Ownership/Advisory History
Better Money Decisions, LLC (“we” or the “firm”) became approved as a state registered
investment advisory firm in September 2014. The firm changed to an SEC registered firm in
May 2019. The firm is owned and managed by Lorraine Ell, Majority Owner, CEO, and Senior
Financial Advisor and Lea Ann Garrison Knight, Minority Owner, Managing Partner and Vice
President of Financial Planning.
Advisory Services Offered
Better Money Decisions offers three levels of service.
We usually offer a complimentary general consultation to discuss the services available, give
you time to review services desired, and determine what service would benefit you.
Investment advisory services begin only after we formalize the relationship with a written
agreement that details the exact terms of the service and is signed by you and Better Money
Decisions.
Financial Wellness for Life® (FWL)
FWL is our most comprehensive service offering.
FWL services include the following as needed: Retirement Calculations, College Savings
Strategies, Estate Documents Checklist, Insurance Review, Debt Management, Investment
Allocation Review, Cash Flow Strategies, Tax Return Review, Investment Recommendations,
Professional Investment Management, Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Financial
Caretaking/Family Meetings, Charitable Giving Coordination, Annual Plan Reviews,
Continual Advisor Access, Educational Webinars and Client Events. It begins with a
comprehensive financial plan which is a multiple meeting process that results in a written
financial plan for you. First, we have a discovery meeting, the purpose of which is to introduce
ourselves, discuss your financial circumstances and the concerns that prompted you to
contact us, and determine whether and how we will work together. We then move to a data
gathering and discovery process to determine your specific needs, goals, intentions, time
horizons, risk tolerance and investment objectives. Once all information we need has been
collected, we create the financial plan and present our findings to you. At this meeting, we
will discuss various options and scenarios regarding implementation of any
recommendations made.
Once the plan is complete, we design the right investment portfolio for you. We work with
you to formulate an individualized portfolio based upon your objectives, time frame, risk
parameters and other investment considerations. We use marketable securities that may
include bonds, common stock (equities), mutual funds and exchange traded funds (ETFs).
(Additional information about securities used and their risks can be found under Item 8.)
Our investment philosophy uses principles of value, safety, and quality to seek investment
options globally. We place heavy emphasis on risk control, believing that avoiding losses
allows appreciation potential of equities to be realized.
Once the asset allocation is determined along with the level of risk, we then manage the
portfolio by rebalancing and adjusting the investment vehicles as needed.
Our portfolio management services are individualized to each client. A client may impose
restrictions on investment in certain securities or types of securities. Any restrictions must
be provided in writing.
All other services are provided as needed to you over the years depending on your needs and
objectives.
We also offer two limited engagement services: Financial Subscription Service (FSS)
and Financial Planning Snapshot (FPS)
Financial Subscription Service (FSS)
FSS is a yearlong service that offers continuous advice and consulting for the period of the
subscription. It includes the following as needed: Retirement Calculations in a
Comprehensive Financial Plan, College Savings Strategies, Estate Documents Checklist,
Insurance Review, Debt Management, Investment Allocation Review, Cash Flow Strategies,
Tax Return Review, and Investment Recommendations. The subscription is for a mandatory
period of one year, is billed quarterly in advance and may be renewed. The service offers
ongoing opportunities for the client to engage with the advisor for help in answering any
financial questions and decision that may arise.
Financial Planning Snapshot (FPS)
FPS is a standalone financial planning service, which involves preparing a financial plan
covering a variety of topics. The services included: Retirement Calculations in a
Comprehensive Financial Plan, College Savings Strategies, Estate Documents Checklist,
Insurance Review, Debt Management, and an Investment Allocation Review. Once the
financial plan is ready, we meet with you to discuss various scenarios and options and then
provide a written financial plan. When providing financial planning, our role is to find ways
to help you understand your
overall financial situation and help you set financial
objectives.
Written financial plans prepared by us do not include specific recommendations of
individual securities. This service has a fixed fee of which one-half is due at the time of the
engagement and the remainder after the plan has been completed.
FPS does not involve implementing any transactions on your behalf or the active and ongoing
monitoring or management of your investments or accounts. You have the sole responsibility
for determining whether to implement our financial planning and consulting
recommendations. To the extent that you would like to implement any of our investment
recommendations through Better Money Decisions or retain us to actively monitor and
manage your investments, you must execute a separate written agreement with Better
Money Decisions for our FWL service.
FPS does not offer any continuous advice or consulting services.
Client Assets Managed by Better Money Decisions
As of December 31, 2022, we manage $197,887,888 of client assets, all managed on a
discretionary basis.