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Background |
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WM Financial Strategies is an independent financial advisory company providing a broad range of customized services to governmental entities including cities, schools, park districts, ambulance districts, community colleges, fire protection districts, library districts and others. WM Financial Strategies specializes in structuring and arranging the sale of Illinois and Missouri municipal bonds, notes and lease obligations. Other areas of expertise include capital planning, analysis of fees and tax structures, demographic studies, analysis of capital formation alternatives, financial management studies and secondary market disclosure.
After twelve years of experience in
public finance, Joy A Howard formed WM Financial Strategies in 1989 in
order to satisfy a need by local governments to obtain independent
financial advice. Since that time, the use of independent financial
advisors has grown. This is in part due to concerns regarding conflicts of
interest when an underwriter acts as a financial advisor. (See the
article regarding the conflicts of interest.)
With the
establishment of WM Financial Strategies, Ms. Howard became the first
independent financial advisor in the State of Missouri. Today, she
remains the only independent financial advisor in Missouri with a career
devoted entirely to public finance. WM
Financial Strategies is also Missouri's only member of the National
Association of Independent Public Finance Advisors (NAIPFA). As a member
of NAIPFA, WM Financial Strategies has demonstrated its
experience in advising and assisting public agencies on funding capital
improvements and issuing bonds. In addition, member firms must be
completely independent, ethically and actually, from bond underwriters,
securities dealers, brokerage firms, and banks that buy municipal bonds
for resale. The demanding membership criterion requires a demonstrated
record of excellence in performance.
As an independent financial advisor,
WM Financial Strategies is not affiliated with any underwriting or
investing institution. Unlike an underwriting or investing institution
whose primary objective is selling bonds or making loans, WM Financial
Strategies is involved in all aspects of the capital formation process
including planning. Whether engaged for a capital plan or a specific
capital project, the objective of the firm is to provide impartial
financial advice without any potential for conflicts of interest. Its sole
commitment is to insure its clients of identifying capital needs and
identifying the most feasible approaches to capital formation. When bond
financing is involved, the goal of WM Financial Strategies is to achieve
precise, feasible financial results without any bias toward a specific
financing plan or approach to capital financing. WM Financial Strategies
has no inherent interest in designing a particular financing to suit
particular investors; nor in the method, type or size of the financing.
Service to the client is a primary
objective. Accordingly, Joy A Howard will be the person with whom you have
direct contact as well as the person who performs the actual work on your
project. WM Financial Strategies has no junior staff work assignments as
is customary with large firms. |
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WM Financial
Strategies |
