Experience and financial planning to take you “from the cradle to the grave” are what you’ll find at the Financial Freedom Group and Financial Benefits Group, located in Auburn Hills.
Rod Charles of Financial Freedom Group and Gregg Dolinski of Financial Benefits Group work separately, but side by side by sharing an office.
An Oxford resident, Charles is a certified financial planner (CFP), who writes test questions for the national CFP exam. Charles has trained and supervised numerous financial advisors throughout Michigan, and has a Bachelor’s Degree from Western Michigan University and a Master’s Degree from Eastern Michigan University.
Charles teaches at Oakland University and coaches soccer and Little League Baseball in Oxford.
Dolinski, a Lake Orion resident, holds a registered financial consultant designation, and has over 16 years of experience in wealth preservation techniques and strategies. President of Financial Benefits Group, Inc., a nationwide provider of company benefits, Dolinski has been instrumental in helping set up thousands of insured savings programs through Michigan.
Dolinski has a Bachelor’s Degree in public administration from Michigan State University, and is a member of the Institute of Certified Financial Planners, as well as the Financial Planning Association. He also teaches estate planning classes for Lake Orion Adult Education.
Charles and Dolinski offer expertise in estate planning, wills, trusts, probate, often leading to long-term care planning.
“We practice holistic financial planning,” says Dolinski. “We are multi-generational planners. We want to know about every aspect of your life.”
Charles and Dolinski network with certified public accountants and attorneys, which provides their clients with more well-rounded financial advice.
“We are one-stop shopping,” Dolinski says.
“Although we’re separate companies, the reason we work together is we’re both independent,” says Charles. “So when you go through us, you don’t get the ‘house brand,’ which is usually mediocre.”
“A big challenge we have is that clients want excitement…but there’s nothing exciting about putting together a balanced portfolio with no surprises,” Dolinski says.
Clients can expect advise on college planning, such as 529 Educational RIAs; and retirement planning, such as 401 K rollovers. Clients can also be advised on estate planning, such as wills and trusts.
“(Financial planning) works as a checks and balances…it forces you to establish goals and monitor progress,” says Dolinski.
“We’re constantly monitoring how things are changing in the financial landscape,” Charles says, adding that people should be careful to make sure the company they go to for financial planning is legitimate.
“Do they go out of business with your retirement money?” he asks. “Whatever will get you rich quick will get you poor quick too.”
Clients of both Financial Freedom Group and Financial Benefits Group receive annual reviews even if they have made no changes to their portfolios. Clients also receive the benefits of “back office support.”
“Gregg and I have been doing this for a long time, for a couple of decades each now,” Charles says.
Financial Freedom Group and Financial Benefits Group are located in Suite 400 at 2701 Cambridge Court in Auburn Hills.
The phone number for Financial Freedom Group is (248) 371-9100, and Financial Benefits Group can be reached at (248) 371-0300.