The Barkmeier Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney Managing Your Wealth, Growing Our Relationship
Our Vision Our group firmly believes in creating a partnership with you based on integrity, respect and trust. It is crucial for us to fully understand what you want your future to hold for you and your family. Working together, we will identify your financial goals, values and aspirations. Only then will we use our more than six decades of combined wealth management experience to build a customized wealth management strategy that can guide you toward the future you want. Our Philosophy We believe that helping clients achieve their financial goals begins with understanding their needs. Only then can we provide the comprehensive guidance that seeks to answer their most fundamental question: Can we attain our goals? To address questions like these, we take a holistic approach to helping them invest and manage their wealth, which means that we focus on all aspects of their financial lives, not just parts of it. We believe that our clients deserve financial advisors who share their vision, earn their trust and work diligently to uncover myriad possible strategies that help them address their aspirations and create a legacy for future generations. MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY/3
Meet the Professionals CLAUDIA H. BARKMEIER, CFP Senior Vice President Financial Advisor JOHN BARKMEIER, CIMA First Vice President Financial Advisor Claudia has nearly 30 years of experience in wealth management. She works with highnet-worth individuals, institutions, endowments and charitable institutions. As a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, Claudia has extensive knowledge in investment planning, insurance and risk management, income tax planning, retirement and estate planning. Claudia works with clients to identify their values, goals, and aspirations, and then builds a customized wealth management plan to help them see and achieve their financial possibilities. She firmly believes in creating client partnerships based on respect, trust and integrity. Claudia likens The Barkmeier Team to a sports team: each member brings different skills and strengths to the team s overall goal of creating a winning strategy. She is a member of the Financial Planning Association, and holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and history from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. Claudia is active in the community, currently serving as president of the Colorado Therapeutic Riding Board of Directors and as a member of the finance committee for the Denver affiliate Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation. She is a past president of the Boulder Valley Dressage society and helped coach her daughter s lacrosse team. John has an extensive background in quality assurance which he brought to the financial consulting field more than ten years ago. He earned his Certified Investment Management Analyst certification through The Wharton School of Business, and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in mathematics from Regis College and a Master of Science degree in mathematics from the Colorado School of Mines. He serves as vice president of The Barkmeier Group. John, who is the chief number cruncher in the group, is responsible for portfolio analysis, asset allocation analysis, investment due diligence and performance review. He provides clients with a professional, prudent and disciplined wealth management process to follow that can yield more predictable and satisfactory results. John has had a lifelong interest in the sport of rugby. He began playing with the Boulder Rugby when he was in high school, and continues as an active player and member. John shares his expertise with younger players through his involvement with Colorado Youth Rugby, where he serves on the Board of Directors. John is an also instructor of rugby coaching classes for USA Rugby and referees games. He is the coach of the Boulder Lions high school boys rugby team, where he coached his son. 4/MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY
DAVID A. BRAZEAU, CFP, CIMA First Vice President Financial Advisor BEN CLARK Financial Advisor SHIRLEY VARGO Registered Client Service Associate David is a First Vice President and works with The Barkmeier Group. He has nearly 20 years of experience as a financial advisor, consultant and educator. Before coming to Colorado, David lived in the San Francisco Bay Area where he earned a bachelor s degree in economics from San Jose State University. As both a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER and a Certified Investment Management Analyst, David uses his experience to work in tandem with clients to develop a comprehensive wealth management plan. He strives to manage clients portfolio risk, and uses his extensive due diligence experience to aid clients in better understanding their investments and reaching their financial goals. In addition, David is responsible for investment policy development and compliance in the group. In the community, David puts his financial skills to use for the greater good. He currently gives his time to Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of Denver, where he serves on the Board of Directors and the finance committee. David is also an active member of Rotary International, where he holds a position as an assistant district governor. Ben is a financial