By CHRISTOPHER RYAN OEHRLI

For the Washington Daily News

 

A financial advisement business has opened an office in downtown Washington.

Wetherington and Wells Financial, a branch of parent company Ameriprise Financial Services, opened its doors on July 1 at 155 N. Market St.

Owner Michael Wetherington also owns an Ameriprise franchise in Wilson. The business advises clients in financial planning and investments, with a specialization in retirement, estate planning, pensions and tax planning, said Wetherington.

Wetherington is a Barton College graduate who lived in Washington previously. His wife is from the area, he said. He holds a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor designation, which requires reexamination every two years and enables “(designees) to focus on clients’ pre-and post-retirement needs, as well as issues related to asset management and estate planning,” according to the College for Financial Planning. It is meant to signify special expertise in client-centered financial planning.

“Our main role is to help answer questions that keep people up at night—insurances, investments and taxes,” said Wetherington. Wetherington has nine years of experience.

Retirement planning is a regular line of work for financial advisors. At 23.3 percent, nearly a quarter of Beaufort County residents are over the age of 65, according to the 2017 federal Census Bureau report.

“Helping navigate” retirement, legacy and asset planning, as well as Social Security and Medicare, are all staples of Wetherington’s business, he said.

For younger couples and families, concerns are much the same, said Wetherington.

“One (concern) is how much they should be contributing to retirement,” he said, and by what means they should do so — the choice between an IRA and a 401k, for example.

“To a lot of people, it’s Greek,” said Wetherington. “They just save and hope it’s enough.”

To contact Wetherington call 252-946-7526 or email michael.wetherington@ampf.com. Meetings are by appointment.