Financial Planning

Financial Planning to Meet Your Wealth Management Needs

At Mason, our experienced financial planners build an in-depth knowledge of you and your family and employ a unique team-based analytical planning process to develop a highly detailed, strategic, and tailored plan to meet your needs. We offer no proprietary products or services, so you can be assured that we are objective in our recommendations and fulfill our role as a fiduciary by always acting in your best interests.

The Mason Process

At Mason, taking the time to get to know you is the foundation for developing a financial strategy to meet your goals, whether it is addressing executive compensation issues, tax management, early retirement, charitable planning strategies, education funding or another objective. A financial plan serves both as a snapshot of where you stand in achieving your financial goals and as a roadmap for steps and actions on the recommendations contained in the plan. We follow a conscientious and disciplined process of financial planning for those with whom we engage.

Step 1:

Data Gathering

We spend time getting to know you and learning about your financial situation. Our interview approach is interactive and thorough and does not rely on standard questionnaires or checklists.

Step 2:

Preliminary Report

Our initial report contains analyses and summaries covering a broad range of planning issues. Your review of this initial report provides an opportunity to ensure that Mason’s understanding of your situation and goals reflects your personal situation and goals.

Step 3:

Plan Development

Each plan is custom designed by a team that has access to the full breadth of Mason’s resources and experience. The team’s ideas will form the basis of the financial plan.

Step 4:

Implementation

We believe the real value of our planning process lies in taking action and executing recommendations. We assist with all implementation steps and work with your attorney for any actions requiring legal counsel.

Step 5:

Monitoring

We continually monitor your financial plan and make adjustments as your circumstances or objectives change.

A Heritage of Financial Planning for Executives

Mason has deep roots in corporate-sponsored financial planning programs, and we have worked with many of the largest companies in the country to provide financial planning to key staff as an executive benefit. Since 1982 we have worked directly with corporate executives as part of their companies’ executive programs. We review all aspects of an executive’s compensation and long-term financial planning needs to develop a plan that helps them achieve their dreams and vision. We carefully tailor our recommendations to the areas that may be of most concern to an executive, such as financial independence and retirement; income tax planning; education funding; budget; investment portfolio; estate planning; risk management; and how best to maximize the value of all corporate award opportunities available to the executives.

Integrating the Corporate Sponsor Perspective

Corporate benefits rewards programs can play a key role in attracting and retaining talented staff. Mason’s experience in corporate sponsored benefits programs means that we understand the challenge and opportunity in helping key executives understand and utilize their company’s total rewards program. We work with sponsors and employees to:

Help executives understand and maximize the value of the corporate sponsor’s total rewards program.
Encourage the executive to make financial decisions in a manner that is sensitive to the company’s fiduciary and corporate reporting requirements.
Build strong, long-term relationships with companies and their employees
Respect the executive’s time with a process geared toward providing significant value for the participant at each meeting.
Recognize that a plan’s value lies in timely implementation and devote as much attention to guiding the executive on plan implementation as we do on plan design.

Complex Planning for Individuals and Multi-Generational Families

We understand that your life is complex, and we can help you and your entire family with an array of financial issues including charitable giving and tax preparation needs.

Charitable Giving

Philanthropy may play a major role in your financial and estate planning. Yet, balancing these goals against your current needs and legacy wishes can be complex. We integrate your charitable intentions throughout every part of your overall financial plan. Our recommendations for implementation may range from straightforward direct giving and personal involvement to more complex structures such as charitable trusts, donor-advised funds, and foundations to innovative “tax-smart” ways to give.

We advise clients on developing a family financial philosophy, including a personal financial mission statement that helps to define objectives in:

Financial independence – the resources needed to maintain the desired lifestyle
Family legacy – the amount of money available for family members and other heirs
Social capital legacy – the remainder of the estate which will be used for society’s needs, either through estate taxes or charitable gifts

Tax Preparation

For select clients, the tax group at Mason provides individual income tax return preparation for the federal, state and local jurisdictions in which our clients are required to file. We are able to integrate information gathered through the financial planning process with the tax data of our clients. This reduces the likelihood of errors in tax returns and enhances the quality of the tax advice we give as part of the client’s overall financial plan.

Financial Planning

Financial Planning