Thomas Smith, CFP®, CLU®, CAP® - Wealth management approach

An empowered approach

My goals-based wealth planning approach is designed to ultimately help you achieve your vision and live empowered. Working together, we identify strategies to help grow your wealth, fund your lifestyle today and tomorrow, protect what's important to you and create your legacy.

My approach features four financial pillars to help guide you through your life stages:

Accumulate and grow your wealth

Working toward tomorrow, define your goals, plan, save and invest. Review your finances regularly. Build and maintain an emergency fund of at least six months of expenses.

As you approach retirement, take advantage of catch-up contributions and align investments to offset inflation.

In your encore years, review and understand the probable outcome of your wealth plan and consider consolidating accounts to simplify your financial life.

Fund your lifestyle

In the early stages, avoid or eliminate unproductive debt. Fund but defer health savings account spending until retirement.

Approaching retirement, create a retirement plan for your paycheck as well as a budget for your expenses.

In your later years, plan for your distributions and manage your spending to cover your needs.

Protect what's important to you

At first, evaluate and consider your options for various types of insurance, ranging from health, disability, life and long-term care insurance.

Closer to retirement, re-evaluate your insurance needs and use credit strategically.

Enroll in Medicare at 65 and claim Social Security at 70. Avoid selling assets in down markets. Discuss your care wishes with your loved ones.

Create your legacy

Establish a will, power of attorney, health care directive and revocable trust. Check your beneficiary designations. Consider a charitable giving plan that aligns with your values.

Near retirement, revisit your estate planning documents and beneficiary designations. Have plans for housing and care needs.

After retiring, check that your estate plan aligns with your wishes. Understand your estate and gift tax thresholds.

It all starts and ends with you

Contact me today to learn more about my wealth management approach and how I can help you achieve your goals.

Client Strategies Team

The Client Strategies Team is a resource to help support you in your wealth planning goals, developing a strong understanding of your personal financial objectives, gathering valuable information and addressing complex financial and wealth strategies issues. Explore the bios below to learn more about the team.

Tom Nagle

Trust Consultant

As a trust consultant, Tom specializes in personal trust planning and assists in the movement of client trust assets, provides educational and technical guidance relating to personal trusts and advises clients on opportunities with third-party professional trust partners.

Dean Deutz, CFP®

Echelon Wealth Strategist

As an RBC Echelon wealth strategist, Dean partners with financial advisors and their ultra-high-net-worth clients to understand what is most important to them and to help develop appropriate strategies that address the client’s objectives and concerns. Dean serves as a knowledgeable resource in the area of complex wealth, including planning strategies for corporate executives, trust and estate planning services, concentrated stock options, business succession planning and philanthropic planning. He also coordinates solutions and external professional services tailored to RBC Echelon clients' needs.

Janet Engels

Senior Vice President, Director of Portfolio Advisory Group

A 32-year veteran of the securities industry, Janet Engels became Director of RBC Wealth Management’s Portfolio Advisory Group in 2002 following the acquisition of Tucker Anthony Inc. She is Co-Chair of the Global Portfolio Advisory Committee (GPAC) and a member of the firm’s Directors Group. She is also a member of the Financial Women’s Association of New York and a frequent speaker at client seminars throughout the country. She has appeared on CNBC, Fox Business and has been quoted in several leading industry publications. Janet was also the recipient of RBC Wealth Management’s “Irv Weiser Diversity Award” in recognition of her commitment to supporting the education of women and increasing awareness about persons with disabilities. Janet received a B.S. in Business Administration from Bucknell University in Pennsylvania.