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How Having a Financial Plan Can Help You Save for Your Long Term Goals

Whether you are saving for retirement, establishing a college fund for your kids or beefing up your emergency reserves, it pays to have the help of an expert. Having a financial planner in your corner can increase your knowledge, help you meet your financial goals, and allow you to establish a financial portfolio that makes sense for you and your family.

You would never build a house without a blueprint, so why would you invest without a solid financial plan? Whether you are well on your way to retirement or just getting started, developing a financial blueprint is the first step toward helping you stay on track to meet your goals, and an experienced financial planner can help you create a plan that makes sense for yourself and your family.

Financial planning is not something to be taken lightly, and the expertise a financial planner brings to the table cannot be overstated. By hiring a financial planner, you can benefit from their expertise and knowledge, giving you one less thing to worry about. Hiring a financial planner is a great way to help maximize your retirement savings, college funds and emergency reserves. When you have an expert on your side, it is easier to develop a smart plan for all your financial goals.

A good financial planner can also help you with more than just investing. From the amount of life insurance you need, to whether you need long-term care insurance, your financial planner can help you understand your situation, navigate complex financial topics, and build on what you already have.

If you have been putting off your financial planning, there is never a better time to seek out an advisor than right now. It does not matter how old you are or how close you are to retirement - finding a financial planner you can trust can add real value to your life. Planning for your financial future is no easy task, and the sooner you get started the better off you will be. If you have been putting off your financial blueprint, now is the time to get started. 

This award was issued on 9/1/23 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 12/12/22 through 6/30/23. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 1,649 Cincinnati-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 240 (15% of candidates) were named 2023 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2022: 1585, 230, 15%, 9/1/22, 1/3/22 - 7/1/22; 2021: 1357, 216, 16%, 9/1/21, 12/14/20 - 7/9/21; 2020: 1406, 216, 15%, 9/1/20, 12/2/19 - 6/12/20; 2019: 1371, 238, 17%, 9/1/19, 11/19/18 - 6/28/19; 2018: 1413, 239, 17%, 9/1/18, 12/20/17 - 7/19/18; 2017: 985, 288, 29%, 9/1/17, 12/21/16 - 6/29/17; 2016: 918, 368, 40%, 8/1/16, 2/10/16 - 7/25/16; 2015: 1667, 427, 26%, 9/1/15, 2/10/15 - 7/25/15; 2014: 2082, 483, 23%, 9/1/14, 2/10/14 - 7/25/14; 2013: 1367, 509, 37%, 9/1/13, 2/10/13 - 7/25/13; 2012: 1265, 477, 38%, 9/1/12, 2/10/12 - 7/25/12.
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*Winners appearing on this page do not pay a fee to be considered or to win the Five Star Award. Professionals with a digital profile have paid a promotional fee.

Five Star Wealth Manager Award is presented by Five Star Professional. No fee was paid to receive the award, however, MCF purchased a marketing package after the award was granted to promote the award. Andrew Sathe did not apply for the award and neither he or MCF are affiliated with Five Star Professional.

The information contained in this article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered as investment advice or as a recommendation of any particular strategy, investment product, or service. MCF Advisors, LLC (“MCF”) is a SEC registered investment adviser. More information about the adviser can also be found by visiting: https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/. A copy of MCF’s current written disclosure statement and customer relationship summary (“Form CRS”) discussing our advisory services and fees continues to remain available upon request. The scope of the services to be provided depends upon the needs of the client and the terms of the engagement.

Rankings and/or recognition by unaffiliated rating services and/or publications should not be construed by a client or prospective client as a guarantee that he/she will experience a certain level of results if MCF is engaged, or continues to be engaged, to provide investment advisory services, nor should it be construed as a current or past endorsement of MCF by any of its clients.  Rankings published by magazines, and others, generally base their selections exclusively on information prepared and/or submitted by the recognized adviser. Rankings are generally limited to participating advisers. Working with a third-party rated advisor does not ensure that a client or prospective client will experience a higher level of satisfaction or performance. This award should not be construed as an endorsement of the advisor by any client.

*Winners appearing on this page do not pay a fee to be considered or to win the Five Star Award. Professionals with a digital profile have paid a promotional fee.
Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria-required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP's consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP's consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client's experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria-considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager's future performance . Wealth Managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients' assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.