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Background |
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WM Financial Strategies is an independent municipal 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 continuing disclosure.
After several years of experience
as a municipal bond underwriter, 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 (also known as "municipal 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, WM
Financial Strategies is a member of the National
Association of Municipal Advisors (NAMA). Ms.
Howard is a Certified Independent Public Municipal Advisor with NAMA
and is a registered Municipal Advisor with the Securities and Exchange
Commission and Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board.
As a Certified Independent Municipal Advisor with NAMA, Ms. Howard has demonstrated
her commitment to exceed industry standards relating to a Municipal
Advisor's continuing education requirements and professional code of
ethics.
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
to assist in 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 |
