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    Our clients are our

    TOP PRIORITY

About Certified Consulting Services


Certified Consulting Services (CCS) is a full-service financial planning and Registered Investment Advisory practice located in Rockford, Illinois. Through personal interaction and communication, we are dedicated to developing a lasting relationship with our clients. Each member of the CCS team has a specific role which is dedicated to ensuring that each client has their needs met on a timely basis.

Each client is understood, respected, and their financial goals are taken very seriously. It is our mission to provide the highest level of client service in the industry. We offer services for all stages of financial planning including:

  • •Wealth Accumulation
  • •Income Tax Planning
  • •Retirement Planning
  • •Social Security Integration
  • •Multi-Generational Planning
  • •Education Planning

Why We Do What We Do


Rather than focusing on transactional business, CCS is dedicated to coordinating all aspects of a client's finances in accordance with their specific goals through financial planning. We use a methodology for providing consistent, thoughtful, and carefully considered recommendations that focus on long-term planning.

This method has proved valuable in managing our clients emotions during periods of market volatility. CCS has grown its business through referrals based upon the top-notch service we provide to our clients.

What is the "value" clients are seeking?


Clients who are evaluating wealth management firms are waging a value revolution. This national trend is being driven by increasingly sophisticated clients who are much more demanding of higher quality, premium service and better value.

Client Expectations

Competence

Clients are asking tough but fair questions, forcing financial advisors, brokerage firms and banking institutions to re-examine the value they provide.

Options

Clients want to know how the programs and services offered will improve their financial position. They want more than a few traditional financial features and benefits, more than a lower fee, more than simply meeting basic needs.

Value

Clients must be convinced that the value provided is consistent with the value they demand. They want to know what makes our services unique and why they should do business with us.

We Help

Financial Planning Rockford Illinois

Our Promise

Dedication

At Certified Consulting Services, our value is determined by the effective coordination of programs and services to help you attain your personal and business goals.

Premium Service

Each member of the CCS team has a specific role which is dedicated to ensuring that each client has their needs met on a timely basis. Each client is understood, respected, and their financial goals are taken very seriously.

Professionalism

Our professionalism, value, premium client service and comprehensive team of experts combine to create an uniquely effective and satisfying approach to growing, preserving and managing your wealth.

 

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Years in Business

% of clients from referrals

Our Team


Our team is here to ensure that you have quality client service and expertise at every step. Combined, our team brings over seventy years of financial industry experience. We are accessible and promise that you can count on us at every step.

 

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Marge Larson, CFP®

Marge has 35 years of experience in the financial services industry. Her career began as a stockbroker with EF Hutton and Company. She obtained her CFP® in 1987 and formed Certified Consulting Services the same year. Her career has evolved from transactional business to helping clients coordinate all aspects of their finances through financial planning. She is currently a member of American Portfolio's Advisory Council.
She lives in Roscoe, with her husband Don. She enjoys gardening and spending time at her hobby farm of horses and donkeys. She also enjoys attending their grandson's hockey games and granddaughter's horse riding lessons along with baking and cooking with her.

Marcia Alonzo

Marcy is originally from Illinois, but spent most of her youth in Texas. She studied finance at the University of Houston, and joined Certified Consulting Services in 1995. Marcy is a Registered Representative, having earned her Series 7 & Series 63 licenses in 1996. She participates in client meetings, and assists Marge in carrying out portfolio changes for clients. She enjoys her relationships with clients and helping them to achieve their goals - whether it be retirement, education, or legacy building. She has been married to her husband Michael since 2002, and has two children Jaxson and Novilyn. She balances her role at CCS with "mom time" which includes watching Jaxson's hockey, Novilyn's horseback riding, and learning new crafts and cooking.

Sheila Groves

Sheila was born and raised in Rockford, Illinois, and continues to consider Rockford her only home. She has been in the financial industry since 2005, and joined Certified Consulting Services in 2013. Her role as Office Manager and Assistant includes greeting clients with a smile when they visit the office, handling client phone calls, and ensuring that all client promises are delivered on time to exceed all service expectations.
She has been married since 1986 and has one daughter, Carly, who is an elementary teacher. She is an avid Iowa Hawkeye and Green Bay Packer Fan. She loves the ocean, traveling, golf, and spending time with her family.

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How we work with our clients

We use a proven system of service to meet your needs.

Year 1

  • Assess and Quantify Goals

    We begin by conducting a thorough review and analysis of your goals, vision and financial challenges. We use state-of-the-art technology to develop net -worth growth objectives and income stream requirements over your lifetime. We take this opportunity to fix a “baseline”, or starting point, on your financial positions.

  • Develop Strategic Plans

    Using data collected in Steps 1 and 2 as a foundation, we add various growth and inflation assumptions to calculate a series of financial projections that serve as a road map for achieving your goals. We determine how each investment element will contribute to the overall growth and management of your wealth. We construct a customized Investment Policy Statement to formalize goals, define expectations and to function as framework for your investment portfolio. Armed with quantitative measurable benchmarks, we build and implement action plans to achieve your goals. We use behavioral finance to help customize an investment portfolio for each client, based on their goals, risk tolerance, investment time-line and their attitudes towards primary investment risk factors.

  • Analyze Existing Positions and Strategies

    Next, we examine your assets, plans, strategies, policies, investment philosophy and documents to determine their level of performance and whether they can contribute to improved goal solutions. Coordinating all aspects of your finances is critical to get maximum benefit from each element of your program.

  • Program Implementation

    Every aspect of your strategic financial program is implemented by Certified Consulting Services and its professional partners as we work together to develop and execute your detailed action plan.

Year 2+

  • Review

    Together, ongoing review of your strategy is very important. We develop a customized plan for reviewing and updating each client's investement strategy. At a minimum, we ask to meet with every client face-to-face annually to track your progress toward wealth management goals. Keeping your program “on track” requires comparing actual progress to your quantified goals.

  • Monitor and Tracking

    In addition to the client meetings, we monitor and track your account positions routinely during our internal review process. We look for new investement opportunities, assess portfolio managers, and keep updated on industry trends, regulations, and tax law changes that may impact your investments.

Affiliations


Securities are offered through
AMERICAN PORTFOLIOS FINANCIAL SERVICES, INC.

Member FINRA/SIPC

Certified Consulting Services is independent of American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc.

 


Disclosures

Securities Offered through American Portfolios Financial Services, Inc. (APFS), Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisory Services offered through Certified Consulting Services (CCS) and American Portfolios Advisors, Inc. (APA) an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. CCS is independent of APFS and APA.

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Phone 815.332.7767
Fax 815.332.7797

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Certified Consulting Services
307 Amphitheater Drive
Rockford, IL 61107

 

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