Symmetry brochure

The Art of Balancing Life’s Financial Challenges

It’s not how much money you make but how much money you keep, how hard it works for you, and how many generations you keep it for.

A Legacy of Caring and Service

I have always been drawn to numbers. When I was 13, I started an investment account with money from my babysitting business. In college, I majored in math and minored in physics. To this day, I love how numbers lead to answers and explain the world around us.

An affinity for math and business are useful for anyone in my line of work, but it was my father who introduced me to finance as a career. He was a financial planner. For more than three decades, he helped his clients prepare for the future with a level of caring and service that still inspires me.

I’ll never forget how exciting it was to go into the office with my dad. When I was little, I’d help him with Christmas cards. As we both got older, I offered to lend a hand so he and my mom could travel. It wasn’t long before I realized I had found my calling – using a knack for numbers to continue a legacy.

It was a legacy of caring and service. Of building lasting relationships. Of never going halfway for our clients. Losing my dad unexpectedly also reminded me how important it is to have a good financial plan – and how lucky my family was to have him as a dad and an advisor.

When my dad passed away, I became the main point of contact for his clients – and for the adult children of his

clients who stayed with the firm because they saw the impact he had on their parents. That is the impact I hope to have on my clients now.

That starts with trust, and trust starts with caring and service. Someone to turn to in good times and in moments of grief. Meaningful conversations about goals. The sense of security that a sound plan for retirement, college, or a home provides. For you, that’s the value of a financial planner. For me, it’s the family business.

For a financial planner, value shows up in many ways. Over a lifetime, value can be quantified by account balances, and it can be defined by the relationships that grow across generations. Those are two of the long-term measures of success that I want to use with you as we work together toward your goals.

Sometimes, though, a good day is what matters. When I can provide a plan or clarity that offers relief or comfort to a client, that’s when I know I’ve put a love of numbers to good use. That’s when I know I am providing the level of caring and service I learned from my dad. That’s when I know I’ve done my job.

A New View of Retirement

Retirement has changed over the past few decades and perhaps even more importantly, how we fund and plan for retirement has changed. Employer pensions along with social security used to provide the bulk of a retiree’s income. For most Americans, gone are the days of spending an entire career at one company and receiving a set monthly amount in retirement.

Although this change is often looked at with dismay by employees, with this freedom has come a tremendous opportunity for many people: the freedom to work for many employers and in many different types of careers, and the ability to defer and strategically plan one’s tax liability.

In addition, although monthly pension payments appear generous at first, over the course of today’s longer retirements, the increasing cost of living can erode them to the point where they no longer cover basic necessities. For all retirees, inflation is a dangerous but silent risk, and this is especially true for those whose retirement is dependent on fixed defined-benefit pensions.

With this freedom have also come risk and the responsibility to manage that risk. The shift to 401(k) plans has shifted investment risk from the employer to the employee and has increased the amount of knowledge and planning required to be able to afford a successful retirement. The responsibility to plan for retirement is a great one, and many workers do not have the time or desire, or feel as if they do not have the knowledge to do the research and work required.

At Symmetry Wealth Strategies, we work as your advocate to coordinate your financial strategy and to instill the value of information and resources in the financial marketplace.

Our Philosophy

If the plan does not work, change the plan, not the goal. A true statement that applies to so many things in life, including financial goals. Symmetry Wealth Strategies is a fee-based firm that provides financial analysis and advice with one big goal in mind: to get you to and through retirement.

Strategy is our strength and the cornerstone of our firm. When you meet with us, you are not talking with a sales person. You are talking with a strategic, analytical partner who is here to guide you to the best possible financial solution for you and your family – in the near term and the long term.

Our commitment is to guide you. Together, we will help you to define your personal road map and goals for retirement, while we aim to maximize your finances for the future. We promise to:

1. Provide objective advice that puts our client’s needs first. If we’re not the best solution for our clients, we’ll tell them so. That transparency over the years has earned us a lifetime of trust with our clients.

2. Listen, learn, and care about your goals for your future and provide personalized recommendations that take your concerns and priorities into account.

3. Make sure you understand the recommendations we are making and why we are making them. We encourage questions and always want you to understand the strategies being implemented with your money.

