SWORD & SHIELD
Solutions
Your ONE Stop For Retirement Strategies, Income Planning & Legacy Design.
Specializing in helping you maximize Social Security, create an Income through Retirement, Insurance Solutions & leaving a Lasting Legacy.
SWORD & SHIELD
Solutions
ABOUT US
When you partner with Sword & Shield Our commitment to you starts with your FREE personalized Color of Money Risk Analysis which will provide us with what we need to build a Retirement Strategy including an Income plan custom to you and your risk tolerance. Our two tenets are GROWTH & PROTECTION (Sword & Shield), we focus on maximizing, conserving & securing your wealth. It is important for us to be completely TRANSPARENT and show you how your money moves through market ups and downs, we are always there for our clients with exceptional and straight-forward client-services.
We pride ourselves on our quarterly and annual client reviews where we offer an in person or virtual zoom meeting, here we go over your portfolio health as well as any recommendations or adjustments based on your current and future goals. We are proud to provide our clients with the ability to create cost-effective Estate Planning while working with attorneys to help them avoid probate and pass their wealth and wishes on to their loved ones.
Not every plan is the same and it all starts with filling out your free financial risk analysis!
BRAD HESSELBERG
Owner and Founder of Sword & Shield Solutions
What makes Brad stand out is his atypical journey as a financial services professional and founding owner of Sword & Shield. He built his extensive background as a Vice President within an esteemed Financial Broker, working directly with 100+ Financial Advisors in the field, advising them on stock portfolio & product recommendations, income planning and asset allocation while helping to solve their client’s unique and diverse cases. This behind-the-scenes experience kept him plugged in to the industry effectively developing an intuition and well-rounded wealth of knowledge within financial services.
Brad believes that a firm understanding of money and having a financial plan can truly change a person’s life. He specializes in helping clients understand their current and future financial opportunities while keeping their wants and needs at the forefront. Working together to build a holistic income plan that will help them grow and thrive into retirement while leaving a lasting legacy for their loved ones.
Brad’s hobbies are long hikes with his wife & kids, running, meditation and personal development. Most of his free time is spent with his wife Genevieve and his 3 amazing kids Jovi (8) Remy (6) and little Billie Belle (1). They are his life and the reason he works as hard as he does.
Our Unique & Affordable Solutions
Sword & Shield offers many LOW to NO FEE solutions for Retirement planning
Income Planning
You’ve spent your life working hard for your money, now let us help you make it work for you!
Planning for retirement can be a very challenging undertaking for even the most financially literate people. The days of depending solely on your Social Security benefits & Pension to reach your income needs during retirement are long gone. In today’s economic climate, high interest rates coupled with high market volatility have made planning for retirement complicated yet more important than ever.
One of the hardest phases of retirement planning is the mental shift it requires. Before this your finances were dictated by an earning and saving model However, when retirement hits you will no longer be earning a paycheck, which means you will need to generate an income through other sources.
Income planning is the process of creating a strategy to meet your financial goals in life and through retirement. It involves assessing your current income sources, expenses, assets and liabilities, as well as projecting your future financial needs based on your desired lifestyle, retirement plans and legacy goals. What we do is provide you with personalized guidance and direction on how to optimize your income streams, reduce your taxes, diversify your investments and protect your wealth.
Our firm can help you define your retirement goals and evaluate your current financial state. By working with Sword & Shield you will benefit from our expertise, experience, and resources to help you design a retirement plan capable of generating the reliable and sustainable income you need. We will work with you closely to understand your unique situation and preferences, monitor your progress regularly and adjust your plan as needed. Together, we can create a comprehensive income plan that will give you peace of mind and financial security for the future.
Retirement Strategies
We'll show you the ins & outs of how to prepare and thrive through Retirement.
BENEFITS OF IMPLEMENTING OUR RETIREMENT STRATEGIES INCLUDE:
Financial Security: Providing you with a steady source of income that can cover your living expenses and help you maintain your lifestyle after retirement.
Tax Benefits: Reduce your taxable income now and defer taxes on your contributions and earnings until you withdraw them.
Enjoy Retirement: Achieve your personal goals and dreams! We love hearing clients tell us their plans to adventure, whether it be traveling, new hobbies, or spending more time with family and friends we want to create a plan to help with all of it!
