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Fiduciaries
Acting in your best interest with a servant mentality. We do not receive commissions of any kind; fee-only advisors.
Oasis
A place of peace, safety, or happiness in the midst of trouble.
Accessible
In-Person or Virtual with flexible hours. Avoid traffic. Save time.
Experienced
Credentialed Advisors, 50+ Years of Experience CFP®, CPA, CFA, JD, MBA
Detailed Financial Modeling and Retirement Planning
Based on your detailed cash flow and net worth projections, am I on the right track for retirement? Am I saving enough, and do I have the right asset allocation? What is a comfortable spending amount if I retire in 5 years, or in 10 years?
Tax Planning
What key tax strategies am I missing? What can I do to reduce my taxes? What "tax buckets" should I save to and what is the most tax-efficient withdrawal strategy in retirement? When is the right time to implement Roth conversions? How do I maximize my deductions in light of the change in tax laws?
Investment Management
Is low-cost, evidenced-based investing better than what I have? Learn why asset allocation matters, and learn why a fiduciary approach may be better than commissioned-based advisors that are incentivized to sell certain product.
Life-Focused and Goals-Based
Your goals and life transitions drive the analysis and advice. There are 3 main areas of your life that impact your financial situation: anticipated transitions, unanticipated transitions, and your goals and dreams. Financial planning should be more than about numbers. It's your life.
Integration of a wide range issues
Who is coordinating all of my “moving pieces”? Do you have someone -- or, better yet -- a team that can advise you in a multi-disciplined manner?
Tailored Financial Roadmap
What do I need to do to get there? How does this "most recent event" in my life impact my plan, and how should I adjust?
Serving Widows
Our Pathway Services are tailored for widows, bringing clarity and peace of mind.
Pre-Retirees and Retirees
We generally serve Gen X to Baby Boomers and beyond, commonly serving Medical Practitioners, Executives, Engineers, and Business Owners. If you have a planning issue that needs to be addressed and value what a professional can bring, we will gladly serve you.
Videos and Overview
Planning Is A Journey
Is life too busy or do you find your financial affairs overly complicated? This short video explains how you can get control and get back on track.
Designing Portfolios
This video series captures stories on Dimensional’s origins, philosophy, and investment approach. Oasis builds upon Dimensional's resources and approach.
DFA's Roots
This video discusses the origins of Dimensional and its academic roots. Similarly, Oasis Wealth trusts in the academics rather than chasing fads.
You're busy trying to juggle family and career while keeping it all straight. You've worked hard to get to this stage and are still climbing, but you know it is time to get more intentional about your finances and planning for life's important issues.Life is not slowing down, but you will be ready.
General overriding concerns for mid-career individuals include:
Am I on track for retirement?
How do I properly balance today and tomorrow?
How can I reduce my heavy tax burden? Are there creative strategies that I am missing?
Should I accelerate my college funding?
How do I coordinate my employer 401(k) with my outside investment accounts,
What is the optimal asset allocation for growth in a smart manner?
A Roadmap for Gen X and Gen Y. At Oasis, we walk alongside you because we are there as well. No matter if you have made all the right decisions or are looking to steer the ship straight, we are there to consult, encourage, and coach. A holistic financial plan is a great first step to help address pressing issues and provide a roadmap for your future.
Successful business owners and executives must wear many hats.The tactics of the day-to-day serving customers and managing employees can leave precious little time for longer term concerns like the sale or transition of the business. This can be a mistake.Exit planning along with mergers and acquisitions should be an ongoing consideration while building and growing your business.
Thoughtful planning can help answer questions like:
What is the value of my business, and how does that impact my retirement and estate plan?
Is my buy-sell agreement up to date, and does it still accomplish my goals?
If I wanted to transfer my business to my children, what are my options?
If I plan to sell my business in 5–10 years, what should I be doing today to maximize my hard work?
Is my capital structure adequate for my long-term goals?
How might estate taxes impact by business?
We have helped define answers to questions like these for a variety of business owners with company valuations ranging from $1 million to over $100 million. This work has included companies in diverse industries including car dealerships, real estate, manufacturing, engineering, technology, health care and others.If you’d like help aligning your personal finances and your business interests, we’d love to be a resource for you.
