The SummitProcess®
How we guide a prospect from a first handshake to a lifelong client — an ascent in three chapters, from the trailhead to the summit and safely back down.
We treat wealth like an expedition. Not a transaction — a guided climb, planned before the first step and supported long after the summit. This is the route every client travels with us.
Great expeditions are won on preparation, not adrenaline. The same is true here. We invest in understanding before advising, build a coordinated plan rather than a pile of products, and stay roped in for the descent — because getting to the top is only half the climb.
What follows is the map. Read it end to end, and you'll know exactly where you fit on the rope, and what "good" looks like at every altitude.
Bred in the bluegrass. We bring a Southern Kentucky work ethic to every climb — and we never leave anyone behind on the mountain.
One ascent, three altitudes
Discovery
The trailhead. We get to know one another, determine fit, and gather everything we need before a single number is run.
How the phase runs
It begins the moment a prospect agrees to a conversation. We send an intake form, confirm the documents we need — current statements and the latest tax return — and collect them into the prospect's Summit Analysis folder in ShareFile. With those inputs in hand, we schedule the Discovery meeting, where we listen far more than we talk and confirm what matters most before any advice is given.
The output of Discovery is The Summit Analysis®: a personalized, no-cost, no-obligation read on the prospect's full financial picture — income, investments, taxes, asset preservation, and legacy.
What we produce
Own the inputs. A clean, complete Summit Analysis folder is what makes everything downstream possible. Chase the missing statement, confirm the tax return is the latest one, and get the Discovery meeting on the calendar before you hand anything off. Accuracy here saves weeks later.
Strategy
The summit push. A mutual commitment to build the plan that closes the gaps — the roadmap up, and safely back down.
How the phase runs
We present The Summit Analysis so the prospect sees their full picture clearly, then work together to identify gaps and opportunities. From there we draft The Summit Strategy® and bring it back for an On Track Review — a checkpoint to confirm we're building the right plan before it's finalized.
The Strategy is a personalized master plan that coordinates every aspect of a client's financial life, developed over one to three months to help them retire with confidence, preserve their wealth, and create a lasting legacy.
What we build
Keep the plan honest to Discovery. Every recommendation should trace back to a gap or opportunity we actually found. Prepare the On Track Review materials, capture the client's reactions, and flag anything that has changed since Discovery so the draft stays accurate.
Journey
The descent and everything after. Ongoing management as the client navigates retirement — planning is never once-and-done.
How the phase runs
We set a review cadence, keep tax planning active year-round rather than only at filing season, and refresh the plan annually. Between formal reviews we track and forecast, adjust allocations as conditions shift, and schedule tactical visits when something needs attention.
This is Beyond The Summit® — lifetime tracking and forecasting, dynamic allocation, ongoing tax management, annual journey reviews, and tactical visits. The whole team supports the plan, not just one advisor.
What continues
Protect the cadence. This phase compounds only if reviews actually happen — so own the scheduling, prep the annual refresh, and surface tax moves before deadlines, not after. Consistency is the product.
*Travel experiences are not provided by SOKY. Participation is entirely optional and all travel expenses are the responsibility of the individual attendee.
Photography via Unsplash (free for commercial use): Martin Jernberg · Andreas Gäbler · Sebastian Peña Lambarri · Rahul Lal · Michael Clarke · Weichao Deng · Eugene Ga · Sabin Kumar · Ganesh Adhikari · Ahmet Yüksek. Internal onboarding — SOKY, The Summit Process®.