Your Personal Federal Retirement Consultation with Micah Shilanski, CFP®Are you looking for someone, a real person, who you can talk to one-on-one about your federal retirement benefits? There are two ways Micah Shilanski may be able to help you:
But first, let's talk more about what Micah does, and how he can help you with your Federal Retirement. What Does Micah Do? How is Micah Different?Micah looks at all the pieces of your financial puzzle and helps you put them together in a way that achieves your goals.Micah is different because he looks at your entire financial picture, not just one piece of the pie. Micah can help you with... Tax Planning:
Retirement Planning:
Federal Retirement Planning:
Estate Planning:
Investment Advice:
Some financial professionals will only look at your stock portfolio. Or perhaps an insurance agent only looks at how much insurance you might need. But in reality - these things are not separate. One area of your life can have significant impact on other areas. You wouldn’t go to 4 different doctors and get different prescriptions from each one without telling every doctor what other medications you were taking, would you? But even if you did tell the other doctors what medications you were taking... what if the doctors didn’t really understand the side effects of those medications? Or how each medication interacts with the others? Yet many people see 4 different financial professionals who have no idea what the other 3 professionals are doing. Each professional seems to operate as if their ‘piece of the pie’ didn’t affect the other pieces - but they do. That’s why it’s important to have a financial professional who understands all the different pieces of the pie, and how they interact with each other. And to have someone who is also willing to work with professionals in your current team to improve your situation. As a Federal Employee, you know how complex your benefits can be. But very few financial professionals really understand the federal retirement system. And if they don’t understand what benefits you have available as a Federal Employee, you could end up paying extra for benefits in the private sector that you’re already entitled to as a Federal Employee. There are a lot of little choices that affect you and your benefits. It is imperative that they are working together to give you the best retirement possible. Micah is different because he understands ALL the pieces of your financial pie, including your Federal Retirement benefits. Micah can help you make sure that all of your benefits are working together. One-Time Personal ConsultationOne-time personal consultations can be great for getting specific federal retirement questions answered. It’s also an excellent opportunity to talk with Micah if you’ve been thinking about hiring a financial planner, but you want to know more about how exactly Micah can help you.Personal consultations are conducted over the phone, and generally last about 30 minutes. Micah will do his best to answer all of your questions during the consultation. But just to be clear, you can’t do a financial plan in a one appointment. If you’re interested in full financial planning, ask Micah about it during your appointment. There is a fee; and while it's not cheap, a personal consultation can be extremely valuable. Micah has been able to help people answer federal retirement questions in a matter of minutes on issues that they'd been researching for years (no kidding). Other times, people have gotten different answers from different places and weren't sure which was correct. Micah was able to help clear up the answer and provide them with the appropriate OPM or IRS regulations to back it up. Federal employees from across the United States have called Micah for help when they couldn’t find answers to their federal retirement questions. Micah has even helped Federal employees stationed across the world, from Japan to Germany, get answers about how their federal retirement benefits applied to their personal situations. At the conclusion of your appointment with Micah, you'll have a clearer picture of how your federal benefits apply to your personal situation. And you'll have the next steps you need to take to help achieve your retirement goals and dreams. Where Can I Verify Micah’s Certifications?Whether you work with Micah Shilanski, or someone else, you should check them out.Here are a few places to verify a financial planner’s credentials... CFP Boardhttp://www.cfp.net/Micah is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® in good standing with the CFP Board. You can verify this by going to CFP.net and click on “Find a CFP Professional”. You can use the ‘Quick Check’ search by last name, “Shilanski” and the state of Alaska (where Micah lives) - or you can use the Advanced Search function at the bottom of the page to search just by “Shilanski” or any other variable you choose. When you pull up Micah’s record with the CFP Board, you’ll see that his certification is current, and he has no disciplinary history (which means he is in good standing). The company listed is Shilanski & Associates, Inc. Shilanski & Associates, Inc. is our office in Anchorage, Alaska. (see “Who’s Who?” for more detail below). FINRA (Financial Industry Regulatory Authority - formerly NASD)http://www.finra.org/You can use FINRA’s BrokerCheck to verify Micah’s current registration. Search by “Shilanski” and then find “Micah V Shilanski”. You’ll see that Micah is registered with Summit Brokerage Services. Summit is the Broker-Dealer we work with (see “Who’s Who?” for more detail below). Who’s Who?Shilanski & Associates, Inc.Shilanski & Associates, Inc is our financial planning firm based in Anchorage, Alaska. Shilanski & Associates is an independent Registered Investment Advisory Firm in Alaska and has been in business for almost 30 years. Plan Your Federal Retirement LLC Plan Your Federal Retirement in our internet-based financial planning firm. Through Plan Your Federal Retirement, we’re able to help Federal Employees across the country, and those stationed throughout the world, by providing information on Federal Retirement benefits from a financial planning prospective. Summit Brokerage Services, Inc. Summit Brokerage Services is a Broker-Dealer. Micah has several security licenses including