Keener Financial Planning is a financial planning and investment advisory firm. We have been in
business since 2008. Jean Keener is the majority owner of the firm. In April 2019, the firm moved
from state to SEC registration. “Registration” means only that Keener Financial Planning has met
the minimum requirements for registration as an investment advisor and does not imply a certain
level of skill or training or that the SEC or any other regulator guarantees the quality of our services
or recommends them.
Financial planning advice is rendered in the areas of cash flow and debt management, risk
management, college funding, retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning, asset allocation,
and investment selection. We work with the greatest number of clients on retirement planning and
investment advice. About 50% of our time is spent providing investment-related advice, and 50%
on other aspects of financial planning.
Keener Financial Planning provides modular financial planning and investment management
services. That means the scope of our work together can be as narrow or comprehensive as you
would like. It can also be short-term or ongoing in nature. We determine the scope and nature of
the relationship in our complimentary initial consultation.
Relationships can be based on an hourly (usually flat-fee) project or ongoing retainer. In either
case, all advisory relationships begin with development of a financial plan. We work with you to
define goals and understand your values and preferences. Based on the scope of the
engagement, we then prepare analyses of the current financial situation and possible future
scenarios. Next, we present our written analysis and recommendations along with an action list.
For hourly (and flat-fee) projects, upon completion of this presentation the initial engagement is
concluded. You are free to call and ask questions or get clarification on the issues addressed in
the engagement for up to a year after the recommendations meeting at no additional cost subject
to reasonable limitations determined by KFP. You may re-engage Keener Financial Planning as
needed on an hourly or flat-fee project basis. Periodic financial reviews are recommended and it is
the client's responsibility to initiate this review. If the client has not signed a retainer service
agreement, this is the default relationship after the initial engagement.
For retainer clients, the process continues with KFP implementing the investments and
supporting you in completing any action items on your list.
For new clients, the retainer includes both ongoing planning and investment management services
Existing clients may have alternate legacy service options.
Investment management:
• Completion of investment account paperwork
• Implementation of investment recommendations at an independent 3rd-party custodian
• Quarterly review of the portfolio for rebalancing purposes (including your outside accounts
like employer retirement plans) unless otherwise stated in your service agreement
• Rebalancing buy/sell trades are executed with your advance approval if we manage your
accounts on a non-discretionary basis; if we have discretionary authority, trades do not
require this pre-approval but will be consistent with the objectives stated in your Investment
Policy Statement.
Ongoing Planning:
• Support and assistance from us on implementing your financial plan including coordination
with insurance agents, tax preparers, and estate planning attorneys.
• Review and updating of your retirement plans annually, and more frequently if needed to
address changes in your situation.
• Review and consideration of other financial planning issues as needed including cash flow,
major purchase decisions, estate planning, consideration of tax consequences of financial
decisions, and insurance needs
• Updates from us as we identify changes to legislative or tax issues relevant to your situation
After the initial planning process, in-person or virtual meetings with retainer clients are scheduled
once or twice a year, depending on the service level elected. Additional sessions are offered as
needed.
We provide investment advice on mutual funds, exchange traded funds, stocks, bonds, certificates
of deposit, variable annuities, and variable life insurance products. Advice on individual stocks and
bonds is provided in the context of the security’s role in your overall asset allocation and financial
goals. Because each mutual fund or exchange traded fund has its own investment advisor,
selection of that advisor is inherent in recommending particular funds.
You are welcome to provide parameters for us to work within when we provide investment
recommendations. The most common requests in this area generally include a request for a
particular mutual fund family, the exclusion of exchanged-traded funds, use of environmental,
social, and governance criteria, or inclusion of funds provided with no transaction fee at a particular
brokerage. We can discuss any preferences during the initial consultation to determine if
your
requests can be accommodated in advance of initiating the engagement.
Investment management services are provided on a discretionary basis for new clients. Some
existing clients receive services on a non-discretionary basis. The service agreement specifies
whether your services are discretionary or non-discretionary.
• Under a discretionary agreement, we will make trades based upon the objectives agreed to
in the financial planning process and outlined in your investment policy statement, including
any reasonable restrictions you may choose to place on the types of investments included
in your portfolio. It is your responsibility to notify us promptly regarding any change in your
financial situation or objectives or your investment account restrictions.
• Under a non-discretionary agreement, after we provide an investment recommendation for
your account, you need to provide approval prior to our execution of the trade. Please see
Item 16 for more information about discretionary authority.
Retirement Rollovers-No Obligation/Conflict of Interest: A client leaving an employer typically has
four options (and may engage in a combination of these options): 1) leave the money in their former
employer’s plan, if permitted, 2) roll over the assets to their new employer’s plan, if one is available
and rollovers are permitted, 3) rollover to an Individual Retirement Account (IRA), or 4) cash out the
account value (which could, depending upon the client’s age, result in adverse tax consequences).
Keener Financial Planning may recommend an investor roll over plan assets to an IRA.
• In the event the client was already receiving ongoing retainer services, the fee does not
change as a result of the rollover.
• If the client had engaged KFP’s service on a project basis, the rollover to an IRA would not
result in any more or less compensation for the services rendered. If the client re-engaged
our services on a project basis in the future, fewer accounts to review would likely result in
less time spent on your behalf and lower fees.
• If the client had engaged KFP’s service on a project basis but intended to switch to ongoing
retainer services in the event of a rollover recommendation, KFP would receive additional
compensation as a result of the additional services to be provided. Retainer services
include a broad range of services for financial planning and distribution management and
managing the assets from this account would be just part of that service. In this scenario,
Keener Financial Planning has an economic incentive to encourage an investor to roll plan
assets into an IRA that Keener Financial Planning will manage as part of retainer services.
There are various factors that Keener Financial Planning may consider before recommending a
rollover, including but not limited to: i) the investment options available in the plan versus the
investment options available in an IRA, ii) fees and expenses in the plan versus the fees and
expenses in an IRA, iii) the services and responsiveness of the plan’s investment professionals
versus those of Keener Financial Planning, iv) required minimum distributions and age
considerations, and vi) employer stock tax consequences, if any. No client is under any obligation
to roll over plan assets to an IRA managed by Keener Financial Planning.
When we provide investment advice to you regarding your retirement plan account or individual
retirement account, we are fiduciaries within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement
Income Security Act and/or the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing
retirement accounts. The way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests, so we
operate under a special rule that requires us to act in your best interest and not put our interests
ahead of yours.
Under this special rule’s provisions, we must:
• Meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give
prudent advice);
• Never put our financial interests ahead of yours when making recommendations (give loyal
advice);
• Avoid misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments;
• Follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we give advice that is in your best
interest;
• Charge no more than is reasonable for our services; and
• Give you basic information about conflicts of interest.
Keener Financial Planning has established a business continuity plan to facilitate continued service
in the event of disruptive situations such as natural disasters, destruction of office space, or
prolonged loss of Internet connectivity at our office location. We have also documented a
succession plan in the event of the Principal’s incapacity or death.
As of February 6, 2024, our firm had approximately $293.7 million in regulatory assets under
management. $293.4 million is under discretionary agreements; $266,500 is under non-
discretionary agreements. The firm advises clients on approximately $940.5 million, including the
regulatory assets under management figure.