You've spent the last few decades in your career and perhaps you have raised a family, saving where you can to plan for the long-term. It's been a whirlwind and now retirement that was once in the distant future is around the corner. You only retire once (ideally) so you know you have to get this right. A successful retirement is dependent on both financial and financial issues, and you are looking for help with a variety of issues as you make some of the most critical decisions in your life.
General overriding concerns for Near Retirees:
Can I retire when I want to?
What are the trade-offs of retiring earlier rather than later?
Regardless of finances, how do I determine my purpose in retirement?
What is a reasonable spending level in retirement based on alternative scenarios?
What are some key tax strategies I should consider as I get ready for retirement?
What is the optimal asset allocation for my portfolio in light of the need to begin to draw from my portfolio in a few years?
A Roadmap for the Near Retiree. At Oasis, we help you ask the right questions, spot gaps that may exist in your current plan, and provide a roadmap for both the short-term and long-term. Detailed financial modeling with that provides various what-if scenarios that integrates tax planing and investment advice may be the exact type of consultation you need.
Physicians and dentists face a variety of industry-specific challenges.These include managing the nuances of a professional practice, student loan debt, tax considerations and managing risk. These specific concerns can combine with a lack of time to deal with them to create major issues.This makes finding the right professional advice crucial in balancing today vs tomorrow and building a long term financial roadmap.
A few common questions among physicians and dentists include:
How can I address the impact of taxes now and in the future?
How should I structure payments to student loan providers?
Am I managing risk properly?
How can I better manage cash flow for my practice?
What are the implications of my practice’s buy-out terms?
We have worked with a wide variety of specialists including oral surgeons, urologists, oncologists, general surgeons, anesthesiologists, dermatologists, and dentists to address these and other issues.If your backburner is already full and you’d like some help getting started, we can structure our services to put you on the right path and outline the strategies to keep you there.
You've seen a lot, but life is still beginning in many ways. You are retired and you now realize you need a second opinion. Perhaps your current advisor may be limited to advising on solely investments rather than a more comprehensive approach or you feel that now is the time to rely on professionals as you no longer have the time, energy or desire to go it alone. You know there are still critical steps to make, whether it is planning to minimize taxes or structuring your investments to withstand a market downturn.
Developing peace of mind around retirement includes answering questions like:
What is a reasonable spending level for me?
How can I get steady income without some advisor selling me an annuity?
Are there critical tax moves to make in my retirement?
Is there someone I trust that can help my spouse with my finances if I am no longer am able?
How do I navigate the increasing medical expenses, and is my estate plan up to date to account for potential incapacity?
We have extensive experience in working with retirees. If you are interested in clarifying your current situation, we’d love to meet you and lay out options and advice in line with your goals. Mel and Steve would welcome the opportunity to serve you on your continued journey.
You have certain issues that you want integrated with your personal and career. You want someone that actually looks at the details of your situation and provides true consultation rather than selling product. You want someone you can trust that will put in the effort to advise and coach you based on your unique family and career aspirations.
A few common questions among professionals and engineers include:
How can I address the impact of taxes now and in the future?
Am I taking advantage of my benefits package?
What are the key considerations for making a career move?
Should I be saving more than I currently am? What if I wanted to retire early?
How do I choose the right funds both within and outside of my 401(k)?
We have worked with professionals with high career goals while they strive to balance quality time with their family. Engineers, with their attention to detail, have relied on Oasis to provide the type of detailed analysis that they wish they would have received from other advisors. If your are looking for a hard working, multi-disciplined team that likes the analysis as much as you do, reach out to us to begin the conversation.
You are looking for a trusted advisor that listens to you and provides clarity on your financial life.While the journey may have been difficult - and may still be -- you are looking for someone that cares and will provide education and the answers that you are seeking.
After suffering the loss of a spouse, you may have the following questions:
Can I continue with my same lifestyle?
Where will me income come from and will it be enough?
I am told to find an advisor that is a true fiduciary. How do I find one?
Should I make changes to my estate plan?
Can I or should I support my grandchildren and some of my favorite charities?
Seeing the impact of widowhood firsthand, Mel and Steve have empathy for your situation and want to walk alongside you. Our experience and training in working with widows can help provide the peace and clarity you are looking for. If you are interested in beginning a discussion with a fiduciary, the Oasis team is ready to listen.
If you are a corporate executive trying to maximize complex benefit and compensation plans, you have a lot going on and you want experts that can deliver valuable advice in a concise manner. Capitalizing on your hard work while minimizing the time you have to spend addressing ever-changing financial issues, you want an advisor that will be proactive and serve as a personal CFO for you and your family.
