Firm Description Meridian Financial, LLC, ("Meridian Financial") was founded in 1990.
Meridian Financial provides personalized confidential financial planning and investment management to individuals, couples, families and trusts. Advice is provided through consultation with the client and may include: determination of financial objectives, identification of financial problems, cash flow management, tax planning, insurance review, investment management, education funding, retirement planning, and estate planning.
Meridian Financial is strictly a fee-only financial planning and investment management firm. The firm is not affiliated with entities that sell financial products or securities. No commissions in any form are accepted. No finder's fees are accepted.
Investment advice is an integral part of financial planning. In addition, Meridian Financial advises clients regarding cash flow, education planning, retirement planning, tax planning and estate planning. Investment advice is provided, with Meridian Financial, LLC making the final decision on investment selection. Part of the comprehensive planning is determining the appropriate asset allocation for the client that will provide them with the highest probability of reaching their goals. Meridian Financial does not act as a custodian of client assets. The client always maintains asset control. Meridian Financial places trades for clients under a limited power of attorney.
Written evaluations are provided to the client as each planning topic is addressed. Periodic reviews are also communicated to provide reminders of the specific courses of action that need to be taken. More frequent reviews occur but are not necessarily communicated to the client unless immediate changes are recommended.
Other professionals (e.g., lawyers, accountants, insurance agents, etc.) are engaged directly by the client on an as-needed basis. Meridian Financial coordinates with these other advisors to facilitate plan implementation. Conflicts of interest will be disclosed to the client in the unlikely event they should occur.
The initial meeting, which may be by telephone, is free of charge and is considered an exploratory interview to determine the extent to which financial planning and investment management may be beneficial to the client.
Principal Owners Georgia Bruggeman.
Types of Advisory Services Meridian Financial provides investment supervisory services, also known as asset management services; furnishes investment advice through consultations. On more than an occasional basis, Meridian Financial Advisors furnishes advice to clients on matters not involving securities, such as financial planning matters, taxation issues, and trust services that often include estate planning.
Tailored Relationships All financial plans are tailored to address each individual client's needs and situation. The investment advisory part of the business also provides a specialized investment mix based on the client's time frame, risk tolerance and objectives. We employ a long-term investment strategy based on fundamental analysis and asset allocation. While we generally invest from the entire universe of 4 stocks, bonds, mutual funds and ETFs, clients who wish to pursue a more specialized approach, such as socially responsible investing, are permitted to restrict their investments to include only those which fall into said category. Agreements may not be assigned without client consent.
Types of Agreements The following agreements define the typical client relationships.
Financial Planning Agreement A financial plan is designed to help the client with all aspects of financial planning without ongoing investment management after the financial plan is completed.
The financial plan may include, but is not limited to:

a net worth statement; a cash flow statement; a review of investment accounts, including reviewing asset allocation and providing repositioning recommendations; strategic tax planning; a review of retirement accounts and plans including recommendations; a review of insurance policies and recommendations for changes, if necessary; one or more retirement scenarios; estate planning review and recommendations; and education planning with funding recommendations.
Detailed investment advice and specific recommendations are not provided as part of a financial plan. Implementation of the recommendations is at the discretion of the client.
Advisory Service Agreement Most clients choose to have Meridian Financial manage their assets in order to obtain ongoing in-depth advice and life planning. All aspects of the client's financial affairs are reviewed, including those of their children. Realistic and measurable goals are set and objectives to reach those goals are defined. As goals and objectives change over time, suggestions are made and implemented on an ongoing basis.
The scope of work and fee for an Advisory Service Agreement is provided to the client in writing prior to the start of the relationship. An Advisory Service Agreement includes: cash flow management; insurance needs analysis; investment management (including performance reporting); education planning; retirement planning with workplace retirement plan management; estate planning; as well as the implementation of recommendations within each area. Detailed investment advice and specific recommendations are provided as part of Advisory Services.
Investment Management Agreement An Investment Management Agreement may be executed when financial planning is not provided as part of the relationship. The annual fees for an Investment Management Agreement are listed in the Fees and Compensation section below.
Asset Management Assets are invested primarily in no-load and exchange-traded funds, usually through discount brokers. Management of workplace retirement plans will be limited to the security choices available in the plan. Investments may also include: equities (stocks), warrants, corporate debt securities, commercial paper, certificates of deposit, municipal securities, investment company securities (variable life insurance, variable annuities, and mutual funds shares), U. S. government securities, options contracts, futures contracts, and interests in partnerships.
Initial public offerings (IPOs) are not available through Meridian Financial Advisors. 5 Held Away Assets We use a platform provided by Pontera ("Pontera") to manage held away assets such as defined contribution plan participant accounts, with discretion. The platform allows us to avoid being considered to have custody of Client funds since we do not have direct access to Client log-in credentials to affect trades. We are not affiliated with the platform in any way and receive no compensation from them for using their platform. A link will be provided to the Client allowing them to connect an account(s) to the platform. Once Client account(s) is connected to the platform, Adviser will review the current account allocations. When deemed necessary, Adviser will rebalance the account considering client investment goals and risk tolerance, and any change in allocations will consider current economic and market trends. The goal is to improve account performance over time, minimize loss during difficult markets, and manage internal fees that harm account performance. Client account(s) will be reviewed at least quarterly and allocation changes will be made as deemed necessary. Assets Under Management As of December 31, 2023, we provide continuous management services for $230,731,412 in client assets on a discretionary basis.