Yes, Trawick Financial Inc. is a fiduciary. This means we are obligated to make recommendations that are in your best interest.

Our investment philosophy consists of treating your financial situation like a fingerprint. There are no two in the world exactly alike. We work backwards with our clients, first asking questions to help us determine what your goals, objectives, risk tolerance and needs are. Then we back in to a solution that best fits your situation. We collaborate with our clients by explaining their options and allowing them to choose the option that makes them feel comfortable. Understanding your full financial situation prior to making a recommendation is essential for receiving advice that fits your needs.

Many investors have misconceptions' about various fee structures within the industry. We explain the various fee structure’s to our clients to give them a solid understanding of how they work. Fee structures vary by product, company, advisor, platform and service. At Trawick Financial Inc. our initial consultation is free. Once an individual onboards and becomes a client we get paid 1 of 2 ways. We can charge a flat annual percentage of your account value for ongoing investment advice and active management of your account -or- we can receive a commission (sometimes commissions are paid by the investment company and don’t come from clients assets and sometimes they are paid by the clients assets). As a fiduciary, it is our responsibility to ensure that you understand your fee structure and that your fee structure best fits your needs. Once a client onboards with us we will meet with them in person as often as they need to at no additional charge.

My qualifications within the investment industry consist of having a fixed insurance license, a variable insurance license, the Series 6 license, the Series 63 license, the Series 65 license and the Series 7 license. I also have a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management with a concentration in Financial Economics (Summa Cum Laude) from Middle Georgia State University. My official designation within the investment industry is known as an Investment Advisor Representative.

Although Trawick Financial Inc. does not offer tax advice or legal advice, we do work closely with a CPA firm and a legal firm who we have long standing relations with to navigate various questions and/or situations that may arise with our clients. We will also work directly with your own personal attorney or CPA if you wish for us to do so. Many people have a financial advisor, an attorney and a CPA however, they are usually not all talking and working together.

An IRA is otherwise known as an individual retirement account. Consider the IRA registration as the “wrap” around the account. The investment vehicle inside of the IRA is what determines how much interest you can potentially make, as well as the level of risk you assume while investing. While some prefer a more conservative IRA savings account or IRA CD, others prefer investing in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, etf’s, annuities or various other investment vehicles for a more risk/reward oriented investment approach. Regardless of your age, investment experience or risk aversion Trawick Financial can help you decide which investment vehicle works best for you.

Pre-tax contributions are made to your retirement account prior to taxes being paid on the money contributed. After-tax contributions are made to your retirement account after taxes have already been paid on the money contributed. Depending on your situation pre-tax contributions could potentially give you a tax break in the year they are made, but all funds withdrawn in the future will be taxable. After tax contributions give no tax break incentive when they are made, but allow tax free withdrawals in the future. In order for the ROTH to qualify for tax free withdrawals the account must be in place for at least 5 years and distributions must take place after age 59 1/2, or they may be withdrawn tax free due to disability or death. Depending on your state, you may be subject to state taxes on ROTH withdrawals. Consult with your tax professional to determine if your ROTH withdrawals will be subject to state taxes in your particular state. Deciding to make pre tax or after tax contributions is an important decision that all depends on your personal situation.

All 401k plans have a plan summary that specifies what participants can and can’t do within that retirement plan. Many 401k plans allow in service rollovers once you reach a certain age. While it is always important to consult with a financial professional prior to making these decisions, rolling your 401k over to an IRA prior to retiring (while you’re still working) could help you to better align your investments with your personal goals and objectives. Let Trawick Financial help you determine if an in service rollover makes sense for you!

** There are important facts to consider when rolling over assets to an IRA or an employer retirement plan including but not limited to fees and expenses, withdrawal penalties, tax consequences and investment options. Please consult your tax advisor or financial advisor about your specific situation. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

Maybe, but probably not. As you age, having your accounts and advisors spread too thin can lead to an unorganized retirement plan and doesn’t necessarily mean you’re investment risk is any less either. We have noticed many pitfalls occur among clients over the years due to this scenario. If your retirement accounts are spread too thin, you could forget to pull an RMD. The IRS assesses a 25% penalty on top of regular income tax for a missed RMD. Your beneficiaries may also spend large amounts of time and energy in tracking your accounts down and filling out claim paperwork at your passing. Or, if you have questions in retirement which advisor do you call? Will any of them understand your entire financial situation in order to properly advise you? Probably not, because none of them can see the full picture at any given time. You can have one advisor, at one institution that understands your entire financial situation and still have your eggs in multiple different baskets.

**Asset allocation and diversification does not guarantee investment returns and does not eliminate risk of loss.

RMD’s, otherwise known as required minimum distributions, are mandatory annual withdrawals made from pre-tax retirement accounts (IRA/401k/403b/457b/TSP) once you reach a certain age. The IRS sets the guidelines for RMD’s as well as enforces RMD regulation. Currently, RMD’s begin at age 73. The amount you must withdraw each year is based on a life expectancy formula. Each year that you get older, the amount you have to pull increases. At age 73 your first RMD withdrawal will be equal to 3.78% of your account balance on 12/31 of the prior year. If you make it to age 95, you will be required to pull 11.24%. Click here to see the RMD table percentage equivalencies provided by Kitces.com. If you miss an RMD the IRS assesses a 25% penalty on the withdrawal that should have taken place in addition to regular income taxes. Missed RMD’s are a fairly often occurrence among retirees who aren’t working closely with an advisor. At Trawick Financial we automate our clients RMD’s to occur each year on a specific date so they don’t miss them!

Big financial decisions are one area of your life that you can make the wrong decision and not realize it until it’s too late. Googling retirement and investment advice on YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms/websites could lead to issues as the advice you’re getting might not be fit for your specific situation or could be false altogether. Googling retirement and investment advice could also leave you subjected to a blanket statement. A blanket statement could be though of as an opinion stated as a fact. Example “annuities are bad, stay away from them” or “whole life insurance is bad, buy term life insurance and invest the difference”. While one blanket statement might be true for one individual, it may be completely false for another. Always seek advice from a trusted financial advisor prior to implementing retirement advice that you find online.

Many people lack true understanding on what annuities are and how they work. An annuity is an investment product of an insurance company that is contractually written and allows investors to place various types of insurance or guarantees on their investment(s). Annuities can offer fixed interest rates or variable interest rates. An annuity has two phases, the accumulation phase (where you’re trying to invest and grow the annuity as much as possible) and an annuitization phase (or distribution phase, where you can turn your annuity in to a lifetime stream of income). Some investors stay in the accumulation phase forever, while others need to annuitize for income purposes. Investors who purchase annuities do so for a number of reasons including tax deferral, guaranteeing income, to place a death benefit on their investment accounts and more! Annuities are not uniform and vary by company, product and type. Always consult with your financial advisor prior to purchasing an annuity to make sure that you understand all of the material information prior to purchasing.

** Guarantees are subject to the claims paying ability and principal strength of the annuity issuer. Investing involves risks and past performance is no guarantee of future performance or success. This is not an offer to buy or sell securities and nothing contained herein should be interpreted as a recommendation regarding any investment or investment strategy. Before making any decision to invest, you are encouraged to seek guidance from your financial or tax professional.