Understanding executive compensation includes answering questions like:
Am I taking full advantage of all of my benefit package?
Do I have an effective strategy around timing and tax implications when exercising stock options?
What role do company stock holdings play in my overall asset allocation and retirement plan?
How might a potential career move impact my retirement plan or benefits?
We have extensive experience in demystifying corporate compensation plans and layering strategy into every decision. If you are interested in clarifying your current situation we’d love to meet you and lay out options and advice in line with your goals.Many companies see the value in a third party resource like Oasis Wealth and offer a stipend for planning advice, so it is possible this advice will come at no charge to you.
Services and Fees
Fees
Our service offerings are flexible to fit your needs. Our most popular requests -- ongoing financial planning coupled with investment management -- are for those that want a long-term relationship with an advisor to work alongside the client for life’s changing circumstances. We also offer short-term packages or planning by the hour for those that want to focus on fewer issues on a one-time basis.
Financial Planning Assessments
$3,000 - $6,000* or
$300/hour**
"I have a one-time , more-focused need and will take it from there."
Wealth Planning Services
(Ongoing, Relationship-Based)
Year 1: $5,000 - $15,000*
Year 2: $4,000 - $10,000*
"I am looking for a long-term relationship with a team that will help me adjust to life changes."
Investment Management
Starting at .75%, decreasing on a sliding scale
"I want an experienced professional that will navigate the markets in my best interest."
* Standard pricing based on typical complexity. Fees may differ in certain situations.
** Minimum Fee for Single Issue Analysis. While it is generally difficult to give advice on a single issue, there may be limited situations where we can address that single issue. In those cases, the minimum fee is $900.
Get Started!
See how we can help develop a financial roadmap and bring peace of mind.
Comprehensive planning services for those that desire open access to their advisor as changes occur to their situation and the environment.
If you are looking for an advisor that works alongside you on an ongoing basis to adjust to changed circumstances, our Wealth Planning Services is what you are looking for. With the Wealth Planning Services, we provide more comprehensive financial planning services with deeper analysis, where needed. This is the standard approach to serving our clients, and is part of the relationship when we provide investment advice.
Addresses the more critical areas of financial planning in a condensed time period.
If you are looking for a one-time review of your situation on a more limited basis or merely want to ease into the relationship, a Financial Planning Assessment may fit the bill! While this does not contain the full analysis and full benefits that come with an ongoing relationship of our Wealth Planning Services, we realize not everyone is in the same place from a financial perspective.
Wealth Planning for Near-Retirees or Retirees. For clients that are nearing retirement or already retired, this package address issues such as coordinating the right asset allocation with your cash flow needs, retirement withdrawals and tax planning, and estate planning overview. Wealth Planning for the Career-Minded: For clients that are more than ten years from retirement that want to address a variety of financial planning issues in an integrated basis. This may address issues such as planning for retirement, asset allocation, education planning, life insurance survivorship analysis, benefits planning, income tax planning, and more.
These services are for both career-minded individuals and families as well as for those nearing retirement or already retired.
Covers issues in an integrated fashion in a more comprehensive manner.
Covers issues in an integrated fashion but limited to areas addressed.
Asset allocation advice provided. More detailed investment advice and management offered under our investment advisory services.
Asset allocation advice provided. More detailed investment advice and management offered under our investment advisory services.
More detailed tax consulting, where needed.
Tax overview with initial analysis
Full access throughout the year; 4 - 5 meetings in initial year.
2 - 3 meetings with write-up and follow-up call for 60 days. 4 month arrangement.
Assist with implementing ideas, as applicable.
Client implements ideas on own.
Ongoing relationship.
One-time engagement.
Areas Addressed
One-Time Planning
Discussion on pertinent topics
We can cover everyday spending, debt management, income taxes, education planning, retirement planning, investment management, estate planning, legacy building and charitable giving.
Fully customized advice
All projects will receive personalized, detailed reports covering recommendations.
Easy-to-understand cost
Have an investment review for $600, a retirement plan for $2,000, or a fully comprehensive plan for $3,000.
Via phone, video or in-person
Cash Flow and Retirement Analysis
Whether you are a long way until retirement or are already retired, you want to know how long you can sustain your desired level of spending and what changes need to be made. Financial modeling takes into account your cash inflows and outflows and the growth of your assets from now through retirement and beyond.
