Co-financial advisors Jennifer Costello and Mike Harrison of Wells Fargo Advisors, LLC pride themselves on treating their clients like family.
“Our clients trust us,” Costello said. “They know we genuinely care about them. When we tell them to buy or sell something, they know we’re trying to do what’s right for them.”
That trust is earned not only from the duo’s 30-plus years of experience as financial advisors, but also from the indepth Envision planning process they use to craft one-of-a-kind investment plans for each client. The four-step process allows Costello and Harrison, who have worked together for 12 years, to potentially understand every important facet of their clients’ financial circumstances and develop a shared vision based on what is most important to a client.
Whether it’s planning for retirement, paying for a child’s or grandchild’s education, dealing with an unexpected illness, saving for a dream beach house or simply looking to preserve wealth, the pair strive to help each of their clients plan for a financial future in a way that best meets his or her goals.
“We take your life goals and plan your finances around them,” Harrison said. “We want your money to surround your life and be the catalyst to live the way you want.”
Costello and Harrison believe it’s imperative that clients understand and are comfortable with their investment strategies. No question is too small for Costello, who said she enjoys teaching people about their finances and helping them know they’re on the right path. “We talk to our clients about everything — anything at all that’s a financial concern,” Costello said. “I try to make sure they understand what we’re doing enough to explain it to their kids or other people. It’s important to know what we’re buying and selling, and why we’re buying and selling it.”
Once an investment plan is put into action, the two help ensure it stays on target with continual maintenance and regular reviews, rebalancing allocations within the portfolio as necessary based on changes in the markets or a client’s life. As plan-based advisors, the success of a client’s portfolio is judged by how closely it fits the needs of his or her lifestyle, Harrison said, adding that it is a different approach from other financial advisors.
“If your plan is working and we’re meeting your goals, that’s what we care about above all else,” he said. For however long clients’ life goals include living in Gainesville, Costello and Harrison will be here to guide them on their financial journeys.
“We both have spent many years in Gainesville,” said Harrison, who graduated from the University of Florida along with Costello. “We’ve been here together for over a decade, and it’s where we both plan to retire. It’s a great place to raise kids, we each have lots of friends and family here and the local clientele are down-to-earth, good, hard-working people that we want to help.”
Jennifer Costello can be reached at 352-335-3414, and Mike Harrison can be reached at 352-335-3308.