Way Financial

Way Financial is a wealth management firm in Ripon, California. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning, estate planning, life insurance planning, and advanced tax planning. Its estate planning work covers comprehensive estate plan development, trust creation and management, legacy planning strategies, and charitable giving optimization. Life insurance planning includes customized policy selection, premium financing for high-value policies, integration of coverage into an overall financial strategy, and regular policy reviews. The firm also offers complete balance sheet management, gifting strategies, investment banking with private equity opportunities, and custom portfolio management in equities and bonds. It serves clients through a Multi-Family Office approach, with a dedicated team of professionals coordinating estate planning and wealth management together.

Way Financial organizes its work around four waypoints on a financial journey: Build, for ages 0 to 25, focused on laying the groundwork for future wealth; Navigation, for ages 30 to 49, centered on steering finances toward specific goals; Guardian, for ages 50 to 62, focused on protecting and preserving accumulated wealth; and Legacy, for age 65 and older, centered on crafting a lasting legacy for future generations. The firm's process begins with a discovery meeting to establish a partnership foundation, understand goals and concerns, and review the current financial situation, followed by a portfolio review that includes diagnostic analysis and assessment of risk, cost, and income, along with Social Security and annuity analysis. CEO Joseph D. Laswell is a second generation financial advisor with 20 years of experience as a licensed advisor. He attended Stanislaus State University with a focus on business and marketing, passed the Uniform Investment Adviser Law Exam, and is an active High Performance Advisor with the American Institute of Certified Tax Planners. The firm also holds quarterly workshops for clients.

Way Financial sits on East Main Street, a short walk from 2nd Street and about 0.3 miles from both the Ripon Branch of the Stockton-San Joaquin County Public Library and the Historic Ripon neighborhood. Stockton Avenue is also about 0.3 miles away, Ripona Elementary School is roughly 0.4 miles from the office, and Acacia Park is about half a mile away.

For Ripon residents working through retirement planning, estate questions, or college-fund planning, Way Financial pairs decades of advisory experience with a structured, stage-by-stage approach to building and preserving wealth.