Mary and Pat Starley are leaders in their respective workplaces - she's a Department Dean for a university system and he's the assistant to the Superintendent for a local school district, and also managing a busy family life with 2 kids approaching their college years.

*Not a real person. Fictional name for illustrative purposes only.

Challenges:

• Balancing their workloads at their places of business and the demanding schedule of their two children, Trevor and Paige.
• Estate planning and caring financially for minor children
• Financial planning with multiple high-priority goals of retirement, college and paying down their mortgage and not sacrificing their current lifestyle

How we work together:

• Review of cash flow - getting organized to clearly define what is coming in and what is going out and if they are on track for retirement after they determined that was their highest priority, though they were willing to work longer if it meant they could cover more college expenses for Trevor and Paige.
• Discussion of interest rates on mortgage and cost of college to determine what percentages would be allocated to these two secondary, but still important, goals. And, discovered that Mary and Pat would like to travel a little more frequently once the kids are both away at school - and how that became a factor in their percentages for each goal.
• Referral to experienced estate planning attorney and facilitate communication between trusted professionals for financial, tax and estate planning matters for efficiency and ease between those important areas.
• Consideration given for family member to be taken care of financially and addressed appropriately with estate planning, as needed, and with a consideration for potential complicating factors - such as ensuring an inheritance wouldn't be spent too quickly or on items that weren't intended.
• Create cash flow solutions, including order of which account type to access and impact on taxable income with an understanding of priority needs and wants for active retirement and later retirement. 

*For a comprehensive review of your personal situation, always consult with a tax or legal advisor. Neither Cetera Advisors LLC nor any of its representatives may give legal or tax advice.