advisor with The Barkmeier Group. He graduated with distinction from the University of Colorado, earning a degree in finance. But his interest in wealth management and financial advising actually was sparked in college while working as an intern with The Barkmeier Group. Ben s current focus in the group is client relations. He plans to work toward earning his CFP credential in the near future. Ben says his work in wealth management has taught him how important it is to establish savings and retirement accounts early in life. While in college, Ben was awarded membership in the Delta Sigma Pi professional fraternity. He also volunteered for a variety of organizations, including the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the Boulder County Aids Project. In addition, Ben focused on raising funds for the St. Baldrick s Foundation, a group which supports childhood cancer research. Ben is a native Coloradan. Although he grew up in Keystone right next to a ski resort, Ben is an avid basketball player who played on his high school team. He even worked in high school as a lift ticket scanner at the resort, but admits to not skiing all that much. Instead, Ben took advantage of summers in the mountains to golf the resort courses. He is currently exploring all of the outdoor activities Boulder has to offer. Shirley is a Registered Client Service Associate with The Barkmeier Group. She has a myriad of duties, including coordinating day-to-day activities for the group to keep the office running smoothly and making sure that clients receive superb customer service. Shirley is dedicated to making customer service her hallmark. Shirley actually began her time with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney as a client, but always speculated about working there. When she had the chance to work for The Barkmeier Group of Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, she took it. Shirley earned a bachelor s degree in business administration from Loyola University in Chicago. She worked in the chemical and paper industries before switching to retail banking. Shirley spent 10 years in banking, first as a customer service manager and then as manager of a small branch bank location where she worked extensively with high net worth individuals, professionals and businesses. Over the years, Shirley has run 17 marathons, including four Boston Marathons. She loves the beauty of Colorado, and has hiked seven of Colorado s Fourteeners 14,000-foot-tall mountains. Shirley also spends time pursuing winter hiking in the Grand Canyon. MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY/5
Our Mission The Barkmeier Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney provides comprehensive wealth management and planning services services that extend well beyond standard investment advice. The Barkmeier Group works to understand our client s needs today and in the future. Our efforts are focused on providing a planning and investment process that is essential to achieve their goals and objectives. Extensive risk management experience is utilized to create an investment and liability portfolio which helps control risk, reduces volatility, and is flexible enough to adapt to changing market environments. Our extensive analytical skills allow us to offer advice and value in pursuit of wealth enhancement, wealth transfer, asset protection and charitable giving goals. The Barkmeier Group has chosen to keep the number of client relationships smaller than our decades of experience and credentials would otherwise suggest. This philosophy has allowed us to offer extremely customized services and build lasting partnerships with our clients and fellow professional advisors. 6/MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY
Our Wealth Management Resources As Financial Advisors at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney, a new industry-leading wealth management firm, we have access to a global platform of resources that enables us to select the products and services that match the diverse financial needs of our clients. Our capabilities include, but are not limited to, the following resources: Wealth Planning Income and cash-flow planning, strategic borrowing, asset protection, wealth transfer, investment analytics Retirement Planning Education Planning Estate Planning Investment Consulting and Management Customized asset-allocation advice, extensive investment advisor research, automatic rebalancing, ongoing monitoring and performance reporting Investment Advisory Services Select Portfolios Portfolio Management Wealth Preservation and Transfer Can help protect wealth from creditors and taxes; transfer assets, business holdings and values to future generations Investment Advice Insurance Philanthropic Business Owner Services Business banking and insurance services, working and growth capital, diversification of personal wealth, capital-structure and exit strategies Borrowing Cash Management Retirement Plans Business-Succession Planning Insurance MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY/7
The Way We Do Business We typically follow a client-focused process that integrates investment decisions with pressing financial needs and desired aspirations. Specifically, you can count on us to work closely with you in the following manner: 8/MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY
