Daniel M. Song, CFA and Tim Huynh, CFP talk about our practice and how they serve our clients.
Song, a partner and portfolio manager, and Huynh, a partner and wealth advisor, work with managing partner and principal advisor Mark Swingle, CFP.
"I believe, we're an ideal team to service clients", Huynh said. "Dan and I have been in the business for years, we're really enthusiastic and having the benefit of Mark's wisdom and experience – it's a great combination."
Westfield Financial Planning is a mid-size firm — not too big and not too small, they agreed.
"Because of our size, we're able to service all of our clients with the utmost attention," said Song, who will soon be in his fifth year with Westfield Financial Planning.
"We like to see ourselves as a provider of white glove service," said Huynh, "meaning, for any question a client has, it's easy for them to reach out to us by phone call or email and we usually answer client inquiries rather quickly."
"For clients who aren't as organized, we hold their hands in the whole process of financial planning," Huynh added.
The firm helps clients of all ages and stages of life.
"Most of our clients are either pre-retirees or in retirement," said Huynh. "But we do serve a wide array of clients. We serve clients who are working professionals that are in their late 30s or early 40s that may be just starting out, or starting a family and they need help with just getting their finances in order, We've also recently been taking on foundations and non-profits."
College planning is important too, he said.
To achieve the best outcomes for their clients, Westfield Financial Planning takes a collaborative approach with other professionals, Song noted, such as estate planners, tax professionals, actuaries, and insurance specialists, particularly, long-term insurance specialists.
Huynh described what he believes is the best part of his job.
"For me, it's being able to see how clients react when we're able to deliver them the service they want," Huynh said. "And for me, seeing a smile on my client's face and being able to reassure them they are in a good spot … it's the satisfaction of being able to help clients because I know we are helping them secure their financial future and remove that worry."
"Some clients have really complicated situations," Song added. "Frankly, we're really helping people out by guiding them and answering some tough financial questions that come up in their lives and it feels good."
"What I've come to notice in the 12 years of advising clients is that people are very emotional when it comes to money," Song said. "They act irrationally when the market sells off and they begin to believe they can time the market. It's important to note that you'd need to time the market twice — that is, getting out and then getting back in at the right time. History has repeatedly shown that those who've tried this have lost, and for the most part, are behind others who've remained invested. The key to building long-term wealth is to find our clients' right balance between risk and reward- a mixture between stocks and bonds, and to remain disciplined and invested regardless of what's going on in the stock market."
Published in TAPintoWestfield January 2022