This detailed analysis will help answer whether you can meet your spending and retirement goals, what changes need to be made to your asset allocation, what goals should be prioritized, etc. Includes “what-if” scenarios to help understand trade-offs, chart the course of action for the future, and be prepared for potential roadblocks. This is heavy on analysis but results in simple, actionable steps. Are you on track?
Investments and Asset Allocation
We review your current asset allocation and investment choices across all your investments, providing a graphical snapshot of where you are today. This review – coupled with the goals-based financial modeling -- will help determine whether you have the right mix of equities and fixed income and the sub-classes within such category.
We will evaluate whether you are taking the right amount of risk given your goals and projections. We will evaluate whether your fees are appropriate, whether you have the right amount allocated for an emergency fund, and determine whether inappropriate overlap exists. Are your investments optimized?
Income Tax Planning
We understand the income tax laws that will impact you and will guide you to consider select options for minimizing your income taxes. With a review of your recent income tax returns and financial modeling that projects your income and taxes over future years, income taxes could be minimized. Whether it is taking advantage of certain tax deferral strategies, utilizing deductions effectively, or strategically considering multi-year marginal tax rates, we realize the details based on your unique situation will drive the recommendations.
Change in tax laws and your individual situation is constant so a professional that knows your situation could be invaluable. We can also prepare your tax returns if you are not working with a CPA. Are you getting the right depth of tax advice from your current advisor?
Estate Planning and Trust Planning
We review your estate planning documents and beneficiary designations to provide clarity on your estate plan. While you will need to meet with your attorney for proper legal analysis and implementation, a holistic view from a qualified financial planner can help you articulate your goals, provide general education on estate planning issues, and make things efficient when working with your attorney.
We can provide flowcharts of how your assets are disposed, how titling of your assets impacts your estate plan, discuss how trusts may play a role in your estate plan, and help you review options for minimizing estate taxes. Our consultative approach can also include a discussion of your key appointments such as executor, trustee and guardian and can include a list of recommended attorneys to help implement your legacy wishes. Is your estate plan up to date?
Liability Analysis
We review the details around your current debt, including the nature of the debt, the interest rate, and the term. While there is good debt and bad debt, the key is knowing the difference and taking a proper course of action to minimize bad debt while leveraging good debt.
Debt should be reviewed in an integrated manner with your cash flow, income taxes, and overall goals. We will review whether refinancing is appropriate, the amount and structure of your debt, and your goals around paying down the debt. This takes a look at the role debt plays into your cash flow and long-term strategy for meeting your needs. Are you using debt appropriately?
Insurance Planning
We review the details of the types and amounts of your existing insurance, including life insurance, property & casualty insurance, disability insurance, and long-term care insurance. As we do not receive a commission on the sale of insurance, our objective analysis and review may provide the guidance that you desire.
We help you understand what you have and where efficiencies may be available. Tying your life insurance coverage and your beneficiary designations is often overlooked and misunderstood – we can help fill in that gap. Is your insurance overage still appropriate for your situation?
Business Succession Planning
We help you develop a plan to position your business for a transition to your family, key management, or to outside parties. We will consider income tax and estate tax issues as well as develop an understanding how the eventual transition of your business ties to your long-term retirement and cash flow projections.
This process could include reviewing your buy-sell agreements, valuation issues, capital structure, and estate tax liquidity needs. Since family businesses often include multiple family members in the business, it is critical to have a keen eye towards preserving family harmony. Do you have the right game plan for your business?
Charitable Planning
If desired, Oasis Planning will assist you in developing a framework for transferring personal values and financial resources to your family and your community. There are many philanthropic techniques to consider and should be reviewed in a holistic manner with the rest of your financial world, taking into account income taxes, estate planning, and your long-term cash flow needs.
We will help you determine the priority of this goal, providing clarity on your options. Whether it is simply the need to make your charitable donations more tax-beneficial or the need to look at more advanced techniques such as donor advised funds, charitable trusts, or foundations, having a discussion around your goals is the first step. Do you have some favorite charities that you would like to support but don’t know the best method?
Executive Compensation
Due to numerous rules and the constant change of executive compensation, Oasis Planning assists mid-level and senior executives with understanding their executive benefits. Also, understanding the impact of your stock options and restricted stock helps executives make decisions that could impact their long-term retirement strategy, risk around asset allocation, and income taxes. Are you keeping up with the benefits you have at work, or could you benefit from additional clarity?
