The Ascend360™ Planning Process is a structured, four-step approach that takes a 360-degree view of your financial life:
1. Discover – Understand where you are today with a thorough review of your financial situation.
2. Build – We analyze and develop a personalized plan based on your goals, priorities, and values.
3. Implement – Put your tailored plan into action with precision and care.
4. Evolve – Adjust your plan as life changes to keep you on track.

At W.A. Smith Financial Group, we don’t start with specific financial products. Instead, we focus on developing a comprehensive plan based on your goals. Our strategy aligns investments with each client’s individual objectives, emphasizing long-term planning over specific product recommendations. We do not hone in or specialize in any one type of investment option or financial product. Rather, we aim to provide solutions to our clients problems using most all investment options and products that are available to us as an independent advisory firm.

Our proprietary process for helping our clients create a financial plan is called the Ascend360™ planning process. It is a simple, 4-step process that enables our advisory team to assess your current financial situation, identify actionable steps potentially needed for improvement, a side-by-side value presentation showing you how to accomplish your goals and objectives more efficiently, and a detailed written design that creates the structure and simplicity you might be looking for. Each plan is custom-made and tailored to your unique situation. No cookie-cutter plans here!  

Our internal investment committee plays a key role in shaping client investment strategies. Following a rigorous 5-step due diligence process, the committee assesses current economic, and market conditions, evaluates optimal asset allocation, and conducts thorough risk assessments. This ensures our clients' portfolios are strategically aligned with changing market conditions and personal goals.

As a holistic financial planning organization, we aim to serve as our clients “CFO” – meaning that our advisors are trained and knowledgeable on most all financial subject matters that could affect your investment strategy and overall financial plan. To name a few specialties, our team can help you with retirement planning, income planning, estate planning, tax reduction strategies, healthcare solutions, investment design and appropriate allocation, budgeting and spending, debt reduction, business succession planning and business tax reduction, and much, much more.  

Discretionary investment management means you authorize us to make investment decisions on your behalf. We'll develop a personalized investment strategy aligned with your goals, risk tolerance, and financial situation. This allows us to actively manage your portfolio, making adjustments as needed to pursue your objectives. You'll save time and benefit from our expertise while staying informed about your investments.

W.A. Smith was founded in 2008 under the name Great Lakes Retirement, Inc. by our CEO and founder, William "Bill" Smith. We later rebranded to W.A. Smith Financial Group.

Yes, we are fiduciaries. This means we are legally obligated to put your best interests first among all our financial recommendations.

W.A. Smith Financial Group sets itself apart with a holistic, client-centered approach. Our advisors focus on comprehensive planning across key areas: income, tax, investment, healthcare, and estate planning. We use our proprietary Ascend 360™ Planning Process, ensuring that every aspect of a client’s financial plan is well-coordinated and aligned with their personal goals.

Yes, we have a CPA on staff and partner with local attorneys and Medicare professionals to provide well-rounded financial planning support. This team approach allows us to address the complex needs of our clients comprehensively. All of our partnered professionals are vetted out by our leadership team to ensure that philosophy aligns and our client is taken care of properly.

Bill Smith has over three decades of experience in the financial industry, with a career that began at Prudential before founding W.A. Smith Financial Group. Bill and the financial advisors at the firm combine for well over 100 years of financial industry experience.

We meet with our clients regularly in quarterly, bi-annual or annual meetings as part of the “Evolve” stage of the Ascend 360™ Planning Process, ensuring that financial plans are updated as necessary to reflect changes in the market, economy, and personal goals. We feel it is vitally important that, regardless of how involved you choose to be with your financial plan, you stay informed and are regularly updated by your financial advisor about your plan and the state of your financial world. Outside of the regular "strategy meetings" with your advisor, our regular monthly resources provide additional education and understanding of our investment strategies and the changes our investment committee chooses to make in order to manage your money proactively and efficiently.

Our team comprises experienced financial advisors with a combined 100+ years of experience in the financial services industry. We hold various designations, including CFP®, RICP®, MRFC®, RFC®, and AWMA®, demonstrating our commitment to ongoing education and expertise. We are well-equipped to address the unique needs of both individuals and business owners.

The Ascend 360 Insider is our complimentary, weekly video blog and educational series covering retirement planning, investing, and financial planning strategies. It's designed to provide valuable insights and keep you informed about the latest trends and best practices in the financial world. You can join the Ascend 360 Insider community on our website to receive regular updates and enhance your financial knowledge. Click here to become a member!

Ongoing education is important to us. We make an abundance of resources readily and regularly available. From our quarterly, live and in-person client events to our weekly TV show (Retirement Solutions with Bill Smith), you’ll have everything you need to stay sharp and in the know. Visit our “Resources” page by clicking here. You’ll want to check out our YouTube channel and our free, informational guides. And don’t forget to become an member of our Ascend360™ Insider, a weekly video email series designed to help you take your financial knowledge to the next level! Become an Insider here!

Our client portal is a powerful tool made available exclusively to clients of W.A. Smith Financial. It allows our clients to view their accounts regularly and easily, both on a PC as well as a smart device like a cell phone or a tablet. With a few clicks of the button, you can see at-a-glance investment and performance results, asset class and allocation breakdowns, transaction details, historical performance metrics, and more. The portal also serves as an “aggregator,” allowing our clients to view all financial assets (even those outside of their investment portfolio) in a single login place.