STEP 1: PERSONAL REVIEW Before we issue any recommendations, we conduct an extensive fact-finding mission to identify your objectives, time horizon, attitude toward risk and other circumstances that may play a role in shaping your investment strategy. STEP 2: ASSET ALLOCATION AND PORTFOLIO PLANNING We analyze your input and develop a financial strategy created to help you meet your specific needs in areas such as retirement, education and estate planning, as well as taxminimization strategies. We then present to you a comprehensive plan that helps to identify appropriate diversification strategies. STEP 3: PLAN IMPLEMENTATION After presenting you with a detailed strategy for your portfolio, we work closely with you to bring the elements to life. Should we decide that outside money managers are appropriate for you, we will rely on our research to select from the hundreds of investment-management firms competing for your business. Or perhaps you'd prefer individual securities; if so, we can identify specific stocks, bonds and other securities that would be suitable for your portfolio. Whatever approach we decide on, we will help keep your portfolio on track. STEP 4: ONGOING MONITORING AND REPORTING As you would expect, we believe that ongoing communication is a vital component of our business. We make every necessary effort to keep abreast of your changing financial needs and provide viable strategies to help you meet them. This means monitoring your portfolio at your request and when you feel that your circumstances have changed, we will try to make certain that your assets are positioned according to your evolving needs. If necessary, we recommend adjustments to your strategy to address any alterations to your objectives. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss. MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY/9
Making Plans: We Will Do Them Together Smart planning starts with asking the appropriate questions and knowing where to find the answers. We know that reaching your goals requires a sound financial plan one you ll stick to when short-term worries and temptations threaten to cloud your judgment. We ll begin the planning process with a discussion of your goals and concerns. What do you want to do with your money? What do you want to have? What do you want to give to others? And what could stand in your way? Once we understand the answers to these questions, we ll create a complimentary, written comprehensive plan that can include the following components: Net worth analysis Every comprehensive plan starts with a thorough inventory of your assets and liabilities to help us assess your net worth, now and over time. The goal is to get all of your assets working together toward achieving your goals. Retirement analysis Your plan will identify how much you may need to have at retirement, and whether it will be enough to support you. We ll detail your sources of income and specify how much you ll need to save to overcome any projected shortfall. If you re retiring or changing jobs, your plan will include strategies for preserving the tax-deferred status of your company retirement plan. Asset allocation We will include a recommended investment strategy based on your goals, risk tolerance and time horizon. Education funding As part of the planning process, we ll ask about any education funding needs you may have for children or grandchildren. Your plan will estimate the future cost of education, provide a savings recommendation, and show the potential growth of various savings vehicles, including 529 College Savings Plans. Insurance If you have a family, you need to ensure that they ll be able to maintain their lifestyle in case something happens to you. We ll help you determine an appropriate level of insurance coverage and review your life, disability and long-term care policies. Equity compensation If you work for a publicly traded company, much of your compensation may be in the form of stock options and restricted stock. In your plan, we ll show you the potential gains and tax consequences associated with exercising options and selling company stock. Estate planning Based on the current and projected value of your assets, we ll estimate the amount of estate taxes your heirs may have to pay. We will work with your tax and legal experts to include strategies aimed at reducing those taxes, such as lifetime gifting, the proper titling of assets, and trusts. In creating your personal comprehensive plan, we will work to help identify your critical financial goals and establish a framework for pursuing them. Together, we ll pull the different parts of your financial puzzle into a thorough, integrated plan that s flexible enough to grow and change along with you. Let s get to work. 10/MORGAN STANLEY SMITH BARNEY
The Barkmeier Group at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney One Boulder Plaza 1800 Broadway Suite 120 Boulder, CO 80302 TELEPHONE: 720.562.6200 TOLL-FREE: 800.787.5218 FACSIMILE: 303.939.9007 www.morganstanley.com/fa/thebarkmeiergroup Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC and its affiliates do not provide tax or legal advice. To the extent that this material or any attachment concerns tax matters, it is not intended to be used and cannot be used by a taxpayer for the purpose of avoiding penalties that may be imposed by law. Any such taxpayer should seek advice based on the taxpayer's particular circumstances from an independent tax advisor. 2009 Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC. Member SIPC.