Education Planning
We help you understand the costs of educational needs for your children or grandchildren and help you develop an efficient plan for assisting with meeting such goals. We will review the pros and cons of 529 Plans and help you determine the righ priority of this goal in relation to other key goals such as planning for retirement or paying down debt.
Is education planning on your to-do list?
Budgeting
While some individuals have a good grasp of their living expenses and do not need to make changes, many individuals express a desire to put more of a proper focus on the outflow side of the equation. Whether there is a behavioral component to spending or merely a previous lack of desire to review your budget, managing expenses can have a profound effect on one’s ability to meet their retirement goal and other goals.
We can focus on the components of your budget in a non-judgmental manner, and work with you in categorizing the expenses as mandatory or discretionary. Moreover, understanding the impact on your spending habits over the long-term through the use of financial modeling will help you make necessary changes today that will pay dividends down the road. We can also discuss effective ways for record-keeping and how to leverage technology for assistance. Are you looking for clarity with your budget?
Goals Visualization and Setting
This goes beyond the quantitative goals and gets at the heart of what really matters. It cuts through the clutter and focuses on determining what truly brings you the most satisfaction in life and what is your ideal world. From the initial discovery process, we then work with you to help set goals to live the life you imagine.
Too often, we live too busy of lives to take a step back and really ask the tough questions. That’s where a life-integrated planner can be invaluable. Since planning is not a one-time event, we work with you along your life and financial journey, providing accountability and coaching – and, most importantly, celebrating the successes along the way. What is the life you imagine?
Principles of Investing
Act as a fiduciary
As fee-only fiduciary advisors, we have chosen to put our client’s interest first. It is more than a legal standard – it is how we think clients should be treated.
Low-cost alternatives
With index-like investing, you receive efficient low-cost alternatives that attempts to keep costs low and minimize taxes.
Goals-based Asset Allocation
Your investment portfolio should be integrated with your financial plan. Your investment portfolio is tied to a variety of your goals, including your cash flow needs in retirement.
Evidence-based approach
You receive a globally diversified portfolio that tilts allocations towards favorable “factors” in the market. As we leverage Dimensional Fund Advisors and do not chase fads, you benefit from research that focuses on elements that are sensible, persistent, and robust.
Leverage technology
You receive robust reporting and access to view your accounts and asset allocation from any device. Technology coupled with credentialed, experienced advisors leads to customized advice while maintaining low costs.
Education and Behavioral Coaching
We value our role as teacher so that you will have confidence in the long-term strategy. To avoid the mistakes that so many do-it-yourselfers make during market volatility, you receive coaching along the journey.
Videos - Investment Philosophy
A Foundation Built on Great Ideas
A Foundation Built on Great Ideas
Employee Stories: Costs Matter
Perspectives on Market Volatility
Our consultative-driven process is built around delivering sound advice for the client and not around product sales. Because changes in your own world and changes in the external world occur frequently, our standard approach under the Open Retainer arrangement is to go on the journey with you and work with you over the long-term.
Retirement Plan Services
Serving Small Businesses. We help small businesses develop and improve their retirement plans. Whether obtaining better pricing through more transparency, reducing the fiduciary obligations for the business owner, or improving results for employee financial wellness, now is a great time to engage Oasis Wealth for your 401(k), 403(b) or other retirement planning needs.
Provider Search
Providing vendor analysis and benchmarking, we help Plan Sponsors save time, money, and make informed decisions to deliver cost-effective solutions for participants. If your financial advisor is not offering these services, you owe it to yourself and your employees to find the right solution from an independent party.
Investment Advice
As an independent fiduciary advisor, we work with Plan Sponsors to select and monitor investment options and fund lineups that are suitable for your employees. Headed by an experienced CFA, we research low-cost index or index-like funds and offer target date funds and internally developed investment models for a more robust investment offering.
Plan Design
A retirement plan is only effective if it meets the company’s objectives. We start with an understanding of your goals and coordinate the expertise of the TPA in reviewing options for plan design improvements to help meet such goals. Tax-efficiency, benefits to the owner, and employees' retirement readiness may be just a few of your objectives.
