Building enduring relationships
Founded in 2001, The Hebert/Jones Team has 120 years of combined financial services experience. Our members’ long histories with Merrill Lynch Wealth Management and with one another give us a valuable perspective that we apply in developing personalized wealth management strategies designed to help clients integrate the different aspects of their financial lives. We believe that our camaraderie and commitment to being a consistent resource for the clients we serve are the foundation of the enduring relationships we have built, some of which span approximately 30 years and several generations.
Our team has extensive academic and professional training that we draw on in assisting clients with the serious business of wealth management. We are dedicated to continually improving our skills and knowledge and routinely take courses on a wide range of wealth management and financial services topics. On our team, for example, Joan Hebert and Scott Jones hold the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER, CFP certification, as well as the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor, CRPC designation. This commitment to education helps us stay abreast of new ideas, innovative approaches and important trends, which we feel better prepares us to assist clients.
The clients we serve come from different walks of life and areas of the country, but they all have in common a determination to grow, preserve and distribute their wealth wisely. To assist them in pursuing these goals, we offer a range of services, including retirement and estate planning services, risk management and cash flow management strategies.
As longtime residents of Southeast Texas, we take great pride in assisting our friends and neighbors with their financial needs. We believe that the long-lasting relationships we have developed are based on hard work and mutual understanding and respect. We are committed to providing clients and their families with an outstanding wealth management experience, advising and guiding them on the path toward their most cherished financial goals and aspirations.
A total team approach
In our view, quality wealth management begins by creating quality relationships with clients. The concierge-level service we provide is based on four pillars:
Accessibility We encourage clients to call us anytime with questions or ideas. We enjoy interacting and spending time with clients, in order to gain a deeper understanding of who they are and what is important to them.
Attentiveness Every interaction with clients presents an opportunity to listen actively and learn about their values and family or business dynamics.
Responsiveness We seek to react to clients’ needs quickly and efficiently, giving requests, both large and small, our full attention.
Communication Whether clients prefer frequent check-ins by telephone or e-mail, occasional face-to-face interactions through videoconferencing or in-person meetings, we are committed to keeping them up-to-date on their portfolios' performance and abreast of global events and market fluctuations that might affect their progress toward their short- and long-term goals.
Identifying your goals, customizing your strategy
When working with you, we take the time to develop a thorough understanding of who you are, how you think and what matters most to you. By gaining an intimate knowledge of your priorities, we can help you create a strategy for pursuing your vision of the future.
In our first meetings with you, we do more than discuss your assets—we seek to gain a complete picture of your financial situation by asking questions to determine where you are, where you want to be and what's important to you. The information you share will assist us in forming a picture of your current situation and identifying the resources available to help you pursue your goals, whether they involve generating a sustainable income stream in retirement or helping to fund the next generation's higher education.
Using Wealth Outlook®, Merrill's proprietary brokerage report, we can analyze the different elements of your finances, including assets and liabilities, help you prioritize your goals and examine the trade-offs you may need to make in pursuing them. Based on this information, we propose customized strategies tailored to your objectives, risk tolerance, liquidity needs and time horizon.
Later we will meet with you regularly, to review your progress toward your objectives and to learn about any changes in your situation. We will also keep you informed of developments in the financial markets that could affect your positions, positively or negatively. This active communication allows us to suggest adjustments to your strategy, as required.
The value of a financial advisor
Investing for the future can be a delicate balancing act. With financial products becoming increasingly complicated, you need more than information to manage your wealth—you need the assistance of a professional advisor to help put that information into context. At The Hebert/Jones Team, we are committed to being there for you when life throws you a curve ball, when the markets become volatile or when it's time to reevaluate your long-term goals.
During bear and bull markets, it's easy to let emotions rule investment decisions. But this can lead to buying at inflated prices or missing out on rallies. Having experienced many market cycles, we can help clients filter out the noise and make informed decisions based on their goals, risk tolerance, time horizon and liquidity needs. Through our disciplined approach, we help develop diversified portfolios designed to weather both up and down markets.
We believe that your wealth management strategy should help provide consistent support to you and your loved ones over time. That is why we strive to build relationships with your family members now, so that when the time comes, they have a familiar resource to turn to for wealth management guidance.
Integrating the different aspects of your financial life
Our team can provide access to a Wealth Management Lending Officer from Bank of America, who can provide strategic and personalized home financing guidance focused on your needs. We also offer access to Bank of America for any of your other banking needs. As necessary, we can also draw on Merrill's deep bench of specialists in the areas of retirement planning, insurance and annuities. And, with your permission, we can coordinate with your other trusted professionals, including attorneys and accountants.
*Wealth Management Lending Officers do not offer investment advice, nor make recommendations on investment products.
Investing with a conservative bias
The foundation of our philosophy is wealth preservation. Our goal is to help you grow and maintain sufficient assets to support your lifestyle both before and during retirement. The strategies that we propose, in conjunction with your personal tax professionals, are designed to help minimize taxes and downside risk, while targeting returns that beat inflation and keep expenses low.
Retirement planning services
Today's increased life expectancies mean that your assets will have to last longer than those of previous generations of retirees. If you are still in your wealth accumulation years, we can assist in developing strategies designed to help fund the lifestyle you envision once you have stopped working, taking into account the potential effects of inflation on health care and other costs. Once you retire, we can assist with your distribution options for your 401(k) plan. You have choices about what to do with your 401(k) or other type of plan-sponsored accounts. Depending on your financial circumstances, needs, and goals, you may choose to roll over to an IRA or convert to a Roth IRA, roll over a 401(k) from a prior employer to a 401(k) at your new employer, take a distribution, or leave the account where it is. Each choice may offer different investments and services, fees and expenses, withdrawal options, required minimum distributions, tax treatment (particularly with reference to employer stock), and provide different protection from creditors and legal judgments. These are complex choices and should be considered with care. For more information, please contact your Merrill Financial Advisor. Whatever you decide to do, we can help coordinate your various income streams and assess whether these support your contemplated expenses. If gaps exist, we can assist in developing strategies to help address them.
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