When it comes to saving for retirement, entrepreneurs face unique challenges. Not only are they concerned about creating capital to build thriving businesses, but they must entirely self-fund their retirement plans and strategically invest to eventually make the transition from business owner to retiree.

Scot Hunter, CEO of Emerald Asset Advisors uses a holistic approach that he says is a good fit for the entrepreneurial client. “A big part of our value proposition is not only taking care of overall wealth management, but in addition, we try to help in our clients’ everyday lives, including helping them grow their businesses,” Hunter said.  “Building trust-based relationships is essential. 

Communicating with the client is a key to success in any business, but in the financial industry so much depends on trust that it’s even more important,” he said, adding that “some online tools may be useful but nothing replaces personal contact with one’s financial advisor.”

Hunter’s approach of protecting assets includes creating individualized, well thought-out portfolios that may include both alternative investments and easily accessible funds, in addition to traditional equity and fixed income products, so that long-term investments may not need to be liquidated for short-term needs.

The goal is to provide diversification, using instruments not necessarily correlated to the stock market, which may include “income-producing real estate, private equity, and other opportunities,” Hunter said.

“Part of the planning process is to set a realistic budget for today as well as for the future. When projections are presented to clients, it frequently becomes an eye-opener.”

Careful planning, ongoing frequent communication and drawing from the right tools are just some of the steps he uses so that clients may live comfortably within their established budgets.

However, Emerald Asset Advisors also looks beyond planning and strives to educate not only their clients but also the next generation Hunter tries to help clients prepare their children for smart investing while also helping his clients secure the wealth needed for retirement. “Our goal is to manage your portfolio with preservation of capital and consistent growth.”

For more information visit: www.emerald-eas.com