Fiduciary Guidance
Oasis Wealth serves as an ERISA 3(38) or 3(21) fiduciary, allowing Plan Sponsors to transfer a large portion of the fiduciary responsibility. We are independent from banks or insurance companies, allowing us to provide unbiased advice without the traditional higher costs. Is your current advisor a fiduciary?
Employee Education and Empowerment
We go beyond providing mere enrollment services by delivering relevant financial planning education to employees, empowering them to make sound financial decisions and assisting to reduce financial anxiety in the workplace.
An experienced team
FOCUSED ON YOU AND YOUR FAMILY
About
steve.martin@oasiswealthplanning.com
Steve Martin, CFP®, CPA, JD
Wealth Planning Advisor
In delivering fee only financial planning and financial advice where he acts as his clients' personal CFO, Steve combines his multi-disciplined background with his continual passion to learn, a willingness to align himself with talented individuals, and -- most importantly -- a genuine concern for his clients, their families, and their communities.
Background
Certified Financial Planner Practitioner (CFP®)
Certified Public Accountant (CPA®)
Juris Doctor
LLM in Taxation
Over 20 years’ wealth management experience
More career info
Steve obtained his B.S. in Business (Accounting and Finance, minor Economics) from Indiana University Kelley School of Business Indianapolis, his Juris Doctor from Indiana University Bloomington, and his LLM (Taxation) from Capital University School of Law. Steve previously worked in multiple but related disciplines in the wealth management space (Big 4 accounting, tax boutique law firm, private banking).
Steve is a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and the Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP). Steve is a frequent contributor to national publications for his expertise on a variety of financial planning topics. * Note that Steve does not provide legal advice or practice law as part of Oasis Wealth Planning Advisors.
Personal
Steve attends The Village Chapel and recently served on the Board of Big Brothers Big Sisters . (His “Little Brother” Jermaine is now enrolled at the U.S. Naval Academy!) He enjoys following his family's academic and athletic pursuits as well as hunting golf balls, following Hoosier basketball and USA soccer, and travel throughout the U.S. Steve has attended four World Cups but has yet to play in any.
Steve is proud of his Midwest work ethic and his Indianapolis heritage, but Steve has become an adopted son of the Southeast where he enjoys a few more days of sunshine and better college football.
While it is an over-used cliché in the industry, I really do enjoy giving clients a peace of mind. Too often, “peace of mind” is a marketing campaign by the big financial firms. For Oasis Wealth, it starts with a deep understanding of the client’s situation and walking through the fine details that are required to truly give quality advice. Educating the client on the issues and the strategies is a necessary and rewarding experience as well. All of that should result in our clients obtaining confidence and a peace about their financial situation.
I also like the complexities of the inter-related issues of wealth. It often feels like a puzzle that we are putting together as we try to weave the issues of retirement, spending, income taxes, insurance, investments, and a host of other issues in a way that is optimal for the client. And, the beauty of it is that it is not merely a case study – behind all of these “moving pieces” are individuals and families with their own story, history, fears, and dreams for the future.
"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." — C.S. Lewis
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started." — Mark Twain
"He who fails to plan is planning to fail." — Winston Churchill
"Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." — Mike Tyson
mel.bond@oasiswealthplanning.com
Mel Bond, CFA, CKA
Wealth Planning Advisor
To see his clients’ lives become more holistic and peaceful, Mel combines his deep background in wealth management with a continual search to find a better way that works. He enthusiastically serves as a highly skilled investment manager and financial planner, a listener, a behavioral coach, and a creative problem solver.
Background
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA®)
Certified Kingdom Advisor (CKA®)
MBA (concentration in Finance) from Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management
Over 30 years’ wealth management experience
More career info
Mel has served clients in various roles as part of his 30+ year career in the wealth management space: investment portfolio manager; financial planner; mergers and acquisitions analyst; business co-founder, board member, and owner; economist; and more. In 1995, he co-founded an investment performance measurement service still in use today by hundreds of thousands of investors worldwide.
Mel is a member of the CFA Institute and Kingdom Advisors. For over six years Mel has been on the Finance and Investment Committees of Monroe Harding, a nonprofit serving foster children since 1893.
Personal
Mel and his wife, Kimala, spend much of their free time with their young adult children and friends. Kimala describes their lives by saying, “We love Millennials!” They attend Grace Church and enjoy serving there in various ways.