Unexpected Events: A retirement plan can protect you from unforeseen circumstances, such as medical emergencies, inflation, household repairs, market fluctuations etc.
Better decisions: Working hand in hand with Sword & Shield can help you to make informed choices about your career, income & savings, insurance, estate planning, and social security benefits before you retire.
Reduced burden: Our retirement strategies can minimize your dependence on your children, close relatives & the government for financial support after retirement.
Giving back: Many clients want to add charitable donations as apart of their monthly expenses but need help to work these in their budget. We can enable you to contribute to causes that are important to you or leave a lasting legacy for your heirs.
THE VAULT: Preserving the Past and Preparing for your future
You may remember going to the bank with your grandparents when they needed a document from
their safe deposit box. In your eyes, it was an impressive process — though it seemed to take a long time. There were multiple keys involved, signatures and an escort to a private room.
Once the box was opened, you probably watched them shuffle through several documents, making stacks on the table until they found what they were looking for. Then they had to copy it by hand. Maybe the safe deposit box even held family heirlooms, like great-grandma’s wedding ring or the watch that a beloved uncle swore protected him when he fought in World War I.
After leaving, your grandparents likely went to meet
with their attorney and financial professional to discuss their finances and estate. As they sorted documents, there’s a good chance something was missing. So, they had to go back to the bank and repeat the process.
We’ve truly come a long way. Today, while you may keep a safe deposit box, you don’t have to go to the bank for documents. When you partner with our company, you receive access to Generational Vault®, a secure online portal that allows you to easily organize, manage and access your financial life — for you and for your loved ones.
This secure online portal lets you immediately view detailed financial information. You can see a snapshot of your financial picture, a simple-to-understand summary of your financial accounts, detailed records
of your assets, important financial reports and dynamic charts. From one location, you can review your assets and manage your expenses and income. Generational Vault keeps a running record of our work together, so you’ll always know where to look if you want to review a decision or check on the progress of your strategy.
Brad introducing the Gen Vault on our YouTube Channel!
Convenience, Clarity & Transparency
One reason you’ve worked hard to save is to provide the best possible life for your family. Generational Vault can help you to continue doing that.
You can make future asset transitions a little simpler by granting Generational Vault access to loved ones and important advisors, making it easier for them to review your financial and legal information. Plus, you can feel confident that we will be there to help your loved ones. We’ll explain documents in Generational Vault, help them understand their options and facilitate any necessary changes.
Insurance Solutions
We help our clients achieve their financial goals and help protect their assets from risk. One of the ways we do that is by offering them insurance solutions that suit their needs and budget.
Our Products provide coverage for various events or situations that could cause financial loss or hardship. Insurance solutions can also help clients with tax & estate planning. For example, life insurance can offer tax-deferred growth and tax-free death benefits, annuities can reduce taxable income and provide lifetime income streams to replace a paycheck, and trusts can transfer assets to beneficiaries while avoiding probate and estate taxes.
We analyze our clients' needs, evaluate their tax status, existing and past insurance transactions, income plan and suggest a suitable policy for them. We also educate them on the benefits and features of different insurance products, compare quotes from various providers, and assist them with claims and policy changes.
At Sword & Shield Solutions our Insurance Products add value and peace of mind, they are an essential part of a comprehensive financial plan that can protect clients from unforeseen events and secure and protect them into their future.
Affordable Legacy & Estate Planning
One of the many perks of working with us is our ability to offer an affordable and discounted Estate Plan through our partnership with Estate Plan Navigator!
Why is working with Sword And Shield + Estate Plan Navigator the Smarter Choice?
Price, quality, and accessibility are all key considerations in the estate planning process. We offer the highest quality documents at an affordable price for everyone by:
-Tailoring each document to you.
-An attorney is responsible for your file.
-Our documents are living, easy to change as your life does
-No suits required! Spend a fraction of the cost of a traditional lawyer.
-If your situation is too complex, a qualified attorney will call you.
Guiding you through every step
EP Navigator is more than a stack of documents... it's a tool that guides you through every important step of your Legacy plan.
Create
Create, execute, and fund your estate plan specific to your needs
Share
Track and communicate with those you name in your estate plan
Maintain
Helping you know how and when to amend your estate plan as life circumstances change
Settle
Ensuring your wishes are carried out when the time comes
Create something that suits your goals and needs. An estate plan is not only about distributing assets after death, but also about protecting them during life.