4. Deliver ongoing reviews and updates to progress towards your goals and adjust to changing situations and circumstances. Our job isn’t done just because the plan is. We recognize life is constantly moving, and adjustments may need to be made along the way. We take a proactive approach to keep you on track.

5. Be approachable and accessible to our clients. If we’re not available when you call, we will call you back. Your needs and questions are important.

6. Demonstrate our integrity and mastery of our field by holding advanced designations, such as the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM certification.

7. Stay up to date on the rapidly changing opportunities and regulations in the financial world.

A focus on long-term goals and being there with you to realize them: this is our commitment.

Holistic Audit

Managing your finances for the big picture — shortand long-term goals combined — rather than just going day to day or ignoring distant future needs.

• Perform a holistic audit of current financial situation

• Examine assets, liabilities, cash flow, and liquidity

• Incorporate previous planning work with other financial advisors

Analysis & Design

• Review all aspects of planning

• Identify coordination gaps and areas not addressed

• Perform analysis on clients’ specific planning needs

• Develop customized financial solutions

Goals & Objectives

Finance goals can help you find effective ways to spend and save money, both at work and in your personal life. In the long term, these aspirations can help you improve your lifestyle, reduce debt, and plan for a comfortable retirement. Learning more about these goals can help you create a financial plan that fits your lifestyle.

• Identify goals and objectives

• Talk about financial concerns and challenges

Plan Presentation

Now that we understand your goals, challenges, and vision for the future, we present ideas that make your financial story come to life.

• Walk through plans in detail

• Explain all recommendations

• Develop implementation schedule

Implementation

We exist to serve our clients and to help them implement a plan to improve their financial situation. All the knowledge in the world doesn’t help anybody if there’s never a step that’s taken to implement.

• Coordinate implementation of planning recommendations

• Go to market to find appropriate and competitive products and solutions

• Oversight and follow-up on implementation

Review Process

• Meet on a regular basis to review current plan and investment performance

• Discuss any life changes that may affect the current plan

• Make any necessary adjustments to the plan to maximize the client’s ability to achieve goals.

Comprehensive Financial Planning Process

The Art of Balancing Life’s Financial Challenges

Areas of Financial Planning

Financial Independence

• Asset Accumulation Strategies

• Retirement Funding Strategies

• Qualified vs. Non-Qualified Plans

• IRA, Roth, 401k, 403b, etc.

• College Education Funding

• Specific Objective Funding

Personal Risk Management

• Life Insurance

• Capital Needs & Income Replacement

• Disability Insurance

• Long-term Care

• Life Expectancy Impact

• Underwriting Analysis

Estate Planning STRATEGIES

• Will Analysis

• Asset Titling Analysis

• Beneficiary Analysis

• Estate Tax Reduction Planning

• Estate Distribution Flow

• Survivor Funding

• Gifting Programs

• Charitable Planning

Client

Hear From Our Clients

I started my account over 26 years ago with just $100. I was a valet and did not make a lot of money. Maya, and her father before her, helped me design a financial portfolio. They were never worried about how much money I had -- just focused on doing their best with sound financial advice.

When I call Maya with a question or concern, she always responds. That’s important to me, and you don’t find this everywhere. The best compliment that I can give is that I have referred my best friends to her because I know they will be well taken care of.

Reginald G.

Client since 1997

Testimonial provided by Reginald Giles, who is a current client of Maya Katzman, on 8/30/2023. No cash or non-cash compensation was provided to the client in exchange for this testimonial. This testimonial is based on the client’s unique experience, may not be representative of other clients’ experiences, and is no guarantee of future performance or success.

There are so many reasons I love working with Maya. She’s easy to work with and always available to help. She never makes me feel stupid for asking questions. We meet consistently about my accounts and to date I can honestly say I’ve had no surprises.

I have sent my cousin, best friends, and in-laws to her as referrals, which is among the highest compliments I can give.

Linda W.

Client since 1996

Testimonial provided by Linda Whitaker, who is a current client of Maya Katzman, on 8/29/2023. No cash or non-cash compensation was provided to the client in exchange for this testimonial. This testimonial is based on the client’s unique experience, may not be representative of other clients’ experiences, and is no guarantee of future performance or success.