Mel enjoys gardening, running, canoeing and sailing, and is a coffee and tea enthusiast. Raised in Mobile, Alabama, Mel is a second-generation Crimson Tide fan. (You can take the boy out of Alabama, but...)
While I was in college, my father, an accountant, passed away after a brief illness. My mother had to quickly learn how to manage her life financially. She and my father had a wonderful marriage and a productive life based on a division of their labor. When she suddenly had to assume his duties, she was grounded by family and faith, and reached out for advice and help where she could find it.
This experience, more than any other, drew me into serving others in the fields of financial planning, life planning, and investment management. I have seen how newly-discovered knowledge and the gentle words of a coach can bring joy, confidence and peace. Like others, our past contains mistakes and setbacks. The most important thing is that we set our sights on our goals, surround ourselves with the right people, and we move forward. Joy comes in the morning!
“Earn all you can, give all you can, save all you can” ― John Wesley
"I believe that unarmed truth and unconditional love will have the final word in reality. That is why right, temporarily defeated, is stronger than evil triumphant." ― Martin Luther King Jr.
“I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.” ― G. K. Chesterton
kim.chaplin@oasiswealthplanning.com
Kim Chaplin,
Client Service Associate
In Kim’s varied roles over the last several years, her strengths and passions are helping and serving others. She utilizes her communication and attention to detail skills along with her determination to get the job done to ensure clients are receiving the best service possible and that operations are running smoothly.
Background
Kim obtained her B.S. in Human Resources Management/Management from Indiana University Kelley School of Business in Bloomington, IN. She spent several years working as a Human Resources specialist for a large mutual fund company where she focused on the hiring process and related key human resource issues. Kim has also worked in various positions which have allowed her to use her communication, attention to detail, and organizational skills.
Personal
Kim, her husband, their 2 children, and their 3 dogs live in Speedway, IN (famous for the Indianapolis 500). She attends Speedway Christian Church where she has served as a mentor to kids preparing to be baptized. Kim enjoys volunteering for the high school boy’s soccer and cheerleading teams’ Moms’ clubs, serving as a Secretary for the High School Athletic Booster Board, and being a board member for a local pre-school. In her spare time, Kim likes to spend time with her family and her dogs, boating, scrapbooking, watching IU and Pacers basketball, and reading.
Partners
Oasis Wealth Planning is happy to be teamed up with solid professionals in delivering advice to his clients. Oasis works in a team atmosphere in order to bring best ideas and proper execution for his client's overall wealth management needs.
When clients choose Oasis for investment management, they are receiving experienced investment professionals that adhere to a strategic investment philosophy based on academic research. Oasis Wealth Planning is thrilled to have a collaborative arrangement with Asset Dedication to deliver strategic and low-cost investment management solutions to our clients. Asset Dedication is a boutique third party asset manager that is rooted in academics but based on practical application to meet the client’s goals. In connection with Asset Dedication, we use TD Ameritrade and Fidelity as custodian for our clients' assets.
Our firm primarily employs Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) funds in reaching the desired asset allocation mixes and global diversification. Although DFA is one of the largest independently-owned investment management firms and has been around since 1981, they do not advertise. Their funds are available only to institutions and a select group of independent advisors. DFA employs evidenced-based decision making, seeks tax efficiency (i.e., strive to keep turnover and transaction costs low), and tends to be low cost relative to other managers.
Alliance of Comprehensive Planners (ACP) – leveraging resources of over 150 experienced planners nationwide.
Oasis appreciates its membership in ACP a core group of over 150 highly credentialed and experienced financial planners. Oasis leverages the knowledge, experience, and creativity of fellow ACP members to bring sound advice and effective strategies for the clients of Oasis. Steve loves being a part of this collaborative, ethical, and fun group of fee-only advisors.
Garrett Planning Network (GPN) – capitalizing on the braintrust of over 250 fee-only planners nationwide.
Steve is thrilled to be a member of Garrett Planning, a nationwide group of over 250 fee-only financial advisors dedicated to providing independent, objective financial planning and advice to people from all walks of life, on an hourly or as needed basis. Garrett Planning originated in 2000 and is nationally known for its adherence to the fiduciary oath.
Outside Advisors – collaboration is key.
Generally acting as the quarterback or personal CFO of your overall financial situation, Oasis collaborates with your existing trusted advisors. By coordinating the work and implementation of outside advisors or providers, Oasis works as a project manager to help you with implementation in a simple and results-oriented fashion.
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