Seek to build your dream retirement
Strive to overcome outdated financial advice and debunked rules of thumb in pursuit of a retirement filled with Purpose.
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Learn the systems we have used to build retirements for 20+ years
Instead of Living Your Purpose,
there's a good chance that:
...feeling like you have earned a fulfilling retirement, but you’re not sure how to generate lifetime income When the Paychecks Stop™.
...about letting down the people counting on you to have your finances and investments figured out, but the investment landscape is constantly changing and feels impossible to keep up with.
...of hearing the same old financial “advice” from a set-it-and-forget-it advisor. You feel unprepared to keep up with the ever-changing tax laws and consistently feel like you’re paying too much.
...about whether you are prepared for a potential avalanche of healthcare costs late in life.
...of the best way to leave money to your family and the ones you love.
...about the tradeoff between protecting money and having it available in an emergency. You don’t know how to balance these strategies.
After more than 20 years in this industry, trust us. We have experienced all this before!
Most of our clients came to us not knowing that there is more to finances than the same old pie chart of stocks, bonds, and mutual funds they had been sold their whole lives.
Unfortunately, this is what most of the financial services industry offers.
It can feel like you are walking down a one-way street with very few choices and limited options for protecting the retirement you have worked so hard to build. We have heard horror stories from clients who experienced these very same things.
...but what if we told you there was more to retirement planning than what most of the financial services industry offers?
Our retirement planning process follows three distinct steps:
Purpose.
Our purpose is to help you to live your Purpose.
Effective financial planning always starts here. It's hard to plan a trip if you don't know where you're going.
Once we have a clear picture of your retirement Purpose, then we can move on to the next step.
Planning.
It's likely that what got you to retirement is not going to get you through retirement.
You need different strategies.
We coordinate all of the pieces of your financial life to empower you with as many good options as possible when the paychecks stop.
The bottom line is that we help you build a robust retirement plan, so you can spend your time enjoying retirement instead of worrying about it.
Portfolio.®
Once we have completed the Planning in support of your Purpose, a Portfolio of appropriate financial solutions and strategies naturally reveals itself.
At this point in the process, it's time to get your accounts allocated so they can start helping you to Live Your Purpose.
Finally, we will begin our schedule of regular strategy reviews to make sure you stay on track.
If you get this process out of order, you can end up with a financial junk drawer of stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and other stuff that really doesn't support your Purpose. This is a recipe for disappointment in retirement. While our planners at Ridgegate® Advisors have worked to help families to avoid this fate for decades, we have continued to have our hearts broken by seeing families go through these struggles or walk in stuck with "whatever the financial guy was selling."
This is why we decided to pursue solving these problems once-and-for-all by developing...
Pursue your dream retirement with our six pillar financial planning system.
Liquidity
Pursue liquidity for emergencies and opportunities to help you buy what you need when you need it.
Income
Design income sources that pursue protection, and strive for cashflow control.
Investments
Structure investments to pursue growth while maintaining protective strategies.
Taxes
Seek tax efficiency to preserve your money for you and your family.
Healthcare
Evaluate and navigate your healthcare needs through retirement in effort to protect your wealth.
Legacy
Strive to build and pass on a lasting and meaningful legacy.
We created this program, because we want to solve the retirement problem for America's Purpose-driven retirees once and for all.
We want to eliminate low-engagement, status quo retirement planning and financial advice that keeps aspiring retirees trapped in financial uncertainty.
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.
We're tired of that.
We believe that this status quo of financial advice has failed and underserved America's retirement population for far 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 follow when the paychecks stop and retirement income begins.
Getting your retirement 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 retirement filled with worry and apprehension about the next market correction or unexpected medical expenses causing you to downsize your lifestyle just to make it last.
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 and enjoyable retirements while providing the foundation for future generations to do the same.
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.