Client Onboarding Process
Ready to begin building a financial strategy that optimizes your financial well-being? Following a three-step process, our team's priority is to ensure that the client's goals and objectives align with those of Capitol Region Group. This alignment is essential for achieving the desired outcomes and maintaining client satisfaction.
Client spotlight: David and Gay Gardner (Florida)
Q. What was your career before retirement?
A. Dave: I had a 40-year career in commercial banking, in a wide variety of accounting and financial administration roles. My final 12 years were spent in Boston with Santander Bank.
Gay: Most of my “career” was spent raising three wonderful children and helping them with their studies. I did work as a substitute teacher in two school districts in Pennsylvania before we moved to Boston. While Dave was working in Boston, I worked several years as a Head Cashier for Home Depot in Salem, MA.
Q. What constitutes a “perfect” day?
A. The beauty of retirement is the flexibility it gives us to spend our time together. A perfect day for us means we still get up early in the morning and enjoy a cup or two of coffee. Afterwards, we get out daily two mile walk in around our neighborhood, talking with neighbors along the way. We have found this is a great way to meet new friends here in Florida.
In the afternoon, Gay usually spends her time working in her flower gardens, cooking, and baking, while Dave works on his retirement project cataloguing and digitizing literally thousands of pictures inherited from our parents.
We do like to travel, mainly taking long road trips across the USA. But we also do a lot of day trips here in Florida to see the many attractions here.
2023 Iron Sharpens Iron
Sam Chang, photographed with his son, Max, served as a featured speaker of the 2023 National Men's Equipping Conference.
Your financial questions answered
At every stage of life, you'll have questions about your money and how to make the most of it. At Capitol Region Group, our team of professionals are here to help.
- Retirement income planning
- How do I turn my 401K into a guaranteed income stream?
- How much can I spend each year?
- Do I have enough?
- Investment guidance
- How fast should I drive (your stock/bond mix) with my money?
- Am I invested in the right funds and what changes should I make given the current environment?
- What if the markets crash?
- Legacy/estate strategies
- How much tax will go to the government when I die?
- Why isn’t it a good idea to leave my IRA to my kids?
- How much can I leave as a legacy? What are the best strategies to do this?
- Tax efficiency
- Why do taxes matter?
- How can I save on taxes now and in the future?
- What are the best strategies to optimize taxes?
- Protection strategies
- If I’m investing now, why is life, disability income, and extended care insurance important?
- What happens to my family when I pass away or need care?
- How can insurance best protect my family and finances?
- Education funding strategies
- How do I find a good fit for my child academically and a good fit for our family financially?
- How does the process work – are there mistakes that I can avoid that will cost me money that I need to be educated on?
- If my child is young what is the best way for me to get prepared in advance for this cost? In other words, what is the best way to save?
Why should you work with a Financial Advisor?
The question we would encourage you to ask: “Do I have the time, skill, and passion to do my own financial planning? If you’re not sure, you may want to consider at least talking with a financial advisor to see how they might be able to help.
Three things to look for in a Financial Advisor:
- What are their bedside manners? Are they easy to talk to?
- Are they competent? What are their credentials?
- Have they communicated a clear plan of service going forward?
How are we different from other Financial Advisors?
- Embracing a culture of service excellence through a client-first mentality.
- Working as a multi-expert team to provide our clients with the most insightful guidance.
- Leveraging technology through a culture of innovation, making it easier to connect with clients virtually.
How do we approach working with our clients? We Call it the three E's of client value:
- Educate: Keeping our clients informed.
- Empower: Compassionately guiding our clients.
- Execute: Assisting our clients to achieve their goals.
Meet Our Team
Sam Chang
CFA®
Expertise: Investment Management
- Title
Wealth Advisor
- State(s) Licensed
- CT, FL, IL, IN, MA, ME, NC, NH, NV, NY, PA, SC, VA, VT,
- Location
West Hartford, CT
- Website
- https://connect.thrivent.com/sam-chang
- Phone
- 860-474-3601
Kathy Crager
RICP®
Expertise: Legacy and Protection Planning
- Title
Financial Advisor
- State(s) Licensed
- AL, CT, FL, IL, IN, KY, MA, ME, MI, ND, NH, OH, PA, SC, VT,
- Location
Fort Wayne, IN
- Website
- https://connect.thrivent.com/kathy-crager
- Phone
- 260-450-5466
Soren Lancaster
Expertise: Retirement Income and Tax Planning
*Although Soren is not a member of Capitol Region Group, he partners with the team with retirement income planning joint field work. To learn more about Soren, please visit his website at: https://connect.thrivent.com/soren-lancaster/.
- Title
Financial Advisor
- Location
Reno, NV
Hannah Magrum
Expertise: Special Needs Planning
*Although Hannah is not a member of Capitol Region Group, she partners with the team with special needs planning joint field work. To learn more about Hannah, please visit her website at: https://connect.thrivent.com/hannah-magrum/.
- Title
Financial Advisor
- Location
Medina, OH
- Phone
- (330) 606-8645
Jacob Kinney
FIC
Expertise: Long-Term Care Planning
- Title
Financial Associate
- State(s) Licensed
- CA Insurance Lic. #4099641 , CT, FL, IN, MA, MD, ME, MI, NC, NH, PA, TN, VT,
- Location
West Hartford, CT
- Website
- https://connect.thrivent.com/jacob-kinney
- Phone
- 860-474-3602
Bill Bufkins
Expertise: College Planning
*Although Bill is not a member of Capitol Region Group, he partners with the team offering his specialized guidance to clients seeking education planning. To learn more about Bill, please visit his website at connect.thrivent.com/william-bufkins/.
- Title
Associate Financial Advisor
- Location
Albany, NY
Jordan Brandon
Expertise: Financial Planning
*Although Jordan is not a member of Capitol Region Group, he partners with the team offering his specialized guidance to clients seeking wealth accumulation. To learn more about Jordan, please visit his website at connect.thrivent.com/jordan-brandon.
- Title
Associate Financial Advisor
- Location
West Hartford, CT
- Phone
- (860) 308-3149
Jennifer Valliere
Expertise: Financial Planning
*Although Jennifer is not a member of Capitol Region Group, she partners with the team offering her specialized guidance to clients seeking wealth accumulation. To learn more about Jennifer, please visit her website at connect.thrivent.com/jennifer-valliere.
- Title
Financial Associate
- Location
Rockledge, FL
- Phone
- (321) 557-6395
Cindy Clark
Expertise: Client Engagement
- Title
Office Professional
- Location
West Hartford, CT
- Phone
- (959) 230-0055
Faith Patton
Expertise: Client Engagement
- Title
Office Professional
Whitney Small
Expertise: Digital Marketing Integration
- Title
Office Professional
- Location
Whitsett, NC