore office. it really doesn't matter how far apart we are. As long as you have a phone and an internet connection, we can conduct a meeting and you can view any file displayed on my desktop from the comfort of your office or home. I've conducted countless meetings this way and have found little to no difference in total time, effort or quality. THE BALL'S IN YOUR COURT Your search for a financial planner means you have important issues to resolve and goals to achieve. The sooner we get started the better are your chances for a truly satisfying result. You will not find a more consumer-friendly business model than mine ... fee-only, by-the hour, no asset minimums, upfront pricing and, most importantly, a client-centered fiduciary relationship ... Our Promise I offer a 30-minute no-obligation initial meeting where we will discuss your situation, goals and concerns. At the conclusion of this meeting, I will tell you how I can help and what it will cost. We will have everything we need before we decide to work together. Each client's situation and aspirations are truly different. What's not different is the peace-of-mind all my clients gain from knowing they are on an efficient path that leads straight to their goals. I hope you'll take the next step to finding your peace-of-mind. Call 800-472-1844, ext 21 to schedule your no-obligation initial meeting or use the Contact Us link below to send us an email. I look forward to hearing from you, Steve Bell, Steve Bell, CFP®, MBA Each member of the Garrett Planning Network knows a lot, but together there is no financial situation we cannot resolve. Contact Us