Following are the services we offer to our clients along with a brief description of each. As the list below is by no means all-inclusive, please feel free to inquire about a service if you do not see it listed. If it is not a service we provide, we would be more than happy to refer you to a qualified professional.

In addition, our commission-based and fee-offset insurance brokerage services are available through our licensed professionals, providing direct access to the best insurance companies for:

Once an investment plan is custom-designed for our clients, we recommend investment vehicles that are used to implement the plan. As Registered Investment Advisors, we have access to the appropriate financial instruments that will help achieve our clients' goals. We offer a wide variety of investment and retirement products through NASD broker/dealers.

Our fee-only investment management services are available on a discretionary (active management) or non-discretionary basis (passive management). We manage a variety of investment vehicles, including individual stocks and bonds, mutual funds, variable annuities, and 401(k)/403(b) plans. When appropriate, we recommend that TD Ameritrade Institutional be selected as custodian of our clients' portfolios. All checks for client investments will be made payable directly to an independent brokerage firm. All accounts are held in our clients' names. Wechter Financial Services acts solely as our client's independent investor advisor.

In managing our clients' portfolios, we believe in using appropriate mathematical measures of risk and return. We feel that the development of a well-defined investment policy and an asset allocation model are primary ingredients in long-term portfolio performance. However, while we believe that mathematical optimization of asset classes is an appropriate method for designing an asset allocation model, we also believe that this is only one of many tools for managing our clients' portfolios. We believe that our clients need "total return" -- not interest and dividends. We reject market timing. We believe that the choice of which approach to use is dependent upon each client's tolerance to risk. We also believe that the strategic blending of value and growth investments, as well as large and small company securities in a portfolio reduces risk and produces superior returns over the long-term.

At Wechter Financial Services, we place a great emphasis on educating our clients about the benefits as well as the risks of investing. There are five primary types of risk associated with investing: market risk, purchasing power risk, interest rate risk, financial risk, and business risk. Market risk refers to the risk that you could lose part or all of your investment principal depending on what you invest in and the general direction or health of the stock market and economy. While most people typically consider market risk when investing, it is important to also recognize the other types of risks. Purchasing power risk is the risk that your money will lose value due to inflation, when things become more expensive. Interest rate risk is the risk that a security, typically a bond, will lose value due to rising interest rates. Market risk, purchasing power risk, and interest rate risk cannot be diversified out a portfolio; as a result, these risks are known together as “systematic risk.”

Financial risk and business risk relate to individual stocks or companies. Financial risk is the risk that a company is not financially sound and may go bankrupt. Business risk relates to whether or not the company is in a successful line of business. These risks, which make up “unsystematic risk,” can be diversified out of a portfolio.

In managing our clients' portfolios, we use active momentum and passive buy-and-hold strategies. We provide our clients with detailed quarterly reports to monitor their performance and to gauge goal attainment levels. We also use cash management strategies, management style, time, and industry sector diversification, and gain/loss guidelines to protect our clients' assets. We maintain strategic allocation models for our clients' portfolios. However, because we are sensitive to the influences of taxes and transaction costs on investment performance, we believe in revising asset allocation models infrequently, and we will allow some tolerances when we rebalance client portfolios on a quarterly schedule.

Trustee advisory services are also available for both ongoing management of trust assets and trust investment recommendations on a fee-only basis. These services are integrated with tax planning and tax preparation for estates and trusts.

For our fee-only investment advisory services, our fees are based on the value and composition of assets under management. Currently, our annual management fees for discretionary portfolio accounts range from 1.8% down to 0.8% of assets under management, subject to a minimum annual fee. Fees are billed quarterly, in arrears. The value of your portfolio at the beginning of the quarter is the basis of our fee for the quarter just ended.

We also perform securities brokerage services on a commission-based and fee-offset basis, through our affiliation with Cadaret, Grant and Company, a Syracuse-based broker/dealer of national repute and member of NASD and SIPC. Through Cadaret, Grant and Company, we can serve as a broker for:

• exchange-listed and over-the-counter securities
• corporate, government and municipal bonds
• mutual funds
• variable annuities
• limited partnerships
• unit investment trusts

For non-discretionary/non-supervisory services (in circumstances where on-going discretionary services are not suitable), a one-time fee is applied, which is a percentage of assets invested. This one-time fee covers research, selection and recommendations of specific investment products.

Wechter Financial Services provides comprehensive financial planning on a fee-only basis. The primary disciplines we address for clients include:

• investment planning and portfolio design
• risk management and insurance planning
• tax planning
• retirement and employee benefits planning
• estate, trust and business succession planning
• wealth accumulation planning for specific purposes, such as college/private school funding

We offer complete and personalized financial and investment planning for individuals, businesses, estates, and trusts. Our Certified Financial Planner practitioners can help you make sense out of the sometimes confusing world of financial investments and identify the areas where your money will do the most good. Whether you are an experienced investor or just starting to build your portfolio, we can offer sophisticated analyses to help you reach your goals. Together, we can determine the amount and type of risks you are comfortable with, and devise an investment plan tailored to your specific needs and objectives.

