What is Fun Financial?
At Fun Financial, we make financial planning fun by guiding busy people through the confusion and anxiety of managing their finances so they spend less time worrying about money and more time doing what they love to do.
We provide comprehensive financial planning and fee-only investment advice to our local communities in Dutchess County, the Hudson Valley, Kingston, Rhinebeck, Woodstock, the Catskills, and upstate New York, as well as nationally.
As your fiduciary and financial advocate, I care about the people we serve. By offering personal solutions to your financial challenges, we can help you thrive and live a life free from worry about what the market will do next. We understand that money can be stressful. That's okay. We're here for you.
It’s fun to be heard, understood, and listened to.
We develop plans with our clients, not for our clients. Understanding the factors that make you, you are the most important pieces of data in your financial plan. We are here to listen, not lecture.
It’s fun to plan for your future and live for your today.
We believe that clients should feel empowered by the actions and steps they make towards their goals and dreams, not scared that they don’t know what they are doing or afraid to ask questions. We are here to help you align your best life now with your dreams and goals for the future and don’t see the two as being mutually exclusive.
It’s fun to make financial progress, no matter which stage you are in.
At Fun Financial, we have no account minimum because we see the value in the financial advice that we provide, and because we want to work with clients in all stages of their financial development, from the young professional just starting their financial journey to the retiree who’s making their dreams happen. Our financial planning fees aren’t dependent on the size of your portfolio. We want you to succeed whether you have a lot or a little.
It’s fun to have enough to do the things you want to do.
It’s fun to not have to live from paycheck to paycheck. Retiring, whether at age 65 or 35, is about redefining a traditional work-life balance and using your portfolio to make safe, tax smart distributions to live off of. Having the freedom to do what you want to do with your life should be one of life’s great pleasures and accomplishments. We can set you up for the life you want to live and help keep you on that path.
It’s fun to sleep at night.
One of the greatest services we can perform for our clients is to help them sleep soundly at night. We understand that money is stressful and that the financial industry often makes finances confusing. We’re here to help you unpack the jargon and sales pitches so you feel in control of how your money is working for you. No one wants to spend sleepless nights worrying about how to cover next month’s expenses.
It’s fun to keep more and lose less.
We believe that what you keep is more important than what you make. You don’t need to make a lot of money to save a lot of money. We’ll help you hold onto more of what you worked so hard to earn. That means making sure your money is growing appropriately. It also means making sure your money is protected and your risks are appropriate — what you keep is more important than what you make.
It’s fun to say, “Who cares what the market does? I benefit either way.”
We’re big believers in diversification and in low-cost index investing for our clients. Why would you want to put all your eggs in one basket when you can put your eggs in all the baskets? We also know that human sentiment and behavioral factors drive markets in addition to economic data. What that means is that successful investing requires making rational decisions when your emotions are going haywire. We’re here to help guide you through the noise so that you have serenity the next time the sky is falling.
It’s fun to avoid financial disaster.
Sometimes the biggest financial wins we celebrate for our clients are the potential pitfalls we helped them avoid. While working with a financial planner can help you “make money money, make money money,” it can also help you not “lose money money, lose money money.” You deserve to succeed, and you have too much at stake to fail financially. All investment involves risk: We just don’t want you to take on more risk than you need to.
It’s fun to save.
Saving is exciting! It’s the basis of financial progress. We also understand that it’s easier said than done. We know that society doesn’t tend to define success by how much you don’t spend, which is why we provide positive reinforcement and encouragement for our clients based on their financial progress. You deserve to be recognized for the hard work that’s gone into saving your money. In our current zero interest rate environment, where to save and selecting which savings vehicles to use is more important than ever. We’ll help make sure you are making wise choices with your savings.
It’s fun to not get taken advantage of.
Fun Financial’s founder, Jake Morris, is a fiduciary, meaning he is legally required to act in his client’s best interests at all times. In addition, we don't take custody of client’s assets. You can keep your money wherever you want to. We’ll help make sure you get the best deals wherever that is.
It’s fun to have a plan, especially when plans change.
How can people expect to make good decisions unless they know what their options are? With all the transformations to U.S. tax laws we’ve had in recent years, from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act to the SECURE Act and CARES Act, we’ve seen major changes to tax and estate planning strategies and opportunities. It’s worth your time and money to understand how these changes affect you and your plans for the future. We’re here to make sure your wishes are aligned with the potential outcomes and help you understand what your options are.
It’s fun to have someone who knows you.
We understand the value in speaking with a real human being who knows you and your history in a world of automated responses, chatbots, algorithms, and call centers where you have to start from scratch every time you have a question. We care about the clients we work with and are invested in your success. At Fun Financial, you have someone you can discuss your passions, interests, hobbies, projects, dreams, and wild ideas with and an expert who you can bounce ideas off of so you can make the best decisions possible. It’s your opinion that matters. Think of us as a second opinion.
It’s fun to have a rainy-day fund (and sunny-day fund).
We are firm believes in the importance of having a well-stocked emergency fund. You’ll never regret having a cash stash, no matter where you are on your financial journey. We also understand that you have a life and that you invest and save so that you can support that life, not so you can watch your accounts increase. We don’t believe clients should be guilt-tripped or shamed about spending their money on the most important and meaningful parts of their lives. In fact, we encourage them to. Our task is to listen and make sure clients are spending their money in alignment with their goals and priorities, not ours.
It’s fun to support causes you care about.
Whether you have an interest in socially responsible investing, want to set up a Donor Advised fund, or use a qualified charitable donation to give to your favorite cause, we have you covered and can assist you in supporting the causes you care the most about.
It’s fun to work with an expert.
Jake Morris is an award-winning CFP® professional. The Certified Financial Planner designation is widely considered the highest accredited designation for comprehensive financial planning in the world and requires years of coursework, industry experience, rigorous testing, and the highest degree of ethical oversight before the marks can be administered. Jake’s experience and training can be an asset to your financial future.
It’s fun to have someone on your side when life isn’t so fun.
We specialize in working with those who have lost a loved one and give our clients permission to slow things down and take the time they need to heal. Often when we lose a loved one, we feel obligated or forced to make decisions quickly in order to “move on” or make progress before we are ready to. We understand what you are going through and are here to support you.
Your life isn’t dull and boring, so why should your finances be?
