PEACE OF MIND. FINANCIAL SECURITY.
Let’s achieve both.
INVESTING WITH PURPOSE
NEW CLIENTS
How to Become a Client
After your initial phone consultation with Richard or Jeff, you will be asked to email amber@secureretire.com your name and the type of account/s you would like Secure Retirement to manage. You will receive a secure email with three forms for e-signature:
- Client Profile: The Client Profile is an important tool for your contact information and to document your wishes on how your account is to be managed.
- Advisor Agreement: This is the agreement between you and Secure Retirement Financial and Insurance Corporation. It communicates the duties and responsibilities of the firm and terms of engagement.
- Electronic Consent Form: To receive future communications from us via email rather than regular mail.
Once we have these forms back from you, we will send you the Charles Schwab application/s for e-signature. Once the account is open you will receive transfer paperwork and other forms for e-signature.
What Happens Next?
As soon as your new account(s) opens, Judit or Amber will email you the details on next steps. Schwab will email you a link to gain online access. Schwab will also send out a prospectus on their money market fund. (They are required to send these out with every fund purchased. You do not need to keep these documents unless you wish).
Any transfer paperwork will be submitted to Charles Schwab immediately. Schwab will then submit the requests to your current institution. This process usually takes approximately two weeks to complete.
Once your funds have arrived in your new Schwab account(s), we will make the necessary sales and purchases. This often occurs immediately, though the exact timing does depend on market conditions.
For any assistance with online access to your Schwab account(s), please call Schwab Alliance at 800-515-2157. (See below for details on Schwab Alliance services.)
What Will You Receive from Secure Retirement?
Every month we send out an Economic & Market Update report.
Shortly after the end of each quarter we compile more detailed reports about our investments and account performance, along with a summary of your personal investment returns. These can be found in the “Vault” section of your online portal. Your portal can be found at www.portal.secureretire.com — or by selecting Client Area from the main menu of our website.
Clients will receive login credentials to the Portal as part of the signup process. Your user name and password will be emailed to you, along with an explanation of how to use the portal.
You will occasionally receive invitations from us to special events to which all clients, their friends and family members are warmly invited. For the duration of the pandemic, these will be online events.
You will also receive notice when we discover new opportunities to invest in private Real Estate Investment Trusts and related investments. These are described below under “Alternative Investments.”
Office Hours:
8:30 am – 5:00 pm Monday-Friday
Mailing Address:
Secure Retirement Financial
18 Crow Canyon Court, Suite 325
San Ramon, CA 94583
Phone: (925) 855-4300
FAX: (925) 855-4630
Secure Retirement Staff Areas of Responsibility:
Richard Morey– (richard@secureretire.com) Richard’s primary responsibility involves managing our Charles Schwab accounts. Richard makes most of the trades in accounts. He also writes most of our economic and market analysis.
Jeff Warren– (jeff@secureretire.com) Jeff assists with managing the Schwab accounts (he and Richard share a complete understanding of our Schwab account management). Jeff is also in charge of all aspects of our financial planning services. These services are provided to all clients, at no additional charge. They include:
- Retirement Planning
- Health care planning, including Medicare and long-term care
- Insurance, including life insurance and annuities
- Social Security income planning
In addition, Jeff is also in charge of all of our alternative investments (described in the section on “Alternative Investments”).
Amber Jenkins – (amber@secureretire.com)
Judit Eriksson – (judit@secureretire.com
Amber and Judit are primarily responsible for our Schwab account administration and billing. They open all the new accounts, oversee transfers into accounts, and are the persons you should contact whenever you need to withdraw money from your account. Amber and Judit also make sure all clients who have Required Minimum Distributions from IRA accounts receive the appropriate amounts.
Dianne Warren–(dianne@secureretire.com) Dianne is in charge of the administration of our alternative investments. She also oversees communications with both clients and those referred to Secure Retirement, along with overseeing all our events.
Peter Eriksson — (peter@secureretire.com) Peter is our Trading Specialist and manages the technologies used at Secure Retirement. He is our in-house webmaster and oversees the website portal as well.
Who to Call or Email?
Richard Morey or Jeff Warren:
- Investment Questions
- Account Statement Review
Amber Jenkins or Judit Eriksson:
- Schedule Appointments
- Schwab Account Administration
- Tax Forms, Statements
- Account Withdrawals
- Money Transfers
- Billing
Jeff Warren
- Retirement Plans and Social Security
- Alternative Investments and REITS (see details below)
Dianne Warren
- Alternative Investments and REITS Administration
- Secure Retirement Events
Peter Eriksson
- Secure Retirement Technology
- Client Web Portal
- Trading
- Website
Schwab Alliance
www.schwaballiance.com
800-515-2157 – Call for help with any Charles Schwab website questions.
Schwab Alliance is where you will be able to view your account history, positions, transactions, balance, transfer and payment information, and monthly Schwab statements.
As soon as your Schwab account opens you will receive an email from Schwab containing a link to set up your Alliance access. Click the “New User” link to begin the process.
Please Note: If you choose not to have electronic delivery of your documents the Electronic Equity Trade Commission (the cost to make trades) will be $19.95 per trade. (This fee does not apply to mutual fund purchases and sales.)
If you do choose electronic document delivery, there are no fees for trades.
Secure Web Portal
Your current Schwab account balances are displayed in a convenient overview at www.portal.secureretire.com. Helpful performance metrics, secure document vault and many other features make the portal a useful resource.
Alternative Investments
Many of our clients like to complement their portfolio with investments that are not correlated to the stock or bond markets. Usually this comes in the form of real estate or other “real” assets. These alternatives offer diversification as well as opportunities for income and growth.
The most popular investment is a Real Estate Investment Trust or REIT. These allow investors to invest modest amounts of money to purchase shares. REITs started in 1960 to give individual investors more access to investing in commercial real estate. REIT’s usually buy many properties in a sector, such as apartment complexes, over a region or the entire country. Investors receive distributions that can be paid in cash or reinvested for additional shares. These investments are generally illiquid for 4-7 years.
We have invested in diverse market sectors, including apartments, healthcare, data centers, parking facilities, self-storage, renewable energy, and industrial and office buildings.
1031 Exchanges – Taxes can be fully deferred on the sale of a rental or commercial property you own by exchanging for a like kind property. In addition to tax deferral, exchange properties can produce significant tax-advantaged income.
For more details and to receive information contact Jeff Warren.
Tax FAQ’s
*1099’s will be sent from Schwab, generally the 2nd week in February.
*You will only receive a 1099 on a tax deferred account (such as an IRA) if you made a withdrawal in the previous year. All other brokerage accounts will receive a 1099.
*Management fees are only tax-deductible on brokerage accounts (not tax-deferred accounts such as IRA accounts). Fee totals can be located on the last page of your 1099.
*All contributions to tax deferred accounts for the previous year need to be in a Schwab office by April 15th (or last tax date) or at Secure Retirement by April 14th.