Partnering with the Pro's series

In celebration of the Thanksgiving season, we would like to express our gratitude and appreciation to the fantastic financial advisors in our community who have partnered with our office for the benefit of our mutual clients. Thank you! Our clients have great financial advisors. We appreciate you. With your help and guidance, we have been able to create the best legal plan for our clients.
We want to say “thank you” to our partners in the community. Educating our clients and the community is a priority for our office is part of the mission of our firm, and we do that best when we are partnering with our clients’ financial advisors in the community. We contacted our partners in the community in the area of finance to help our clients understand the role of a financial advisor in the estate plan. We are titling this series, “Partnering with the Pros: The Importance of a Financial Advisor.” We will be featuring some interviews with our friends who are financial advisors on our website highlighting the importance of a financial advisor as part of our series. Understandably, for legal compliance reasons, some of our great partners were unable to participate in the interviews. Check out our blog post at: www.skwlawoffice.com.
Zane Schreiber enjoys working closely with his clients to help bring clarity to their financial picture and incorporating a plan to help navigate retirement. He believes this begins by building a personal relationship with each client and taking the time to understand each unique situation. Zane is also actively involved with the engagement and employee education of the team’s institutional retirement plans. Before joining the Abeles Flurie Group, he was a student-athlete at The George Washington University in Washington, DC where he double majored in Finance and Organizational Sciences.
On The Personal Side: Zane was born and raised in Hagerstown, MD with a family of five. Outside of the office, he enjoys spending time playing slow pitch softball and exercising at the YMCA. Zane sits on the board of several non-profits throughout the community such as Big Brothers Big Sisters and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Whether it is coaching at Federal Little League or mentoring his little brother, he wants to help the next generation of Washington County’s youth succeed.
Something You May Not Know: Zane’s parents did not deviate from the letter ‘Z’. His siblings, Zach & Zoe, make it very easy for others to get their names confused. Family competition reigned true within the Schreiber household -all three Z’s went on to play Division 1 sports. Zach played football at Liberty University and Zoe played volleyball at Marshall University.
I. What is the point of a financial advisors?
I believe the role of the financial advisor is to educate and serve as the sounding board to their clients’ financial needs. Many people think of financial advisors as just stock pickers, which many are – however, our role is to be listeners to our clients and strategize the best game plan to help accomplish their financial goals. Whether it be charitable giving or funding children’s education, we are here to help plan with clients.
II. When do I need a financial advisor?
Regardless of your needs or financial circumstance, I believe it is always important to have someone to go to in order to seek professional advice & guide you in the right direction.
III. How do I pick a financial advisor?
As a financial advisor myself, I believe it is important to go through the process of interviewing multiple financial advisors before doing business with one. The importance of the interview process is building a trusted relationship and making sure you are most comfortable with the one you choose. We would recommend compiling a list of 5-10 questions that are most important to you, and go through the process of asking each advisor. These could range from their fiduciary responsibilities, how they get paid, what is their investment philosophy, etc.
IV. What makes you unique as a financial advisor?
Our team has a ton of depth and experience within the financial planning space. We are not stock pickers – the foundation of all of our client relationships begins with a comprehensive financial plan. After laying out the objectives that clients are looking to accomplish, we then wrap an investment strategy around that plan that coincides well. Additionally, we have a solid footprint within the employer retirement plan world as well – we service close to 75 employer retirement plans in the area and can help clients navigate that realm as well. Finally, we are listeners first & advisors second. We believe it is incredibly important to listen and educate clients before giving any formal recommendations. We want to make sure that the clients are heard first, that way they are comfortable with creating a game plan for the objectives/goals they have laid out for their financial affairs.
V. What are attributes you should look for when trying to find a financial advisor?
Trust, integrity, and having the heart of a teacher. The foundation of all relationships begin with trust & integrity, especially when it involves your life savings. I also believe it is important to be a teacher with your clients. Investments and financial planning can be overwhelming topics to many individuals, however, the importance of an advisor is to shed light on uncertainty and make sure clients understand everything involved in their financial affairs.
VI. How often should you meet with a financial advisor?
At minimum, once per year. However, depending on your needs, it may be important to have a routine semi-annual or quarterly check-in.
VII. How do I switch financial advisors?
 Once you meet with your new financial advisor, you can have accounts set up to receive the assets from the old brokerage firm. The new firm will have you sign transfer paperwork, and the assets can be moved electronically via the ACAT system – it is a pretty seamless process to do so.
VIII. What should be the relationship between a client’s financial advisor and attorney be?
The relationship between a client’s financial advisor and attorney is vitally important. Whether it involves power of attorney, advanced medical directives, beneficiaries, or trust documentation – the attorney serves as the backbone to many client affairs. Advisors and attorneys should be working hand in hand to help clients accomplish all of their goals and make sure everything is in good order for once they pass their legacy onto next generation.
IX. What is the most rewarding asset of your job?
Giving clients piece of mind when it comes to retirement and knowing their legacy for beneficiaries will be properly handled. Many of our clients have worked for the past 30-40 years and the idea of retirement can be scary for many. By building comprehensive plans for our clients, we can give them reassurance that they will be able to accomplish the goals they have laid out and can enjoy the rewards of all of their hard work.
X. Is there additional information that you would like everyone to know about you?
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(240) 513-2714