Business

High Quality Builder “Sound Construction” Puts Name to Practice

Published

3 years ago

December 23, 2021

Although there is no shortage of construction contractors, it could be said that there is a definite shortage of good quality construction contractors. This is something that quickly became apparent to Jason Dankworth as far back as high school, when he first started into the construction industry. It didn’t take him very long to realize that he was spending a lot of time listening to stories about other contractor’s shoddy work, fixing issues caused by other contractors, or hearing about contractors who would even take money and not do the work. To Jason, this was unacceptable, and it inspired him to try to make a difference. He believed that someone needed to provide customers with the service they deserved at a price rate that the average client wouldn’t struggle to pay. Jason quickly began to formulate a plan to start his own company. While working in Seattle, Washington for a general contractor, he began taking on side work as a way to gain the experience and skills necessary to go out on his own. When he had acquired all the knowledge and expertise he would need, he embraced the risk and launched his own company: “Sound Construction”. Although the company’s name reflects the business location, Puget Sound, it is also Jason’s way of calling attention to the quality of work he believes in providing: reliable, trustworthy, and stable. Starting with small projects, he began to make a name for himself as being dependable and providing top quality workmanship. It didn’t take long for word to get around, and his company began to grow. They were soon able to take on small houses, and now are able to easily tackle anything from small home projects, to full remodeling and new builds. Despite recent world events causing a strain on product supply chain and creating a high level of uncertainty in their field, Sound Construction has been able to pull through without government aid, and is now pushing forward stronger than ever. Even with this growing work load, though, the company prides themselves in the ability to provide top quality construction work for reasonable prices, a fact that causes them to stand out in a market that usually sees customers paying top dollar for good quality work, or a low price for low end work.

If you ask anyone what they’re the best at in life, they’ll doubtless start describing an activity they enjoy, and this is a huge part of Jason’s success. He doesn’t just see a project as a new job, or work to be done. Jason loves the challenge of turning homes into a new work of art, and revels in the ability to use his creativity in both the design and production processes, providing a result that customers will love. When you’re doing what you love, quality is guaranteed. This passion, paired with a solid work ethic, is what has built Sound Construction into what it is today, and will no doubt propel this company into even greater things in the near future.

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Business

Retire Smart, Save More: How MDRN’s Virtual Planning Model Can Slash Retirement Costs

Published

3 days ago

October 8, 2024

Rosario Farell

The media is calling it a “retirement crisis.” Millions of Americans are arriving at retirement age woefully unprepared.

Some studies suggest that 45 percent of the Baby Boomers have no retirement savings, while 28 percent of those who have started saving have less than $100,000 put away. Consequently, many Americans now living in retirement or approaching that season are looking for ways to cut back on their expenses.

Aaron Cirksena, founder and CEO of MDRN Capital, has a solution for those looking to retire smart and save more. His firm’s completely virtual model increases retirees’ spending power by decreasing the fees associated with retirement planning.

“Our unique approach to providing retirement planning services allows our clients to experience significant savings when compared with the traditional model of investment management and retirement planning,” Cirksena shares. “When we did away with the overhead expenses that stem from operating a brick-and-mortar office, we were able to create a fee solution for our clients that is lower than the typical advisor. On average, our fees on the entire client portfolio tend to run 30 to 40 percent lower than the typical advisor operating under a conventional model. Additionally, we can provide services like estate planning, tax planning, and tax preparation at no additional cost.”

MDRN Capital is revolutionizing retirement planning by offering a comprehensive range of services, including income planning, investment management, tax planning, healthcare, and estate planning, in a setting that exceeds the efficiency and effectiveness traditional providers are able to offer. Unlike traditional firms, MDRN Capital leverages the power of digital tools to deliver comprehensive services without the need for in-person meetings, allowing clients to enjoy their retirement while their financial needs are expertly managed.

“My goal with MDRN Capital was creating a completely virtual firm that could more efficiently provide the convenience clients wanted while also meeting their ongoing investment needs,” Cirksena shares. “MDRN Capital’s virtual model empowers an environment in which we could serve our clients with less costs to the firm and pass the savings on to them.”

Financial planning for the new normal

MDRN Capital’s innovative approach to retirement advising emerged as a result of Cirksena’s experience during the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to social distancing, advising during the pandemic shifted to virtual appointments. When social distancing was no longer necessary, Cirksena expected his clients would resume their pre-pandemic patterns. He was wrong.

“My clients let me know they preferred the comfort and convenience of virtual meetings to the hassles associated with having in-office meetings,” Cirksena says. “They didn’t miss sitting in traffic and searching for parking spaces, and I couldn’t blame them. Even the clients who lived only a few minutes away decided they would rather meet via Zoom than have a face-to-face meeting in our nice Class-A office space.”

MDRN Capital was designed to meet the client expectations that emerged during Covid. By leveraging technology to take his services to his clients rather than expecting them to come to him, Cirksena made advising more convenient and more cost-effective at the same time.

Financial savings for struggling retirees

Recent studies show the high inflation the US has been experiencing has a larger than average impact on many retirees. In response, many are looking to tighten their belts by cutting back on spending, but reducing the fees associated with retirement accounts is something few consider.

“For retirees, lower gas and grocery costs are certainly helpful,” Cirksena says. “However, cutting their investment management costs in half puts dramatically more money in their pocket over time than lower prices on goods ever could.”

To understand the impact MDRN Capital’s approach can have on retirees, consider that $250,000 earning seven percent over 20 years will grow to $967,421.12. Factor in a 1 percent fee, and growth is limited to $801,783.87, but raising the fee to 2 percent causes earnings to fall to $721,034.70.

Cirksena points to his industry’s failure to embrace modern technology as one reason why investment fees remain high.

“Unlike many industries that have used and adopted technology for decades to help lower costs and make services more efficient, the financial services sector has lagged behind,” he explains. “Many firms continue to incur unnecessary overhead and expenses, which their clients pay for in the form of elevated fees.”

The virtual investment environment Cirksena has created moves retirement planning into the future. It provides a financial service experience that is convenient, comfortable, and efficient while also ensuring that none of its clients’ investment potential is wasted on unnece