Steven Martin
“When your values are clear to you, your decisions become easier.”
— Roy Disney
EXPLOREWhy I Became a Financial Advisor
I first became interested in becoming a financial advisor because the geek in me thought the course material to become a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional looked interesting. I also felt that if I learned and understood investments, insurance, taxes and estate planning, it would be helpful in my own life.
However, I remain an advisor because I see the impact the work that I do can have for the families I serve. The work we do matters.
1
HOW I HELP
Using your goals as a guide, I develop and implement a plan to help you make smart choices about your money.
2
THE PAYOFF
This allows you to spend time on what’s most important: living a rich and rewarding life today while preparing for tomorrow.
3
LIVE LIFE
I believe you should live life as if you were going to die tomorrow while planning as if you would live forever.
About Steve
Steven Martin joined Forum Financial Management in 2019 as a Financial Advisor. Prior to joining Forum, Steve was a director at BKD Wealth Advisors. With more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, he has served a community of clients by learning what is important to them and helping them to identify and implement realistic goals. Over the course of his career, he has helped clients in all facets of their financial lives, including retirement planning, estate planning and education planning, all with a focus on the tax implications of those decisions.
Steve has worked with several organizations in and around his community in Plainfield, Illinois. He has served as chairman of the board of directors of the Plainfield Area Chamber of Commerce and race director of the Plainfield Harvest 5K. Steve was also a founding board member of the Plainfield Riverfront Foundation, scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 19 and a member of the parish finance council of St. Mary Immaculate Parish in Plainfield.
Steve is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professional. He earned his bachelor’s degree in marketing from The University of Illinois in Champaign. Steve enjoys spending time outdoors skiing, running and backpacking and traveling with his wife and son.
FORUM ARTICLES & INSIGHTS
A PERSONAL APPROACH
Tell Us About Your Financial Life and Aspirations
Your experience begins with an initial meeting to identify your financial vision for the future and risk tolerance levels. We review our investment philosophy and approach with you so that you fully understand each milestone of our process and how our relationship will evolve over time.
PREVIOUS 
Discuss Topics Crucial to Your Financial Success
Over the course of the next few meetings, the content and breadth of each meeting is defined by your personal needs. We can review your estate planning and risk management needs, discuss retirement accumulation or distribution planning, evaluate educational funding needs, review your tax situation, and go over any other items crucial to your financial success.
PREVIOUS Develop a Strategic Plan Unique to You
Once you select an allocation, we put together a strategic implementation plan that will coordinate investment of your portfolio between qualified (tax-advantaged) assets and non-qualified assets in order to maximize tax efficiency. The topics we address during our time with you vary depending on your unique needs and situation.
Putting Your Plan Into Action
We establish your Forum account based on the portfolio allocation we discussed and what we learned about your risk tolerance and financial goals. With your new Forum account now in place, you will have the opportunity to access your Forum Client Portal for the first time and connect with members of the Forum Client Service team.
Review Goals and Plans When Your Life Changes
You will receive reporting that will clearly show your performance net of all fees and compared to applicable market indexes. Additionally your assets are held at a reputable third-party custodian that furnishes independent monthly reports so you can feel confident about the safe handling of your money.
