Our Qualifications
CHRISTOPHER C. FESS
Stock Broker - Series 7, 6, 63
General Securities Principal - Series 24
Investment Advisor Representative -Series 65
ChFC - Chartered Financial Consultant
CASL - Chartered Advisor for Senior Living
CLU - Chartered Life Underwriter
B.B.A.- Baylor University
Chris has conducted hundreds of classes and workshops for companies, associations, groups and organizations around Arkansas and North Texas educating and informing the public on financial management and asset protection. Chris has also been an instructor the University of Arkansas Adult Division of Continuing Education. In the last 23 years he has taught and educated over 7,000 people and prepared 5,000 financial plans. He is known for his high-energy teaching style and his passionate belief that financial planning can change and improve people’s lives.
ChFC – Chartered Financial Consultant - The American College
The ChFC is of the most extensive educations available for professionals dedicated to applying the comprehensive financial planning principals to clients’ needs. The ChFC allows Chris to
explore key concepts and applications creatively in his Retirement Strategy Sessions, such as:
· Investment risk tolerance in client decisions
· Legal principles and types of insurance
· Cost-recovery tax deductions & tax credits
· Tax treatment of sales and exchanges
· Taxation of corporations and partnerships
· Tailoring retirement plans to client objectives
· Retirement plan funding/investing/installation/administration/termination
· Individual retirement arrangements
· Securities valuation & analysis
· Fixed-income security and bond yields
· Investment portfolio management
· Property transfers at death
· Lifetime estate transfers and administration
· Federal estate and gift taxation
CASL - Chartered Advisor for Senior Living - The American College
The CASL is the first professional designation from a fully accredited, nonprofit educational institution to focus exclusively on the unique needs of mature clients. Developed with input from a panel of industry experts, the designation equips advisors with comprehensive knowledge on the full range of financial, health, psychological and sociological issues confronting older clients. The CASL helps Chris explore key concepts and applications in a variety of planning areas, such as:
· Biological and Aging perspectives
· Life-course transitions
· Pre-65 medical coverage from employer’s plans
· Pre-65 medical coverage with individual policies
· Medicare, including Medicare+Choice and
prescription drug coverage
· Medicare supplement (Medigap) policies
· Medicaid programs to meet long-term care needs
· Underwriting and designing long-term insurance
· Social Security and it’s taxation
· Sources of tax advantaged retirement income
· Determining retirement income needs and under
standing inflation
· Investing--understanding risk and return
· Managing portfolios during retirement
· Planning for pension distributions with their tax
treatments and survivor benefit options
· Elderly housing issues
· Health insurance planning for the retiree
· Estate planning issues: including trusts, trustees,
transfers at death, federal estate taxation, and estate administration
CLU - Chartered Life Underwriter - The American College
The CLU is widely recognized as the highest level of studies in the life insurance and long-term care profession. The knowledge enables the presentation of a wider range of solutions for the insurance needs of individuals, business owners and professionals. This includes income replacement, estate planning, and wealth transfer. In addition to increasing his
clients’ financial well being, The CLU allows Chris
to explore key concepts and strategies in a variety
of planning areas, such as:
· Life, disability, auto, home, and long-term care
· Needs analysis, surrender options, illustrations;
and settlement options
· Net and gross premiums/reserves
· Surrender values, surplus, and dividends
· Planning issues for business owners
· Formation of the insurance contract, waiver, estopel, and election
· Premiums, policy provisions, and transfers
· Transfers of property at death & administration
· Lifetime transfers, estate, and gift taxation
· Business buy-sell agreements and valuation
· Computation of estate and income tax issues