Fee-Only Financial Planner Turns Tips from Clark Howard into Burgeoning Business, With Help from Intelligent Office.

While you may not know Scott Winkler, if you’re a Clark Howard fan, you’ve probably listened to a show where he encourage you to patronize firms like his. Scott Winkler, of Winkler Financial Planning, LLC, is a fee-only financial planner and member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), a group that Clark regularly endorses.

Fee only financial planners provide financial advice for an hourly rate. Because they don’t sell any financial products, they are able to provide completely objective advice.

Winkler began his career as a CPA then later joined the Wealth and Investment Management Group at SunTrust Bank. It was while working at SunTrust that he began to recognize a need for comprehensive financial planning for average income individuals and became a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) in 2001,

“My primary focus in wealth management was tax oriented. While working in that area I saw the need for people who could look at the whole situation — financial, investments and tax — and provide a comprehensive plan to insure all of the pieces are in place,” explains Winkler. “The typical wealth management solution was always oriented towards upscale clientele and I said ‘Why can’t we do that for regular folks? ‘”

Winkler evaluated his options and elected to put out his own shingle as Winkler Financial Planning in 2006. He also joined the Garrett Planning Network, a 300-member international organization of fee-only financial planners who provide advice to individuals with no account or asset minimums.

“As a member, I can’t tell folks they need a $1mm account to get advice,” explains Winkler. “My practice is oriented towards middle income to upper income clients with client asset and income levels across a wide range.”

Winkler regularly serves individuals who need help preparing for their retirement or planning how much longer they need to work before they retire. He also provides advice and assistance to Self-Directed Investors, individuals who manage their own investment portfolios but find that from time to time they need advice on how to set up and manage their investments.

“The model of providing financial advice for a fee is continuing to get more and more traction as people are beginning to understand how it brings them more objective advice.”

Individuals searching for more information on financial advice are regularly treated to Clark Howard’s endorsements of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. NAPFA maintains an online membership directory that allows individuals to search for a provider in their area. Winkler obtains a considerable amount of business from traffic on the NAPFA website.

“I’ve never actually met Clark Howard but he is my best source of new business,” admits Winkler.

In order to be more accessible to individuals in the Greater North Fulton area, Winkler needed to add a Roswell or Alpharetta location to his Norcross-based business. Intelligent Office’s professional address services gave him just the identity he needed to capture more business online plus gave him access to on-demand and after-hours meeting space for clients unable or unwilling to meet in Gwinnett.

“I meet with clients any day or any time and having access to the professional addresses and additional offices in North Fulton has made a huge difference in the people I can serve with my business,” concludes Winkler.

For more information, contact: Scott Winkler at 770-447-0059 or via email at scott@WinklerFinancialPlanning.com.