Benefits include:
-Reducing taxes and fees on your estate
-Avoiding probate and legal complications
-Preserving your wealth for future generations
-Planning for important medical decisions
-Supporting charitable causes you care about
Estate planning is not something you can afford to ignore or postpone. It is a way of taking control of your future and ensuring peace of mind for yourself and those you care about. If you are interested in learning more about how we can help you with your own Legacy, click the button below to fill out your Personal Risk Analysis!
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SWORD & SHIELD
Solutions
Q&A
When will I need a Will or Trust?
Generally, you should have a will if you are over 18, own any property, have a career, have any savings or investments, or have children or other dependents. A will directs how your assets are distributed after your death and can name an executor and guardians for minor children.
A trust is an arrangement that gives a trustee the right to hold and manage assets for the benefit of a person or purpose. A trust can take effect before death, after death, or in the case of incapacitation. A trust can avoid probate, save taxes, and provide more control over your assets. You may consider a trust if you have expensive assets, want to protect your assets from creditors or lawsuits, have special needs beneficiaries, or want to set conditions for distributions.
When do I file for Social Security?
You can apply for Social Security benefits as early as 61 years and 9 months, but your benefits will start at age 62. However, claiming benefits early means getting smaller checks for life. The best time to apply depends on your personal situation and goals. Some factors to consider are your health, life expectancy, income needs, other sources of income, and tax implications. Generally speaking, the longer you delay your benefits, the more you will receive each month.
How much money do I need to Retire?
This depends on many factors, such as your annual pre-retirement income, your desired retirement lifestyle, your expected retirement age, your life expectancy and your sources of income. A common guideline is that you should aim to replace 70% of your annual pre-retirement income. For example, if you earn $50,000 a year before retirement, you may need about $35,000 a year after retirement. However, this is not a one-size-fits-all rule and you may need more or less depending on your situation.
To get a more personalized estimate of how much money you need to retire comfortably, fill out your FREE Color Of Money Risk Analysis & then we can help you create a retirement plan that suits your goals and needs.
How often do we meet to review My Portfolio & it's Performance?
At a minimum we will meet once per year, in-person or via Zoom. Here we go over your portfolio health as well as any recommendations or adjustments based on your current and future goals. We also offer a quarterly check-in call to touch base and see if there are any life-changes or if we need to make any adjustments to your plan.
How do I set up an Appointment?
You've made a great choice for your financial future! The best way to get started with us to fill out your FREE Personalized Risk Analysis by clicking the link, this will take about 5 minutes then we have the information we need to move to the next steps. We will then contact you as soon as possible to set up our initial appointment! There is no financial commitment of any kind during this process. If you prefer to contact us directly, we'd love to hear from you! Call us at 651-214-4867 or Email at Brad@SwordShieldIns.com.
Maximizing Social Security
Social Security is a valuable source of income for many retirees, but it can be complex and confusing to navigate. There are many factors that affect how much you can receive from Social Security, such as your age, work history, marital status, and tax situation. That's why it's important to have a strategy that maximizes your benefits and fits your retirement goals.
One of the key decisions you need to make is when to start claiming your benefits. You can apply as early as age 62, but your monthly payments will be reduced for life. If you wait until your full retirement age (FRA), which ranges from 66 to 67 depending on your birth year, you will get your full benefit amount. And if you delay beyond your FRA, up to age 70, you will earn delayed retirement credits that increase your benefit by about 8% per year.
Other ways to boost your Social Security income include checking your earnings record for accuracy, working longer or earning more, claiming spousal or survivor benefits if eligible, and minimizing taxes on your benefits by managing your other income sources.
This is not a one-size-fits-all approach. It requires careful planning and analysis of your individual situation and preferences. Here at Sword & Shield we can help you make informed choices that optimize your retirement income security.
Want to know you how to optimize your Social Security Income?
Many people decide to file for benefits without understanding all of the options available, resulting in a loss on potential retirement income.
Our report is designed to illustrate the optimal filing strategy for your specific scenario and provide education so you can make the best decision to fit your needs.
Your 1 minute
SOCIAL SECURITY
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