Why Palmetto Financial Planners?
At PFP, it is all about you; your goals, your aspirations, your plan for the future. We want to earn your trust and develop a long-term relationship by demonstrating our consistent commitment to you.
As a privately held independent firm, we are not owned by a large corporation with a large corporation agenda. We are free to make recommendations based on your needs. And as a Registered Investment Advisor firm, we act with fiduciary care – meaning that we act on your best interests, and your interests alone.
We are fee-only. This means that we do not receive commissions or other financial incentives when we recommend investments to you. We work directly for you and are only compensated by you through hourly charges and fees. We do not sell products.
Meet Connie Judkins
Connie Judkins founded PFP with a belief that everyone deserves access to high quality, affordable financial planning and education. She has many years of experience in working with both individuals and groups, and especially enjoys the opportunity to speak to groups through financial education outreach programs.
She holds a BS in Chemical Engineering from the University of Arkansas, a Masters in Business Administration from Clemson University and a Certificate in Financial Planning from the University of South Carolina.
She has been recognized as a Certified Financial Planner® since 2005.
Connie's personal time is devoted to her husband Alyn and their children. Now that she’s an empty nester, she has more time to focus on her beloved labs.
Our Approach
We believe good plans begin with a thorough understanding of your goals and aspirations for the future. We help you prioritize your goals and set an actionable plan in place designed to meet those goals. We believe in identifying risks to the successful outcome of your plan and then mitigating those risks through appropriate measures.
We believe in a buy and hold quality investments approach to investing. We do not regularly try to time markets, but rather in holding a diversified mix of stocks, bonds and cash, based on your risk tolerance, investment time horizon, goals and cash flow needs.
We typically recommend an investment strategy using no-load mutual funds, index funds, exchange traded funds (ETFs), and CDs or investment grade bonds. We do not typically use any mutual funds that have front-end or back-end sales commissions.
Our Clients
Our clients are quite diverse. However, all share a common interest in having a trusted partner to help them achieve their financial goals.
Many clients begin a relationship with PFP by initially engaging us to help them develop a comprehensive financial plan targeting a future retirement date; with periodic checks along the way to ensure that they stay on track. As their retirement date nears, they most often engage us to begin to re-position their retirement assets and begin on-going management of those assets.
Our Process
The first step is to schedule an appointment with us to talk about you. We want to hear all about you and your needs. We will listen and then tell you if we feel that we can add value to your situation.
If both sides feel that we are a good match for each other, then PFP will prepare a written contract outlining the scope of work to be accomplished during the engagement, the length of the engagement, and the compensation structure of either an hourly charge or fee.
Once the contract is signed, we are free to begin work.
The specific manner in which fees are charged is established in your written agreement and is dependent on the complexity, scope and duration of the engagement.
Fees for limited engagement planning agreements are typically based on either an hourly charge or fixed fee. Fees for on-going asset management engagements are based on the value of the assets under management, using the following quarterly fee structure:
Assets Under Management
Quarterly Fee Schedule
Strategic Alliances
Connie Judkins is recognized by the Certified Financial Board of Standards, Inc as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™. To learn more, visit www.cfp.net.
Code of Ethics
PFP adheres to the Standards of Professional Conduct, as defined by the Certified Financial Board of Standards, Inc. This standard sets forth the ethical standards for CFP® professionals.