Our Approach to Helping You Save For Retirement

KENTWOOD, Mich. - Oct. 1, 2015 - PRLog -- Understanding your priorities

Before we can develop an investment strategy for you, we get to know you. Why are you investing? What do you want to do? This is your financial future. It shouldn't be left to chance or some off-the-shelf plan.

The approach we work through together should be as individual as you are. When you partner with an Edward Jones financial advisor, we follow an established process that starts with asking, "What's important to you?" And then we listen. Really listen.

After we understand what's important to you and why, together we build a strategy tailored just for you based on your financial needs.

To work toward achieving your goals

By working through the Edward Jones 5-step Asset Management Process with you, your local financial advisor can:

• Help assess your tolerance for risk
• Create a quantifiable, actionable financial goal based on what's important to you
• Recommend investments and strategies that support and align with your goals

Step 1: Where am I today?

It's difficult to plan for the future without an understanding of where you stand today. This means identifying and prioritizing your needs, assessing your tolerance for risk and understanding what impacts your current financial picture – things like income, expenses and any savings. Talking about these factors helps shape the advice your financial advisor can offer and the strategy you'll build together to get you where you want to go.

Step 2: Where would I like to be?

After determining where you are today, the next step is identifying where you'd like to be. What does your vision for the future look like? What are you trying to accomplish?

This discussion is very important. Your financial advisor will use this information and our tools to translate your vision into a personal, measurable goal and to develop a written strategy to track your progress.

Step 3: Can I get there?

This is where the rubber meets the road. You know where you stand, what you want to do in the future and how much risk you're comfortable taking to get there. Your financial advisor can now help you answer the big question "Can I get there?" Together, you'll analyze what you're currently doing and discuss any adjustments you can make to better position you to achieve your goals.

Step 4: How do I get there?

Discussing the first three steps allows your financial advisor to understand your complete financial picture – your needs, attitude toward risk, progress toward your goal, and current investment strategy.

Taking these factors into consideration, along with our firm's investment principles, your financial advisor can identify the most appropriate investments, protection and services to get you where you want to be.

It's also important that you understand and are comfortable with the fees that come along with these investments and services. That's why your financial advisor will walk you through the costs involved before you implement these recommendations.

Step 5: How can I stay on track?

The last step may be one of the most important. After building a solid strategy, we'll work together to make sure you stay on track. This is more than just what we do in the office – it's about regularly checking in about questions you have, or changes in your life or the market, that may affect your current path.

Putting your team in place

We believe that when it comes to financial matters, the value of professional advice cannot be overestimated. Depending on what's important to you and the strategies you put into place, it may make sense to bring your legal and tax professionals into this process. Your financial advisor will work in partnership with the other key members of your team – like your CPA or attorney, and the 5,500 associates at our home office – as needed to help achieve your success.

How we can help

Starting this process is as simple as answering a few questions to help determine what's important to you. Get started today by contacting your local financial advisor.