INVESTMENT I Asset Management is committed to supporting clients with all of their retirement and pension needs, as Karla is keen to emphasize in her opening comments.
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Business Elite 2016
“Retirement does not begin when you are 65, it begins the moment you start working. IMI Asset Management Company specializes in Retirement Planning. Retirement is not always defined by ones’ age. One can retire from a profession also [i.e. professional athletes retiring from their sport]. Whether retiring as a senior or retiring from a very high income profession what both parties have is reasonable expectations for what their life should be like for working the last 40 years or 10-20 years and saving. You want to be comfortable, you want to be happy and you want to be able to do those things you like, and as such planning is key. “In order to support clients with this we have partnered with the number one planner in the country and can now map out your entire retirement income on one easy to read page. Through the use of proprietary software, we are clearly able to illustrate how each guaranteed source of income (i.e. Social Security, Pensions, etc.) will interact under varying life circumstances such as inflation, layoff, loss of pension or the death of a spouse. “Through proper utilization and structure of life insurance, fixed annuities, fixed indexed annuities, long-term care, critical illness and non-market correlated alternative investments these issues can be resolved.” Prior to founding IMI Asset Management Company and entering the financial services//life insurance industry as an independent agent in 1991 with Primerica, Karla received a B.A. in Economics and a B.A. in Art History from the University of California, Riverside. She provides us with more details on her history and how she came to found the firm. “Since my graduation from university I have since worked on the Institutional Trading Floor with Loeb, Rhoades, Hornblower & Co. as an Assistant Trader, worked as an Administrative Assistant with Economics Systems Group, Inc. [Commodities Brokerage Firm- London/Paris Markets], an Administrative Assistant and Marketing Representative with the investment banking and asset management firm National Investment Development Corporation and worked as an Administrative Assistant with the American Federation of Teachers in Washington, DC. In 1993 I relocated from
Washington, DC to Novato, California [Marin County in Northern California] and went on to become Vice President/Life Insurance Service Agent with Investment Management International. I then relocated to Southern California in 1997 and became President and Retirement Specialist of IMI Financial Services. In 2006 I become CEO and Asset Manager of IMI Asset Management Company. “My responsibilities in this role are to oversee Marketing, Social Media Awareness, Budget, Advertising, Client Retention, New Client Acquisition, Product Portfolio Reviews, Network with Partner Team Associates, and Economist. I also conduct seminars, workshops, webinars and have been an exhibitor with Golden Futures 50+ Expos throughout Southern California to educate consumers on sound solutions on retirees’ greatest fear- running out of money in their retirement years.” In order to guard against this Karla takes a proactive approach to client service, as she explains. “My services entail securing a portion of my client’s portfolio with secured guaranteed income for life through their retirement years. The only way to achieve results such as this is through a Retirement Planning Analysis. What this entails is a full analysis of the client’s entire asset portfolio (stocks, mutual funds, pensions, IRA’s, 401k’s, real estate, real estate investments, band and savings accounts etc.) “Ultimately MI Asset Management provide a specialized service rare in today’s marketplace. Our purpose is to make sure you have guaranteed income for as long as you live.”
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Looking ahead, Karla has a five-year plan which focuses on helping clients to plan for their retirement and therefore get the most out of their later years. “Over recent years, I have had a strong growing concern for professional athletes and their crisis of 78% having to file bankruptcy two to five years after leaving their sport. There is no reason any professional athlete should ever have to file bankruptcy or change the lifestyle they have become accustomed to living after leaving their special arena of sports. “With this in mind, my future aspiration over the next five years is to assist these athletes. What we are talking about here is setting goals, executing a plan to reach individual objectives, monitoring progress, and making any necessary adjustments on a timely basis. Planning is one common ingredient in successful ventures. I firmly believe if this concept and practice is instilled in professional athletes, the bankruptcy rate could be reduced substantially. “Alongside this, I also see my firm expanding growth for client assistance in non-market correlated alternative investments. These investments offer competitive guaranteed interest, and great tax-wealth strategies without having to be concerned about market risks. These aspirations should provide many opportunities for growth which I look forward to taking advantage of.”