Question 1

What makes Branning Wealth Management different from other financial advisors?

Accepted Answer

We specialize in one thing: tax-efficient retirement income planning. Most financial advisors are generalists. We’ve built our entire practice around helping pre-retirees and retirees build income strategies designed to be predictable regardless of market conditions. Our approach is grounded in Modern Retirement Theory, a proprietary framework published in The Journal of Financial Planning and now part of the national RICP curriculum. We are fee-only and fiduciary, which means we never accept commissions and we’re legally obligated to act in your best interest.

Question 2

How do you build a retirement income plan?

Accepted Answer

We start with your income needs, not your portfolio. Using our Branning MATCH process and Modern Retirement Theory, we map your essential expenses, contingency needs, lifestyle goals, and legacy intentions into a structured plan. Then we build a bond ladder to fund your essential income for the first several years of retirement, invest your remaining assets for long-term growth using time-targeted portfolios, and coordinate your withdrawal strategy to minimize taxes. The result is a retirement income plan built around what you can count on not what the market might provide.

Question 3

What is a bond ladder and why do you use it?

Accepted Answer

A bond ladder is a series of fixed-income securities such as bonds or similar instruments that mature at set intervals over time. We use a bond ladder to pre-fund our clients’ essential living expenses for the first several years of retirement. This means when the market drops, our clients have income already set aside. They’re never forced to sell growth investments at the wrong time just to cover their bills. The bond ladder is the foundation of our Safety-First retirement income approach.

Question 4

What does the Safety-1st approach mean?

Accepted Answer

We use a liability-driven investing process where we first match up cash flows to projected liabilities for stability while investing the balance in a diversified, low-cost, global allocation for long-term growth. Since each investor has different financial goals, this approach requires a completely customized allocation that we refer to as your Critical Path. This focus on reducing your initial risk exposure differs from the traditional total return model most advisors use where they invest everyone in one of their model allocations and hope for the best.

Question 5

Will you invest my money without a plan?

Accepted Answer

We approach each of our clients with the goal of developing a Stable, Secure, Sustainable Plan. It is our belief that regardless of your situation, you cannot achieve your goals without a solid plan in place. Just like our investments, our plans are 100 percent tailored to meet your unique needs and goals. To create a true comprehensive wealth plan, it will require a commitment from you on the front-end to provide us the data and personal input we will need to evaluate your full financial picture.

Question 6

What is your process?

Accepted Answer

Our process begins with an initial complimentary 30-minute phone call to ensure your advisory needs match our expertise. From there, we conduct in-depth data gathering meetings to understand your goals, resources, and concerns. We then create a comprehensive financial plan rooted in Modern Retirement Theory and designed to provide secure, stable, and sustainable retirement income. After the plan is complete, clients may choose ongoing wealth management and continuous planning support with regular monitoring and updates as life and market conditions change.

Question 7

Do you work with clients outside of Mississippi?

Accepted Answer

Yes. We serve clients in all 50 states. We work virtually with the majority of our clients and maintain by-appointment offices in Jackson, Mississippi and Chapel Hill, North Carolina for those who prefer in-person meetings. Nearly a third of our clients are not local to either office.

Question 8

Who is Asset Dedication and how do they work with us?

Accepted Answer

Asset Dedication is our exclusive strategic partner. They help us with compliance, day-to-day operations, and portfolio management.

Get in touch

Permission to Retire

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(601) 500-7925

(888) 366-1184

info@branwealth.com

Office- By Appointment Only

By Appointment Only

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