financial planner Stephen Zelcer

fiduciary Financial Advisor
for Federal Employees

I help Federal Employees Organize, Strategize and Maximize their Benefits and their Money

3 ways to work with me

DO YOU VIEW MONEY AS A GOAL OR A MEANS?

Your goals say a lot about you. They reflect your value system and your personal philosophies on life, family, giving, making an impact. Not reaching your goals is deeply frustrating. Not having goals is deeply disorienting.

Being deeply enmeshed in financial planning has trained me to recognize that your money is a reflection of your deeply-held philosophies. As a fiduciary financial advisor I help my clients articulate their personal goals, remove the drags of financial inefficiency, and maximize all their financial resources – meaning, I help get you to your goals as quickly as possible.

Start your own financial plan with me today and accelerate the realization of your goals.

MAKING YOUR GOALS A REALITY:

Achieving your goals is very doable. But people somehow manage to get in their own way! Either they float around with no plan, making their financial decisions on the fly. Or, they lose sight of the prize and get distracted by irrelevant billboards or technical details. Not having a financial plan will delay your goals, costing you more time and more money, or perhaps worse – not achieving your goals at all.  

financial advisor for federal employees

Having a plan will enable you to articulate your personal goals, remove any financial inefficiency from your finances, and maximize all your resources – helping you reach your goals as quickly as possible.

MY METHOD OF HELPING CLIENTS REACH THEIR GOALS:

Organize, Strategize, Maximize™

Your finances can be organized, strategized and maximized, and the process can be simple, neat, rewarding, and fulfilling. Let me help you Organize, Strategize, Maximize™ your financial life

How I add Value

webinar on financial advice federal

Personal
Consults

Meet with me one on one. We will set financial objectives in line with your goals, eliminate inefficiencies and map out your financial future.

finance-planner-advisor-federal

Monthly
Webinars

Regular Webinars were I analyze various financial subjects and identify action steps for federal employees. 

expert for federal employees to retire

TSP
Reports

Monthly TSP reports with up to date analysis of the major movements in the market, and my recommended allocations for your TSP.

financial software for federal employees

Organised
Accounts

Connect all your accounts for a consolidated view of your entire financial picture. Including your savings, investments, debt & cashflow.

Financial
eWorkbooks

Financial planning exercises that help you define your retirement and insurance needs.

Mobile
Access

With mobile access to your client portal you will be able to look at your complete financial picture in the palm of your hand. 

Don't take my Word for it

Here’s what my members have said and seen

Walter C

Stephen's financial planning advice is top notch. He is able to convey important concepts in an understandable way with real world examples. He also provides diverse advice that covers many financial planning topics from taxes to investments to retirement planning and does so in an excellent manner.

Noelle M

Stephen, this helps immensely! This is exactly what I like best about your advice -- You always get right down to it and give me the applicable equation in both numbers and words, then use it in a real life example. Thanks much,

This is a very serious service which usually translates into thousands of dollars of financial benefits every year, year after year, compounding.

Chuck M. was given 2 immediate action steps that translated into at least $25k a year portfolio growth, year after year for the rest of his life.

Sina Y. was given 3 immediate action steps that translate into a $350k increase in portfolio value by the time she retires (she’s expecting to retire in 10 years).

Anil K. was given 1 immediate action step with his rental property that saved him $8k on closing costs and spared him $8k each year in property expenses.

Nancy G. received 1 action step that saved her $3k a year on her insurances. $3k savings per year over a life expectancy of 30 years = $90k

Michael U. was given 1 immediate action step that translated into $3k of additional monthly Social Security benefits over a 5 year period. That’s $36k a year x 5 years = $180k!

Judy E. was given 5 immediate action steps that translated into $10k of savings over a two year period of time.

Over 90% of my members experience at least $3k of financial benefit within the first year. This is an amazing return on investment!

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions and Answers
  • When people hire me, they hire me for a year.  Over the course of that year we will define your goals, and I will dive into your financial situation, reviewing everything from paystubs, to tax returns, to credit card statements, etc.  I will learn a lot about you, ranging from your spending habits to your family dynamics.  I know, pretty personal, but very refreshing and rewarding.  See below regarding the benefits to expect from a financial plan.  Also, see below regarding how often we will meet.
  • Bring your paystubs, an inventory of your investments and debts, a ballpark idea of your expenses, and most importantly, try to start formulating your goals.
  • There are numerous benefits of financial planning (aside from the details enumerated in the list above):
    • Goals – Goals are the framework of your thinking.  Most people float around with no defined goals, no plan, making their financial decisions on the fly.  As I mentioned above, not reaching your goals is deeply frustrating.  Not having goals is deeply disorienting.
    • Maximizing your cash flow – How much is your lifestyle costing you, and how much room do you have in your cashflow to apply to your other goals?  If you don’t know this, you are probably
    • Removing Inefficiencies – Even if you can easily achieve all of your financial goals, but are there inefficiencies costing you much more than it has to?  Stop losing money unnecessarily, and capture those losses and put them back to work!
    • Help with financial documents and technical decisions and distinctions – From retirement applications to loan applications to required minimum distributions.  You don’t want to mess these up.
    • Financial Consciousness – Knowing where you are and where you are going imbues you with financial consciousness, which impacts your spending and decision making.  You are aware and now consciously steer your life.
    • A coach that nudges you to execute your plan and advance towards your goals – I don’t just give you a to-do list and wave “Bye!”  I hold you to task and set due dates for you to execute your plan.
    • Reality check – Can you retire?  Can you afford to leave federal service.  You may want something so badly that your ability to be objective has been impaired.
    • 2nd set of eyes to double-check what you may already know but have doubts about – Even the greatest do-it-yourself-er benefits from reassurance.
    • Benefits to the non-financial spouse – You may know what’s going on in your financial life, but does your spouse?  Working with me gives your spouse someone else they can discuss their financial decisions with, in case you’re no longer around.
  • I am a fee-based fiduciary advisor.  This means I only make money from providing a service, NOT a product.  My services include financial planning and asset management, and for those services I charge a flat fee.  I don’t work on an hourly basis.  Accounting & Legal services are offered by professionals in those respective fields and they bill you separately. 
  • Most planning clients will meet with me about 5 times over the course of the year.  The original plan presentation meeting lasts 2.5-3.5 hours and subsequent meetings last 1-2 hours.  In between our meetings there are usually numerous emails, and our meeting prep usually is between 10-20 hours.
  • Even the best of plans needs someone to execute.  I’m not going to sugar-coat this.  You will need to take action steps, and some of those actions steps will include filling out long documents, or making phone calls which may take over 30 minutes.  I will nudge you along.  The meetings we will have throughout the year also function as “due dates” for whatever action steps need to be executed, so you will have me coaching you.  By the end of the year working together, you should have all the actions executed.  Beyond the first year, your actions will be primarily maintenance.  

Plan your Financial Future

Choose the Plan that suits you best

TSP Planner

$ 45
a month
  • Dynamic Personal Financial Planning Software
  • Monthly TSP reports
  • Library of Educational Webinars
  • Planning E-books
  • Great for Do-it-Yourself-ers

Financial Planner

$ 2600
+
$45/month
  • 4 meetings with Stephen
  • Dynamic Personal Financial Planning Software
  • Monthly TSP reports
  • Library of Educational Webinars
  • Planning E-books
  • Great for Do-it-Yourself-ers
Popular

Total Planner

Customised
  • Includes everything in the "Financial Planner" package
  • Active Portfolio Management
  • Estate Planning
  • Accounting & Tax Planning

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federal employee financial advisor TSP

A fiduciary advisor specializing in retirement planning and federal benefits

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