Pursue Wealth for Generations
Discover the financial planning approach we use to help high net worth families to steward wealth for their children's children and beyond.
If you're like many of the families who become our clients, there's a chance that:
...that you are the financial mind "holding it all together" and that everything might fall apart if something should happen to you.
...with the feeling of wanting to give your descendants advantages in life, but you want to make sure that the wealth you have built is a blessing and not a curse.
...about how generational wealth may affect the relationships of those you love most.
...with the duty of stewardship, but don't have all of the answers for tax efficiency and multi-generational wealth preservation.
These are serious problems that we see all the time, but they are actually just symptoms of the real problem...
Three Tiers of Investor
We believe the real problem starts with the notion that relatively minor portfolio allocation changes are all that separates investors of different levels of wealth and different mindsets.
The status quo of the financial industry seems to think that there are only really two types of investors:
- Regular, everyday people
- Ultra wealthy families and institutions
We believe this is an oversimplification.
In our opinion there are three tiers of everyday investor each separated in their needs and strategies by a primary (most important) and secondary (less important) factor: Mindset and Means.
*We have tailored specific programs for each of the three tiers. Please use the descriptions below to find your “right fit” program.
Tier 1 Investors
- Mindset:
- Primary Pursuit: Sufficiency
- “I want to make sure I don't run out”
- Overriding emotion = Fear
- Means (these are generalities and subordinated to Mindset):
- Less than $1M of Net Worth (excluding primary residence)
Tier 2 Investors
- Mindset:
- Primary Pursuit: Efficiency
- “I want to make sure I'm not missing out”
- Overriding emotion = Frustration
- Means (these are generalities and subordinated to Mindset):
- $1M of Net Worth - $10M of Net Worth
Tier 3 Investors
- Mindset:
- Primary Pursuit: Legacy
- “I want to transform my family tree”
- Overriding emotion = Aspiration
- Means (these are generalities and subordinated to Mindset):
- $10M of Net Worth - $100M of Net Worth
• THE REAL PROBLEM
The Generation Wealth Mindset Shift
Many family leaders pursuing generational wealth stewardship find themselves filling out each area of their family wealth on their own. Building businesses, managing investment properties, coordinating disconnected financial professionals...
This can leave you overworked, overstressed, and overwhelmed trying to coordinate and hold everything together. It can also leave you worried about whether everything will fall apart if something were to happen to you. It can be an isolating feeling.
We believe what's needed is a fundamental shift in the way you organize your financial relationships. It involves treating your family wealth like a business with the right people responsible for the right roles.
The Business of Your Family Wealth
Organizing the right groups of people at the right strategic levels can be one of the most important aspects to multi-generational wealth stewardship to get right.
Planning pains can occur when these levels aren't sequenced properly, or when the levels are compressed, roles get confused, and the frustration and fear of trying to hold it all together can set it.
We belive the proper sequencing of strategy and functional responsibilities mirrors our financial planning process:
Purpose.
You should be free to focus on setting the course for your family, your values, and the generational impact you want to have.
Planning.
Through our Generations program, we provide the strategy, coordination, and integration of financial strategies and family wealth professionals to pursue bringing your vision to life.
Portfolio.®
With the right planning and coordination, a curated suite of professional tacticians, financial strategies, and portfolio solutions do the work of seeking to support your Purpose for your family.
What this does is provide you a strategic partner in pursuing your generational wealth objectives.
What it means, is that you can be free to focus on vision, family, and living your Purpose knowing you have a team of professionals planning and executing the strategies that seek to support your Purpose.
We're here to help shape the world for generations.
Our mission is to help as many Americans as possible to get their financial planning right and to live fulfilling, enjoyable, and impactful lives while providing the foundation for future generations to do the same.
• 8 PILLAR FINANCIAL PLANNING SYSTEM
Pursue generational stewardship with our 8-Pillar financial planning system
Liquidity
Liquidity can be an "achilles heel" causing you to make untimely decisions due to unforeseen emergencies or opportunities. Seek to prioritize liquidity in order to pursue sufficient liquidity for emergencies, so you can buy what you need when you need it while optimizing liquidity for opportunities to take advantage of arbitrage events when they occur.
Income
While planning multi-generationally, it becomes more important than ever for you to control, layer, and coordinate your income sources and streams. Strive for protected and portfolio income sources designed to give you options to elect tax-conscious income when you need it.
Investments
Leave behind outdated and limited portfolio construction in the pursuit of personalized investments designed to pursue market growth when it happens while also seeking income, historically low correlation with stock market volatility, & potential tax efficiencies, all anchored by strategies designed to provide a base of wealth preservation.
Taxes
Taxes aren't an afterthought. They are interwoven with nearly every other financial planning decision and category. Pursue tax-wise strategies designed to use tax law as your family's guide to tax efficiency.
