FAQ's

How is Harbour Planning Group different from other advisors? Harbour Planning Group is independently owned by Chatham based Certified Financial Planner, Jeff Shillington. Since we are independently owned, we are not tied to any single bank or financial institution. This allows Harbour Planning Group to focus on what really is important, financial and estate planning. In our many years of working in the industry we have never met a new client who had a written financial plan from their previous advisor. Industry statistics also state that very few individuals have a written plan. We know we are different because we focus first on creating a detailed written financial plan before we recommend any financial products. This is evident in our signature "Navigator Life Planning Process". How do I know you are competent to handle my affairs? The principal of Harbour Planning Group, Jeff Shillington, has worked in the Financial Planning industry since 1992. In addition to required licensing, Jeff strives to maintain the highest professional standards. This is evident in the various designations the firm holds, namely; 4 CFP's, 2 EPC's, 1 CLU, 1 TEP, 1 B. Comm., and 2 B.A.s. Kevin Goldsmith is currently enrolled in level 2 of the CFA designation (the most widely respected investment designation in the industry). For more information on any of the above designations please lick on their respective links. What types of things do you typically help clients with? We do much more than simply manage our clients' investments. For instance we are often asked to assist our younger clients with planning their children's education, or planning their own retirement. Our older clients are more concerned with probate planning or helping pass their family business (farm) on to the next generation. Other times we have been asked how we can help stop the government from reducing their Old Age Pension. Some of our clients want us simply to organize their financial house so that if something happened to them their spouse would have peace of mind knowing things are in order. How will you effectively monitor my investments? At Harbour Planning Group we have hired a dedicated highly trained employee, Kevin Goldsmith, whose sole purpose is to watch and monitor your investments. Although their are thousands of investment choices available to us, we keep things simple by using the worlds' most successful and seasoned investment fund managers. We use these same managers with all our clients. This allows us to make necessary changes quickly when things change, across our entire clientele. How do you get paid? At Harbour Planning Group we get paid no differently than you current advisor. Most new clients already have money invested with another advisor or bank when they meet us. This means the other advisor or bank is receiving commissions for overseeing their investments. When a client decides to work with us, we become their agent on their investments accounts and as such, we start receiving the commission. This allows our clients to receive detailed, written financial and estate planning at no additional cost. If I decide to hire Harbour Planning Group, what is my next step? Should you be interested in finding our more about our firm, you may want to schedule a 'get-aquainted meeting". This meeting is complimentary and designed to give you the opportunity to talk to a senior counselor. At the end of the meeting, the senior counselor will be able to determine if Harbour Planning Group can help you. There is no obligation on your part.