Financial planning begins and ends with the needs of the client. It is process driven. Implementation, continuous monitoring and, as necessary, modification, are integral parts of that process. At Wechter Financial Services, the financial planning process includes the following six steps:

1. Establish and quantify goals and rank objectives
2. Gather data and all pertinent documents, and define assumptions
3. Process and analyze information, including reviewing client information for strengths and weaknesses, identifying problems and potential solutions
4. Recommend and present a plan that encompasses appropriate techniques and strategies for accomplishing client goals, as well as selecting specific products, when applicable
5. Implement the plan involving consultations with other professional, such as an attorney, tax accountant, and securities and insurance brokers
6. Monitor the plan and reassess objectives and constraints

We believe that our clients must set their goals, and it is our responsibility to educate them. We refrain from "rule of thumb" planning because it is an incompetent and unprofessional way to plan for financial independence. In addition, when we help clients identify planning assumptions, we refrain from using "conservative" assumptions. We believe that conservative assumptions result in higher investment return expectations and greater portfolio volatility. We believe that financial plans should be based on a client's realistic expectations. For example, a client's life expectancy should be based on their unique family health history and not on standard mortality tables.

Financial planning encompasses all aspects of a client's financial well-being. We recommend strategies that address our client's risk management position and insurance coverage. We advise how to legally maximize advantages in tax planning, and we consult on devising an appropriate education-funding plan for private school and college.

Pension, retirement, and benefits planning are available to individuals and businesses. This includes retirement needs analyses, social security integration, qualified and non-qualified plans, and self-directed rollovers.

We provide estate, trust, and elder care planning services. Our asset protection strategies can preserve our clients' estates for their heirs. With careful planning, we can perpetuate their wealth, including their business, while minimizing estate shrinkage from taxes and probate administration.

Additionally, we offer financial goal-setting, cash flow management and budgeting, asset allocation planning, wealth accumulation strategies, and periodic reviews to compare planned to actual results. Our commitment is to review client plans with them to be certain that it keeps pace with inflation, tax law changes, and the domestic and global economies. Related issues are regularly identified and clients are directed to other appropriate professionals for resolution.

For investment planning, we use a three-step program:

1. Determine objectives. During this step, we determine client objectives, establish a risk profile, income needs and an investment time horizon.
2. Design an investment policy. During this stage, we establish an appropriate asset allocation model, return targets, and an action plan.
3. Implement and monitor the policy. During this step, we will select and monitor investments, revise the asset allocation based on changing conditions, rebalance the portfolio, and keep our clients apprised through periodic reporting.

For financial planning services, Wechter Financial Services can be compensated in several ways. Our clients choose the method of compensation that best serves their needs. This can include fee-only, commission-based, or fee-based ("fee offset").

Our fee-only services include: comprehensive financial planning or any individual financial planning service; capital needs analyses; and investment policy statement design and asset allocation modeling. Fee for services are also used for periodically reviewing/updating a client's financial plan. Fee-only services are billed at an hourly rate.

Our commission-based services include both securities and insurance brokerage. These services are utilized in the implementation of a financial plan or as individual services, such as the buying and selling of securities or the purchase of insurance products. Wechter Financial Services earns commissions for these services.

Our fee-based (sometimes referred to as "fee offset") compensation deducts from the agreed-upon fee those commissions earned by Wechter Financial Services for the completion of those services.

Whichever method is chosen, our clients have the peace of mind that we have made the best possible recommendation to them, and that these recommendations are not influenced by factors of compensation.

The following is just a few of the areas in which we provide consulting services:

• business formation, including government filings
• accounting software selection, training and installation
• business entity selection, such as sole proprietorship, C corporation, S corporation, partnership, or limited liability company
• business valuations
• business succession planning
• buying/selling a business
• retirement and employee benefit plan design and implementation
• insurance programs to fund buy-sell agreements, protect key employees, group life and health, and long-term care
• financial reporting designs
• computer system selection and implementation
• web site design consulting
• budgeting and forecasting studies
• asset depreciation analyses

Consulting services are billed on a fee-basis only at our hourly rate, and are based on the scope of services provided.

We prefer to take a proactive vs. reactive approach to tax services. By keeping current on new tax laws and legislation, we are in a position to identify key tax planning opportunities that minimize both your current and future tax liabilities. We provide our individual and business clients with the expertise and knowledge they need and deserve. Tax services offered include:

• income tax return preparation for individuals, estates, trusts, corporations, partnerships, limited liability companies, and non-profit organizations
• gift and estate tax return preparation
• taxing authority representation (IRS, New Jersey and New York)
• divorce and support tax planning issues
• tax planning for buying/selling a business

Some of the advantages of using Wechter Financial Services to prepare your tax returns are:

• Year-round tax accounting and planning services are available.
• Thorough data gathering means that every legal deduction and tax-savings opportunity will be found and used to your benefit.
• Evening and weekend appointments are available to accommodate your schedule.
• Your returns are checked and rechecked for accuracy before being processed and returned to you.
• Your returns are prepared by computer which calculates the lowest possible tax, and this speeds up turn-around time.
• Tax preparations are available for all 50 states and numerous localities.
• Our fees are comparable to those charged by independent accounting firms.

For tax preparation, our fees are based on a fee schedule that lists the costs of preparing various governmental forms. For tax planning services, clients are billed on a fee-basis at our hourly rate, depending upon the scope of services provided.

• General ledger & financial statement preparation
• Bookkeeping/write-up and bank reconciliation services, including payroll and sales and expense journals
• Accounting system setup for new businesses
• Computerized payroll services
• Business tax return preparation (payroll and sales and use taxes for New Jersey and New York)
• Financial statements
• Compilations
• Payroll withholding tax reports, employee wage withholding statements, subcontractor earning reports

Accounting services are billed to our clients on a fee-basis at our hourly rate, depending upon the scope of services provided in each case.