Series 7, 24, and 65; these licenses have to be ‘held’ at a Broker-Dealer. We could have chosen from many Broker-Dealers... some are large companies where advisors become a ‘captive’ agent; which means they take orders from the head office. Other Broker-Dealers are smaller (Boutique Broker-Dealers), and allow you to remain independent. Working with Summit allows us to remain independent. That means that we work for you, our clients, not a big insurance company. Being independent allows us to help our clients make the choices that are best for their personal situation without worrying about quotas or orders handed down from a big corporate office. Becoming a ClientVery few financial professionals really understand the Federal Retirement system. And specialists in your HR department might know federal benefits, but they only work with one piece of your 'financial pie'.But as a federal employee, you need to be able to bridge the gap between understanding your benefits and applying them to your personal financial situation. Micah Shilanski can help be that bridge. The level of planning Micah does for his clients is extremely customized to their dreams, goals, and financial situation. There is no 'cookie-cutter' plan… each client is unique, and so is their plan. Micah looks at all aspects of their financial life, and helps them make the best decisions for their situation. Not everyone is right for our firm. We are very selective the people choose to bring on as clients, because we have a long-term planning relationship with them. If you just want to open an IRA and manage it yourself, Micah's not for you. There are plenty of bank representatives who can help open an account. If you only want to buy an insurance policy, Micah's not for you. There are plenty of insurance salesmen who would be happy to sell you a policy. But if you're looking for a trusted advisor who understands both your Federal Retirement benefits, and the finer points of advanced financial planning, then you should talk with Micah. The first step is to schedule a personal consultation. A personal consultation is your chance to get answers to federal retirement questions you might have, but also to find out of you'll work well with Micah. There is a fee for a personal consultation, but aside from that, there is no further obligation. During your talk, if you're interested in moving forward, Micah will be able to quote you a flat-fee based on the level of help you'd like and discuss the next steps. Will I Be Working with Micah? Or Will You Pass Me Off to Someone Else?When you hire Micah Shilanski to be your financial planner, you will be working with Micah. Micah will be the primary advisor working with you on your planning. Your meetings will be with Micah.However, our office does have a team approach to planning to make sure that you are taken care of in the best way possible. For example, we have other people in our firm who can assist you with setting appointments, handling paperwork, etc. How Much Does Micah Charge?For an initial personal consultation, the charge is $200. The personal consultation is a chance for you to ask Micah questions about your Federal Retirement benefits, and how they impact your personal situation.You’ll also have a chance to see if you get along and would work well with Micah. If you are interested in moving forward with financial planning, Micah will be able to quote you a specific flat fee for his services. Some people need more help than others, and some have more complex situations than others. Everyone’s personal situation is different - and Micah’s financial planning services are tailored to meet your personal needs. Micah’s fees are only quoted once you’ve had a chance to talk so he can best understand how he can help you. The fee that Micah quotes is a flat fee for his services over the next 12 months. So if you start working with Micah in November, your fee would be for his services over the next 12 months to the following November. Renewal fees for subsequent years will be discussed based on your personal situation. Why a flat fee? With a flat fee, everyone knows what to expect. We want you to feel free to call if you have questions. We don’t want our clients to worry about an hourly rate, or what will they be billed if they call with a question. ***Have you ever called a CPA, consultant or attorney for a quick phone call, only to get a bill in the mail (even when they couldn’t answer your question?!)... Well, we hate it when that happens - and we bet you probably do too. That’s why we don’t do that to our clients.*** With a flat fee - you know exactly what you’re paying, and you’re free to meet with Micah as often as you need, or to call him whenever you have a question. While Micah quotes his flat fee at the beginning based on how much help you’ll need - we have had several situations come up where a client needed extra help. Even though Micah spent significantly more time helping them than he had originally anticipated - he did not come back and ask for a higher fee. He helped them in every way he could, without regard to the extra time involved. We have very special relationships with our clients - and we only work with people we like and care about. That’s another benefit to you of the flat fee - if something unexpected comes up, you won’t have to worry about getting an extra bill - just call Micah and he will be there to help you. Micah's Promise to YouWe want you to be happy - period.During your personal consultation with Micah, if you feel that you have gotten zero value out of the phone call - we will refund your money.Haven't you found that in life, you get what you pay for? Micah's fees are not cheap, because he provides great value to his clients. We want our clients to happily pay Micah's fees, because they are delighted with the Micah's help and services. We want you to be satisfied with your experience with Micah. During your personal consultation, Micah will ask if you felt the time has been valuable. And if you really felt like you didn't get your questions answered or didn't learn anything new - we would rather refund your money than keep it. We just think that's fair. Return from Personal Federal Retirement Consultation to Plan Your Federal Retirement Homepage
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