Choose a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ in Bellingham, WA, to help you take the guesswork out of managing your finances and help you understand the implications of each financial decision you make. Many financial professionals call themselves “financial planners”, but CFP® professionals are financial advisors with extensive training who have met experience requirements and are held to the Fiduciary standard of care, which means acting in the client’s best interests with a duty of loyalty, a duty of care and a duty to follow a client’s instructions.

A CFP® professional help bring all the pieces of your financial life together. We live in a complicated and often messy world. Money intertwines with our family, our jobs, our faith, our charitable endeavors, our education, our health, our legacy and everything in between and many people don’t know the right questions to ask or how to accomplish their goals and may not take the time to prioritize financial decisions. That is where we can help. We can ask tough questions, strategize around problems, research issues, talk through struggles, take on challenges and formulate a comprehensive financial plan to accomplish your goals.

You should expect a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional to have integrity and to be forthright and objective. To be competent and know their limits. To treat you fairly and value your privacy. To be professional and provide advice that is within our scope of knowledge and experience and to be diligent so that your needs are addressed. Skyline Advisors takes these expectations personally.

When you hire a CFP® professional, you are hiring a trusted advisor who has made a commitment to putting your interests first. As part of their certification, a CFP® professional commits to CFP Board to act as a fiduciary—which means that we act in our clients’ best interest at all times when providing financial advice and financial planning. You would think everyone providing advice follows a best interest rule, but that is not the case. To learn more about the Fiduciary standard of care, see our description here. You can learn more about our ethical duties here.

Read more about our financial planning services here.

FINANCIAL PLANNING IN THE NORTHWEST

In Bellingham and Whatcom County, there is a thriving population of retirees, university/college students and a large contingent of employees working in the construction industry and at the local refineries such as BP Cherry Point. Our clients are often business owners who want plan for succession and an eventual retirement. The state and local government are large employers in Whatcom County and many of our clients have Washington State Department of Retirement Systems accounts such as TERS, PERS, SERS and LEOFF. We know the defined benefit pension options, defined contribution 401a investment choices and how the deferred compensation plan works. We have PeaceHealth employees and retirees as clients including MDs, techs, specialists and nurses and can help with retirement planning including discussions around the 457b and 457f plans which are often misunderstood.

Many people move here from other parts of the Northwest and from outside Washington State and we provide the trustworthy face-to-face comprehensive planning and fiduciary advice that transplants to Bellingham are looking for as they settle into their new home. They often want to know how to invest real estate sale proceeds, tax and estate issues in Washington State, how to pay for a new home, and need help selecting other trusted professionals to work with in our area.  And ultimately, they all want to enjoy the beauty of the PNW and all the lifestyle choices we have to offer. Our company name Skyline Advisors is inspired by our outdoor lifestyle.

This wide array of clients presents interesting challenges to our CFP® practitioners at Skyline Advisors in Bellingham because of the variety of planning subjects that come up in our client conversations. Our team helps you systematically address each planning area so you can achieve your life goals.

In our office, Mark Wallace, Deka Wiebusch and Mark Logan are CFP® practitioners.

Read more about our financial planning services here.

To find more about CFP® requirements, see our Certified Financial Planner Designation page. To find out more about the benefits of a CFP®, see our Benefits of a Certified Financial Planner blog post.

Please contact us if you would like to meet and find out more. We offer a free introductory meeting.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What can I expect from a Certified Financial Planner?

Working with a Certified Financial Planner in Bellingham, WA, means every aspect of your current status will be considered. Your CFP® will sit down to talk about your goals and situation, gathering as many details as possible to create the most complete plan. Once this is done, your CFP® will provide you with a timeline for implementation and continue to monitor the plan’s performance in the long run.

What is the difference between a Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) and a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)?

Perhaps the most important distinction between a CFP® and a CFA is that the former provides comprehensive financial planning expertise to individuals, while the latter focuses investment analysis for institutions.

When should I use a CFP®?

Generally, you should call upon the services of a CFP® over another type of personal financial advisor or online financial institution when you need help beyond basic investing needs or DIY online tools.  For example,

• Skyline Advisors can help you prepare for retirement personalized for you
• Skyline Advisors can help you evaluate and coordinate your retirement income sources
• Skyline Advisors can make sure you’ve planned in advance for long-term care, your estate, retirement risks, and making sure your family is taken care of in the event of your passing
• Skyline Advisors can review your tax return and make sure you are planning to reduce taxes

A CFP Professional works with you beyond just investments.  If you need to answer tough questions about retirement, your income, your taxes, gifting to charity and kids, or just want a trusted advisor for your spouse in the event of your passing, our Team of financial planners can help.

How do I choose a planner?

Choosing a planner is one of the most important financial decisions you will make. This decision takes some research on your part, but partnering with the right financial planner can reduce stress around your finances and help you build a more secure future.  Most people think all financial planners are “certified,” but this isn’t true. Just about anyone can use the title “financial planner.” Only those who have fulfilled CFP Board’s rigorous requirements can call themselves a CFP® professional.  You can read more about choosing a Planner here.

In our office, Mark Wallace, Deka Wiebusch and Mark Logan are CFP® practitioners.

Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board) owns the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™, CFP® (with plaque design), and CFP® (with flame design) in the U.S., which it authorizes use of by individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements.