Intro: Detailed Ranking & Review of TGS Financial Advisors
TGS Financial Advisors was recently ranked by AdvisoryHQ News as a top-rated wealth management firm in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for 2018 and 2019.
In the sections below, we provide a detailed overview, including the key factors that enabled this firm to be ranked as one of the top financial advisory firms in Philadelphia.
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Overview of TGS Financial Advisors
Located thirty minutes outside of the city in Radnor, PA, TGS Financial Advisors is a fee-only Philadelphia wealth management firm offering both investment management and financial planning services.
Founded in 1990, TGS Financial Advisors specializes in helping individuals, families, retirees, and physicians build and maintain their wealth. TGS Financial Advisors currently serves over 250 households across 25 states, demonstrating expertise working with a diverse range of client backgrounds, professions, and financial needs.
The firm boasts a strong team of CFP® professionals and financial advisors to help their clients attain effective and successful wealth management.
With a client-centric philosophy, expert financial services, and a fee-only structure, TGS Financial Advisors stands ready to address a variety of financial challenges, earning the firm its place as one of the best financial advisors in the Philadelphia area.
Fee-Only Fiduciary
As an independent, fee-only firm with fiduciary commitment, TGS Financial Advisors offers clients the ideal financial planning relationship.
All compensation comes from fully-disclosed financial planning and investment management services, and never from the sale of financial products.
In this way, the firm’s success is aligned with that of its clients, ensuring that TGS only succeeds when their clients do.
As a fiduciary, TGS is required to always put client interests before their own, to fully disclose any conflicts of interest, and to uphold the highest standards of transparency, supporting trust between each Philadelphia financial advisor and their clients.
For clients, this combination of a fee-only structure and fiduciary commitment is extremely valuable: not only does it significantly decrease conflicts of interest, but it also encourages transparency, ultimately supporting trust within the client-advisor relationship.
Range of Clients Served by TGS Financial Advisors
Part of what makes TGS Financial Advisors one of the best advisors in the Philadelphia area is their ability to tailor financial services to specific client segments. This includes individuals and families, physicians, and retirees, detailed below.
Individuals & Families
Financial planning and wealth management services for individuals and families include:
- Developing efficient spending, saving, and gifting strategies
- Managing risk by reviewing insurance coverage and recommending asset protection strategies
- Coordinating with other professionals like CPAs, estate attorneys, and insurance agents
- Guiding clients through important life transitions
- Assisting with multi-generational wealth planning
- Managing investments with a focus on global diversification, undervalued assets, and cost control
Physicians
With some advisors having worked alongside physicians since 1979, TGS is well-versed in addressing the unique financial needs that physicians often face. Much of TGS Financial Advisors’ approach for physicians is outlined in the firm’s two physician-specific books:
Pay Yourself First: A Financial Guide for Doctors Entering Practice is geared toward laying down the best financial foundation for new physicians. TGS Financial Advisors also offers a flat-fee, three-year program designed exclusively for doctors that are within their first few years of practice.
Changing Outcomes: A Financial Recovery Strategy for Peak-Career Physicians outlines seven strategies that established physicians can use to improve their financial outcomes in retirement in as little as five years.
This focus on supporting physicians and their unique financial challenges make TGS Financial Advisors one of the best firms for physicians to partner with.
Retirees
Transitioning from full-time work to full-time retirement—and preserving your chosen lifestyle—can be a challenging task without the help of an experienced financial advisor. To help clients make the most out of their retirement, TGS provides three phases of retirement planning:
- Phase One: Accumulation—How Much is Enough?
- Phase Two: Transition—Making a Successful Retirement Transition
- Phase Three: Sustaining Cash Flow in Retirement—Will I Outlive My Money?
The white papers listed above provide crucial insight into the retirement planning strategies and philosophies employed by TGS, making it easy for potential clients to evaluate whether the firm will be a good fit for their retirement planning needs.
They also provide valuable insight for anyone who is curious about retirement planning, including expenses, variables, important considerations, and more, supporting financial literacy for clients and non-clients alike.
Client-Centric Philosophy
Central to everything that TGS Financial Advisors does is a focus on serving the needs of their clients, resulting in a philosophy that is heavily centered on empowering and supporting clients.
For these Philadelphia financial planners, this means focusing on providing the guidance and knowledge necessary for clients to make smart, well-informed decisions about their finances, rather than making decisions based solely on emotions.
Communication also plays a primary role in the firm’s philosophy, as they are committed to maintaining open lines of communication throughout the wealth management process. TGS will keep in touch with clients regularly to understand their thought process and changes to their financial goals, while also taking the time to explain the reasoning behind every aspect of their recommendations.
Uniquely, TGS is also committed to honest communication, saying:
“At the end of the day, it is your money and your decision, but we will not be silent if we believe you are about to make a mistake that may have permanent consequences.”
While the expectation is that any Philadelphia financial advisor would maintain open and honest communication, it is rare to find a firm that so boldly states this commitment, making TGS one of the best financial advisors for clients that value transparency within the client-advisor relationship.
TGS Financial Advisors
The Lifetime Wealth Management Process™
Effectively building and protecting wealth requires a careful, detailed approach. To help their clients create and manage their wealth, TGS provides an eight-step structured process called The Lifetime Wealth Management Process™. This includes:
- The Mutual Interview—An initial meeting to explore goals, evaluate capabilities, and determine whether TGS is a good fit
- The Asset Discovery Process—Your TGS financial advisor will create a complete picture of your financial life through interviews, document review, and networking with other financial professionals
- The Lifetime Wealth Plan—Written plan to clarify goals, identify strengths, weaknesses, and opportunities, and provide a detailed strategy to help you reach your goals
- The Implementation Process—Investments are consolidated, and your TGS financial advisor will coordinate with other advisors to ensure your plan is put into place
- The Dynamic Contrarian Portfolio Strategy—Dynamic strategy adjusts to changes in market conditions to balance risk and reward
- The Financial Planning Report—Written review of performance, goal progress, and specific recommendations
- The Reset—Financial plans are reevaluated as needed as financial goals change
- The Wealth Transition Strategy—Wealth preservation planning is aligned with specific values and priorities
Evidence-Based Investing
As a top Philadelphia wealth management firm, TGS uses its Dynamic Contrarian Portfolio Strategy, or DYCOPS™ Strategy, to provide expert portfolio management.
This proprietary strategy employs seven basic elements for asset allocation and portfolio management:
- Diversification—Asset classes are systematically diversified, and portfolios reflect unique tolerance levels for each client
- Value Tilt—Rather than following the volatile growth and decline of the market, TGS focuses on value for the highest returns
- Contrarian Asset Allocation—Historical price and yield data is used to determine relative value of asset classes
- Focus on Costs—Index funds, ETFs, and institutional-class shares are used to keep portfolios cost-efficient
- Discretionary Management—All portfolios are managed on a discretionary basis to ensure timely and consistent implementation
- Tax Efficiency—TGS seeks to optimize after-tax returns through investment choice and proper account placement
- No “Black Boxes”—Only investments that can be priced and sold every trading day are considered for TGS portfolios
Ultimately, the DYCOPS™ Strategy is built to flow funds into underpriced asset classes during times of significant price divergence, providing a systematic framework for the financial advisors at TGS to make timely portfolio management decisions.
The TGS Financial Advisory Team
With a team that includes four Certified Financial Professionals™ and decades of industry experience, the advisors at TGS Financial Advisors are well-prepared to tackle a wide range of financial challenges. This team includes:
David A. Burd, CFP® James S. Hemphill, CFP®, CIMA®,
CPWA®
Audrey Libois, CFP® Thomas A. Rylko, CFP®
TGS Financial Advisors Contact Information
170 N Radnor Chester Rd
Suite 110
Radnor, PA 19087
Phone: 610-892-9900
Toll-Free: 1-800-525-4075
Email: [email protected]
You can also fill out a brief online form with your contact information to get in touch with TGS Financial Advisors, ask questions, or to schedule a consultation.
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