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I began my financial journey like many others - piecing together solutions that never quite gave me the full picture I needed. After years of frustration with traditional advisors who didn't align with my interests, I found Range. Here's my story of how I went from feeling constantly uncertain about my financial future to having real clarity and confidence.
Before finding Range, my financial life was fragmented across different tools. I started with pieces of paper for cash flow tracking when money was tight. When I got married, my wife and I tried using spreadsheets to coordinate our finances, but it was cumbersome.
We worked with a financial advisor recommended by a friend, but something never felt right. The advisor set us up with life insurance and various high-fee investment products that generated good commissions for him but questionable returns for us.
That money just sort of went somewhere else and I didn't fully understand what was going on.
The frustration built as I educated myself about investing. I'd analyze products the advisor recommended and run calculations on spreadsheets over 20 years. The numbers just didn't add up.
Getting simple answers about fees was like pulling teeth. I had to get on a call with him and a spreadsheet with all our investments. We'd go line by line with fast talk after fast talk. So frustrating that I couldn't just get clear, simple answers plainly.
As I learned more about financial management, I realized I wanted a fiduciary who would be paid for their advice, not for selling products. I interviewed fee-only advisors in our area, but balked at the standard 1% fee structure. I wanted professional guidance for retirement planning but didn't want to pay a percentage of my assets forever.
I knew there had to be a middle ground between completely DIY investing and traditional advisory relationships.
I discovered Range through an article and was immediately drawn to their different approach. Their value proposition aligned perfectly with what I was seeking: fee-only fiduciary advice, transparent pricing, tax services, and a consolidated dashboard to replace the patchwork of tools I was using.
Convincing my wife took some effort. She was skeptical about who they were and what they would do. I pointed out the value proposition: we pay this much to file taxes, we pay this much for other services. If we can bundle it and it works, then let's give it a shot.
The emotion I feel most with Range is relief. I feel relieved to have used Range to get clarity on our financial future. I feel happy to have plans that I can go back and revisit with my advisor and evolve over time that I don't have to feel like they're trying to sell me products.
Working with Range has helped me tackle my financial to-do list systematically. We started with a retirement plan, exploring different scenarios for early retirement and adding uncorrelated assets to generate income. Next, we looked at investment allocations to help reach our goals.
The platform makes it clear what I need to address next in my financial life, giving me structure and confidence that I'm not missing anything important.
Unlike my previous advisor, Range doesn't have a hidden agenda. There's no dance around fees or confusing explanations. The transparency and flat fee structure mean our interests are aligned.
Range doesn't necessarily have a horse in the race other than giving me a happy customer so I can get my questions answered without a bunch of dancing around. That's definitely a friction reducer in my life.
The all-in-one approach has proven valuable. The retirement planning, investment guidance, and consolidated financial dashboard give me a clearer view of our complete financial picture than I've ever had before.
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