Five Star award winner Michael Woitkoski

How Having a Financial Plan Can Help You Save for Your Long Term Goals

Whether you are saving for retirement, establishing a college fund for your kids or beefing up your emergency reserves, it pays to have the help of an professional. Having a financial planner in your corner can increase your knowledge, perhaps boost your returns and allow you to establish a financial portfolio that makes sense for you and your family.

You would never build a house without a blueprint, so why would you invest without a solid financial plan? Whether you are well on your way to retirement or just getting started, a good financial planner can provide real value and help you stay on track.

Financial planning is not something to be taken lightly, and the professionalism a financial planner brings to the table cannot be overstated. You are an expert in what you do for a living, but chances are you are not an expert in the stock market. By hiring a financial planner, you can benefit from their professional experience and knowledge, giving you one less thing to worry about.

Planning for your financial future is no easy task, and the sooner you get started the better off you will be. If you have been putting off your financial blueprint, now is the time to get started. Developing that financial blueprint is the first step toward a comfortable financial future, and an experienced financial planner can help you create a plan that makes sense for yourself and your family.

Hiring a financial planner is a great way to mange your retirement savings, college funds and emergency reserves. When you have an experienced professional on your side, it is easier to develop a smart plan for all your financial goals.

A good financial planner can also help you with more than just investing. From the amount of life insurance you need to whether you need long-term care insurance, your financial planner can help you understand your situation and build on what you already have.

If you have been putting off your financial planning, you can still make up for lost time. It does not matter how old you are or how close you are to retirement - finding a financial planner you can trust can add real value to your life.

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This award was issued on 12/1/24 by Five Star Professional (FSP) for the time period 2/13/24 through 8/30/24. Fee paid for use of marketing materials. Self-completed questionnaire was used for rating. This rating is not related to the quality of the investment advice and based solely on the disclosed criteria. 2588 San Diego-area wealth managers were considered for the award; 190 (7% of candidates) were named 2025 Five Star Wealth Managers. The following prior year statistics use this format: YEAR: # Considered, # Winners, % of candidates, Issued Date, Research Period. 2024: 2,242, 197, 9%, 12/1/23, 2/13/23 - 8/31/23; 2023: 2,125, 211, 10%, 12/1/22, 3/21/22 - 9/16/22; 2022: 2,084, 223, 11%, 12/1/21, 4/12/21 - 10/15/21; 2021: 2,218, 231, 10% 12/1/20, 3/30/20 - 10/16/20; 2020: 2018, 219, 11%, 12/1/19, 3/1/19 - 10/18/19; 2019: 1,885, 224, 12%, 12/1/18, 3/23/18 - 10/15/18; 2018: 1,498, 228, 15%, 12/1/17, 3/22/17 - 10/17/17; 2017: 1,349, 349, 26%, 11/1/16, 2/25/16 - 10/14/16; 2016: 1,337, 349, 27%, 11/1/15, 6/2/15 - 10/23/15; 2015: 1,639, 350, 21%, 12/1/14, 6/2/14 - 10/23/14; 2014: 1,838, 368, 20%, 12/1/13, 6/2/13 - 10/23/13; 2013: 1,675, 417, 25%, 12/1/12, 6/2/12 - 10/23/12; 2012: 1,014, 284, 28%, 11/1/11, 6/2/11 - 10/23/11.

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Wealth managers do not pay a fee to be considered or placed on the final list of Five Star Wealth Managers. The award is based on 10 objective criteria. Eligibility criteria – required: 1. Credentialed as a registered investment adviser (RIA) or a registered investment adviser representative; 2. Actively licensed as a RIA or as a principal of a registered investment adviser firm for a minimum of 5 years; 3. Favorable regulatory and complaint history review (As defined by FSP, the wealth manager has not; A. Been subject to a regulatory action that resulted in a license being suspended or revoked, or payment of a fine; B. Had more than a total of three settled or pending complaints filed against them and/or a total of five settled, pending, dismissed or denied complaints with any regulatory authority or FSP’s consumer complaint process. Unfavorable feedback may have been discovered through a check of complaints registered with a regulatory authority or complaints registered through FSP’s consumer complaint process; feedback may not be representative of any one client’s experience; C. Individually contributed to a financial settlement of a customer complaint; D. Filed for personal bankruptcy within the past 11 years; E. Been terminated from a financial services firm within the past 11 years; F. Been convicted of a felony); 4. Fulfilled their firm review based on internal standards; 5. Accepting new clients. Evaluation criteria – considered: 6. One-year client retention rate; 7. Five-year client retention rate; 8. Non-institutional discretionary and/or non-discretionary client assets administered; 9. Number of client households served; 10. Education and professional designations. FSP does not evaluate quality of services provided to clients. The award is not indicative of the wealth manager’s future performance. Wealth managers may or may not use discretion in their practice and therefore may not manage their clients’ assets. The inclusion of a wealth manager on the Five Star Wealth Manager list should not be construed as an endorsement of the wealth manager by FSP or this publication. Working with a Five Star Wealth Manager or any wealth manager is no guarantee as to future investment success, nor is there any guarantee that the selected wealth managers will be awarded this accomplishment by FSP in the future. Visit www.fivestarprofessional.com.