Justin Porter

Hi, I’m Justin. I’m the founder and lead advisor at PWM. We help families who need a coordinated approach to their financial strategies for retirement. Obviously, there are plenty of advisors that offer retirement planning. What sets me apart is the extra horsepower I have in the areas of tax planning, estate planning, asset protection and charitable giving.

We might be a fit if, in addition to retirement planning, you:

• Pay too much in taxes.

• Want to design a strategy that protects your assets from creditors.

• Need to incorporate complex assets (businesses, investment real estate, etc.) into your retirement strategy.

• Want to improve the effectiveness or tax efficiency of your charitable giving.

• Need to update your estate plan or at least have a second set of eyes review it.

• Want to plan for the tax impact that required minimum distributions (RMD’s) will have on your strategy (particularly after the SECURE Act of 2019)

• Want to protect the assets you leave your children from taxes, creditors or divorce.

• Will inherit assets and want to plan for being a good steward of those assets.

• And/or need an effective investment strategy without unnecessary fees and expenses

Here are the cliff notes on my background and qualifications:

• Education – Georgia Tech and GSU Law

• Credentials – CPA, CFP® & JD

• I transitioned to the wealth management industry in 2014 but have been serving the same type of clientele since 2009 in the accounting and legal industries. I don’t practice law or accounting anymore, but they are useful skills to have in constructing a comprehensive financial plan.

• Started my career in public accounting with Frazier & Deeter. I spent several years preparing tax returns and recommending tax planning strategies for high-net worth families and small business owners.

• Worked for a boutique estate planning and corporate law firm in Atlanta where I drafted wills, trusts, ownership agreements, operating agreements, buy-sell agreements, etc.

I have held 3 different financial planning positions prior to starting my own firm in 2018. One was at a large bank with very wealthy clients ($20-90mm net worth), one was with a fee-only RIA with wealthy clients ($3-20mm net worth), and one was with a fee-based RIA with millionaire next door type clients ($1-5mm net worth). From that experience, I learned:

• An independent, fee-only RIA is the best structure for a firm to minimize conflicts of interest.

• That each advisor at that firm should be held to the fiduciary standard for every piece of advice they give their clients. Splitting hairs over when you are required to act as a fiduciary and when you can be held to a lower standard only hurts the client.

• The bundled service model of charging for investment management and providing financial planning for “free” is not very transparent. It also doesn’t work for families who have a more complex balance sheet. I offer an unbundled approach. You can hire me for financial planning, investment management or both.

• Most families benefit from replacing the comprehensive planning meetings that occur only once or twice a year with shorter, more frequent meetings. The material is easier to digest and we can focus on the part of your financial life that matters most to you at that time. We leverage technology to make these extra meetings happen where and when you want them.

It usually makes sense to “try before you buy” when hiring a financial advisor. If you think I might be a good fit for your family, why don’t we start with a FREE consultation. Usually, consultations last about an hour. During that time, you can get a better understanding for the services I provide and how I provide them. I’ll also ask you a number of questions to gain a basic understanding for your current situation and what plans you have in store for the future. I should be able to provide some recommendations during the meeting. If it looks like there might be a fit, I’ll provide you with a proposal for my services which includes a full recap of our meeting and a handful of written recommendations following our consultation. It will take a week or two to draft that document depending on the needs of my current clients but it should be worth the wait.

I do not charge for consultations and there are no strings attached. Here is the link to my calendar if you’d like to self-schedule a zoom meeting or phone call.

https://go.oncehub.com/PWMLLC

If you prefer not to use the app, you are welcome to reach out to me directly via e-mail (justin@porterwm.com). Here is my cell (540-270-7542) and office line (404-954-2720) if you prefer a phone call. Please leave a voicemail with your name and number if I don’t pick up. Chances are I’m in a meeting but can call you back soon.