Financial Planning

As a financial planning pioneer, we made a commitment over 40 years ago to engage our clients in a way unlike any in our industry. Since then we have not only continued our commitment, we have dedicated significant resources to that endeavor. Today, we are able to address and solve the most important financial issues our clients face through highly competitive investment and risk management products coupled with the intellectual and financial capital to support a state-of-the-art financial planning approach.

Starting with the basics of budgeting and maintaining sufficient cash reserves through insurance, investments, tax considerations, retirement and estate planning, our financial planning tools take a comprehensive look at your client's entire financial situation. For those with more complex, sustained financial needs that require an even more in-depth analysis, we also offer broader financial planning services designed to meet ongoing strategic planning needs.Whether you are providing a single-issue module or a more in-depth, comprehensive detailed analysis, Waddell & Reed offers you the flexibility to set your fee appropriately. Fixed fees for financial planning services have been cash based on the level of detail and the number of components within the financial plan. Or, as an experienced advisor, you will have the opportunity to determine the financial planning fee you charge based on the following factors:

  • the amount of time you expect to spend completing the particular financial planning services involved and providing related advice and assistance;
  • the complexity of the client's financial planning issues and needs;
  • the extensiveness and complexity of the data needed.

Our broad range of financial planning services includes:

FOCUSPlan®

FOCUSPlan® can help you identify and prioritize your client's goals, and offers a variety of tools and resources to produce a detailed written analysis. FOCUSPlan® addresses primary financial considerations including: retirement funding, estate planning, asset allocation, goal funding, education funding, income tax planning, survivor needs, disability income and long-term care. These services can be provided on a modular basis if only one or two issues require attention. Or, the issues can be addressed comprehensively at a variety of complexity levels ranging from young accumulators just getting started (FOCUSPlan® StartUp) to retirees with complex retirement income and estate planning issues (FOCUSPlan® Tax Sensitive).

FOCUSPlan® Premier

FOCUSPlan® Premier is a more in-depth financial planning service where you will partner with one of our financial and estate planning experts. We provide detailed analysis of advanced retirement planning and/or estate planning strategies. This service can address most other financial consideration or concern, such as cash flow, education funding, disability income, survivor needs and stock options.

Supplemental Services

Supplemental services may be added or provided separately from any of the FOCUSPlan® components described above, including:

  • Investment Planning Services − This service provides advanced asset allocation strategies for specific financial objectives based on individual time horizons and risk tolerance levels. It also includes specific recommendations regarding selection of a model portfolio to create a personalized asset mix for current investment positions and the allocation of future monthly savings. It may also provide advanced classification of current and recommended holdings and aid in developing asset allocation strategies specific to current and recommended investments.
  • Wealth Forecasting Services (Monte Carlo Analysis) − This service illustrates the interaction of the client's personal portfolio and goals with the uncertainties in life that cause plans to fail. This is accomplished by modeling those uncertainties, such as market fluctuations, varying investment rates of return and inflation. The Wealth Forecasting Service helps your clients achieve their financial goals by quantifying financial risk using Monte Carlo simulation. The simulation increases the client's confidence in your planning and recommendations by providing their probability of success.
  • Estate Planning Strategies − This service is designed to accompany or supplement a FOCUSPlan® allowing an advisor to illustrate estate distribution plans that may require more sophisticated techniques.
  • Business Planning Strategies − This service provides you the ability to work with small to medium-sized business owners in three of the key areas that impact their personal financial situation such as business continuation, executive compensation and business valuation.

Waddell & Reed permits certain financial advisors to charge fees for any of the firm's financial planning services that exceed the fees set forth in the Fixed Fee section above. Such fees are negotiable and are subject to acceptance by the client.

FOCUSPlan® services and fee-based asset allocation products are offered by Waddell & Reed, Inc. in its capacity as a registered investment advisor.