Healthcare
Healthcare expenses are some of the largest unforeseen wealth-eroding expenses for today's wealthy families. They can also be one of the largest sources of contention for your heirs. Seek to protect and preserve your wealth with targeted strategies designed to prepare for the unforeseen.
Legacy
Lack of clarity in the areas of liquidity and estate issues can drive wedges into otherwise closely knit families. Lack of intentionality with regard to family wealth governance and multi-generational wealth education can lead to younger generations missing out on critical lessons as it relates to life and wealth. Seek to ensure that whatever you may leave behind is structured intentionally to be a blessing and not a curse.
While pillars 7 & 8 don't necessarily apply to everyone, we have found that a significant percentage of the families who find a fit with this program have need for coordination of at least one of the following with their overall financial ecosystem:
Investment Real Estate
Real estate investors often treat their investments as separate from the rest of their finances. This mindset can lead to limited options and constrained decision-making. Pursue strategic efficiency with all of your integrated wealth through careful evaluation of and recommendations for your investment real estate through our proprietary framework.
Business Ownership & Exit
Like real estate, many business owners fail to integrate their businesses into their overall wealth planning. It's important to compartmentalize and make good business decisions inside of the business itself, and it can be equally important to weigh and integrate the effects those decisions have on you personally as the business owner. Seek your optimal multiple and cashflows with minimal tax consequences so your business can continue to work hard for you even if you were to exit.
The status quo for financial advice seems to be a relatively disengaged “advisor” who may meet with you once a year to touch base on surface-level life events and to “rebalance” your portfolio of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds. Any advice seems to come in the form of urging you to “trust the market” since “it always goes up over the long-term” and “you can’t really beat the market anyway.” Meanwhile your portfolio has the same pie chart of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds as every other client at the firm.
Does any of this sound familiar?
If so, you’re in the right place. We believe that this status quo of financial advice has failed and underserved America’s generational wealth builders for too long. The rules of the game that may have helped you to build wealth throughout your career aren’t necessarily the same rules you need to steward and grow your wealth through future generations.
Getting your financial planning right can help to empower you to spend your time in ways that are enjoyable and fulfilling--living your Purpose. Getting this wrong can mean a missed opportunity, worry, and apprehension about the next market correction.
Some members of our team having fun after one of our high-net-worth training events.
Our mission is to help as many Americans as possible to get their financial planning right, so they can live their Purpose and make lasting impact for generations to come.
Who Are We?
Meet our team of financial planning professionals.
Wallace Smith, ChFC® RICP® | Founder & CEO
Wally Smith received his Electrical Engineering degree from University of Illinois and quickly leaned into the business development realm of engineering. He founded Ridgegate® Financial in 2003 as an independent wealth management firm treating retirement and family financial planning differently – looking at each family as "Client, Inc". Many clients were concerned about the "unknown unknowns" – they didn't want to miss something important. Wally developed an approach based on proactive Leadership for clients with their finances. This approach reflects the business planning of sound management of both investment and income assets. Wally and his wife Lynn of 34 years enjoy the beautiful Colorado mountains with their kids and spouses.
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Alex Staverosky, CFP® | Wealth Advisor & Realtor
As a Real Estate Strategist & Financial Advisor with Ridgegate® Financial, Alex Staverosky helps high net worth individuals and real estate investors strive to use their finances to proactively and efficiently achieve their goals at every stage of their life. Throughout his time years in the field, Alex has gained invaluable experience from talking with hundreds of individuals regarding their personal and financial goals, and finding the unique planning strategies that allow them to move forward.
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Chris Rogers | Wealth Manager
As a Wealth Advisor with Ridgegate® Financial, Chris helps clients meet their financial and investment concerns head-on in order to actively pursue their purpose by providing creative and practical financial strategies and solutions. Throughout his 15 years in the field, Chris has gained valuable insight into the needs of his clients and has effectively applied his comprehensive knowledge and experience in financial planning to address those needs.
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David Swenson | Wealth Manager
As a Wealth Advisor with Ridgegate® Financial, David is dedicated to delivering tailored solutions for each of his client's unique needs. With over 30 years of experience in the field, David has gained vitally important experience weathering a multitude of economic cycles and strives to instill confidence and clarity throughout life's challenges.
Read Full Bio• FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
I have had experiences with financial professionals in the past. What makes you different?
We believe everything from our approach, our process, our culture, how we hire and train, and the service we offer is innovative and unique in the financial services industry. Please don't let a past experience keep you from getting the help you may need.
I just met you over the phone or internet. Why should I trust you over the firm right down the street?
Through our innovative approach, we believe in leveraging technology to the benefit of our clients. Just because you can talk to someone face-to-face doesn't mean they are a better fit, or even the right fit for your needs. Our right-fit clients live all over the USA, and we leverage technology in order to help them.
I don't want to end up in some kind of high-pressure sales environment. What are you trying to sell me?
We want you to make decisions from a place of power and control; not high-pressure. This is why we strive to make your decisions as easy as possible. Our goal is always to depressurize and empower your financial decision-making.
