The Nautilus Group

OUR ESTATE & SUCCESSION PLANNING PROCESS

Executive Summary

Nautilus member agents are a select cadre of financial professionals backed by an experienced support team ("The Nautilus Group") located in Dallas, Texas.  Members work with high net worth clients on estate, business and charitable cases.  Nautilus members work on a team basis with the client's professional advisors to help assure that client goals are met.  Members seek out the top allied professionals in their community as potential resources for high net worth clients.  Advisors who work with Nautilus members can tap into the Nautilus staff's expertise on various issues.  Nautilus professional staff do not act as co-counsel and do not charge fees to advisors.  The goal is collegial sharing of ideas.  Nautilus does not provide client-specific tax and legal advice.  Clients are always asked to seek and rely upon the advice of their own professional advisors.

Who We Are

The Nautilus Group is an organization formed to assist the clients of a highly select group of nationally recognized financial professionals.  Nautilus works with upscale clients who have complex needs, requiring state-of-the-art planning strategies and customized analysis.  Nautilus provides services and solutions that go beyond those offered by other planning organizations. 

The Nautilus Group represents an alliance of two significant talent pools:

  • A national network of sophisticated Estate, Business and Wealth Advisory professionals highly experienced in insurance and financial product applications.
  • A staff of 38 including specialists in law, accounting, tax, actuarial science and life insurance.

     

Member Agents

Agents of The Nautilus Group are carefully selected.  Membership is limited to approximately 200 professionals across the nation.  They represent a concentration of experienced financial service leaders firmly committed to a team concept.  While many members are recognized industry-wide for their individual accomplishments, each is dedicated to working closely with professionals from various disciplines to enable clients to realize their financial objectives.

Case Development Process

The Nautilus Group's carefully structured analysis and review process provides clients and their advisors with a range of potential solutions to the client's specific financial needs.

Nautilus staff works only with clients referred by member agents.  The process begins with data gathering and determination of the client's goals.  Member agents are skilled and qualified to crystallize the client's objectives, discuss possible strategies to achieve those goals and make sure the plan is ultimately completed.

Nautilus professional staff provides the following services:

Case Consultation

  • Brainstorming of client issues
  • Review of legal documents
  • Analysis of personal and business financial information
  • Quantification of estate, business and charitable planning alternatives
  • Life insurance design considerations
  • Research and assessment of current legal issues

Case Analysis

  • Estate planning
  • Business continuation
  • Executive compensation
  • Retirement planning (including qualified plan analysis)
  • Charitable planning

Insurance Design, Product Procurement and Substandard Risk Underwriting

  • Competitive product analysis by actuarial staff
  • Design of insurance to meet specific client needs
  • Funding concepts and techniques
  • Access to a variety of carriers for substandard risks

Financial Planning and Investment Advice

Selected members of The Nautilus Group are affiliated with Eagle Strategies LLC, a registered investment advisory firm.  Although Nautilus does not provide financial planning or investment advice, many Nautilus members are Investment Advisor Representatives and may give investment advice and charge fees for wealth management, estate, business and charitable planning projects and service.

The Team Concept

Nautilus does not provide tax or legal advice.  Clients must hire their own qualified legal advisors.  This is more than a disclaimer; it is Company policy and common sense.  The client must obtain independent legal advice prior to selecting tools and techniques, and must rely on legal counsel for skillful implementation thereafter.  In essence, Nautilus "sets the stage" by educating the client as to available options, and motivating the client to follow through.  The Nautilus member's client comes to advisors highly motivated and understands the benefits of the techniques that the attorney may recommend.  This helps the advisor do what the advisor does best:  work with qualified clients, exercise expert legal judgment, provide advice on tax and legal matters, and draft necessary documentation.

How Advisors can Work with Nautilus

Nautilus works on approximately 2,000 projects a year with clients with median net worth around $10 million.  Approximately 80% are business owners.  As a result, Nautilus staff has addressed certain situations again and again, and has researched the relevant issues.  Nautilus staff often conferences with the agent and the client's advisors.  Nautilus does not act as outside counsel but as allied professionals.  The staff looks forward to trading ideas with you on how best to meet your client's goals.