Part 2:Close-Up spotlights Angela Grillo CFP® of South County Financial Planning

San Juan Capistrano, CA – Whether your retirement is just around the corner or 30 years away, a sound investment strategy can get you moving in the right direction toward a bright financial future. But retirement is about more than just your investments.

While most certified financial planners focus on the big picture, according to Angela Grillo, it’s the details that are what’s most important. Angela is the founder of South County Financial Planning, a fee-only financial planning firm. Since 2008, Angela has helped thousands of clients from all income levels coordinate their finances with their life goals.

“Everyone should have a financial plan done at least once in their lifetime, even for people who don’t have a lot of assets,” says Angela. “Even one conversation is enough to get them to start thinking about what will work out for them best.”

Before embarking on a career in financial planning, Angela had been a computer programmer. Today, Angela’s clients tend to be engineers, whom many financial planners consider to be the most difficult and demanding clients.

“If I can’t explain how the software arrived at certain figures, they won’t believe me,” says Angela. “I don’t have any difficulty with that because I’m the same way.”

Angela also works with a number of families who have children with special needs. As the mother of a 19-year-old autistic son, Angela can better assist these families, who often struggle with greater living expenses from the fees and costs for different therapies when the child is younger.

“It takes someone with personal experience to understand what the family of a disabled child is going through,” says Angela. “You spend a lot of money in their early years. I can help them head in the right direction."