Finances for Life, LLC
Bringing Clarity to Life's Financial Decisions
Independent Fiduciary Financial Advice & Planning
Frequently Asked Questions
Independent Fiduciary Financial Advice & Planning
Financial decisions often raise important questions. Whether you're preparing for retirement, evaluating investments, navigating life changes, or simply looking for a trusted financial perspective, we're here to help you understand your options and make informed decisions.
About Finances for Life
1. What is Finances for Life, and whom do I work with?
Finances for Life, LLC is an independent Registered Investment Adviser providing personalized fiduciary financial advice and planning. We believe good financial advice begins with understanding your life, priorities, and goals.
You'll work directly with Lucille M. Shaw, MBA, Founder and Fiduciary Advisor, who brings more than 25 years of financial advisory experience. Our approach focuses on understanding your circumstances, priorities, and goals so your financial decisions support the life you want to live.
2. What does it mean to work with a fiduciary investment advisor?
A fiduciary investment adviser has a duty to act in your best interest when providing investment advice. This includes duties of care and loyalty, as well as identifying and appropriately addressing conflicts of interest.
Being independent means Finances for Life is not owned by a bank or brokerage firm. We focus on providing advice based on your individual needs rather than promoting proprietary investment products.
Financial Advice and Planning
3. What financial planning services do you provide?
Our financial planning approach addresses five essential areas: protection, estate and legacy planning, retirement income planning, tax planning, and investment advice.
Depending on your needs and the scope of your engagement, we help you evaluate financial choices, identify planning opportunities, and develop strategies aligned with your goals and circumstances.
Explore our Financial Planning Services.
4. Can I receive investment advice without having someone manage my investments?
Yes. You don't have to turn over management of your investments to receive professional financial advice.
We offer non-discretionary investment advice, which means you remain the decision-maker. We can help review your existing investments, evaluate asset allocation, diversification, costs, and risk, and provide recommendations consistent with your financial goals.
5. What is your investment philosophy?
We favor a disciplined, diversified, long-term approach to investing, with attention to risk, costs, tax considerations, and your individual circumstances.
Rather than relying on short-term market predictions, we help you make investment decisions that support your broader financial plan. Recommendations are tailored to your goals, time horizon, and tolerance for risk.
6. How can you help me prepare for retirement?
Retirement planning involves more than building savings. It also means understanding how your investments, Social Security, pensions, taxes, healthcare expenses, and other resources may support your retirement income needs.
We help you evaluate income strategies, potential risks, and financial trade-offs so you can make informed decisions about your retirement years.
Working with Finances for Life
7. What is AdviceDirect™?
AdviceDirect™ is our subscription-based financial advisory service for individuals and families who value professional fiduciary guidance while remaining actively involved in their financial decisions.
It offers different levels of advice and planning support based on your needs, without requiring every client to enter a traditional assets-under-management relationship.
8. How do you charge for financial advice?
We offer different fee arrangements depending on the services provided. AdviceDirect uses fixed monthly subscription fees, while financial planning and consulting services may be offered on an hourly or other agreed fixed-fee basis.
All applicable fees, services, and terms are disclosed before an advisory relationship begins.
9. Do I need a minimum investment portfolio to work with you?
Not necessarily. Our financial advice and planning services do not all require a minimum amount of assets under management.
The appropriate engagement depends on your financial needs, the services requested, and whether we believe we can provide meaningful value.
10. How do I get started?
Start with a complimentary exploratory conversation. We'll discuss your financial questions, priorities, and goals to determine whether our services are a good fit.
Before beginning an advisory relationship, you'll receive a written agreement outlining the services, fees, responsibilities, and terms of your engagement.
Ready to take the next step?