The Voyage of SIPS Software
From Personal Innovation to Industry Leadership
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It Started with a Need and Vision
When our founder, James Gallagher, entered the world of financial planning, he found something surprising: the software tools available to advisors simply weren’t built for real people living real lives. They were rigid, one-dimensional, and focused more on market theory than on the experience of retirement.
So, James built something better: a software platform designed by an advisor for advisors and their clients. That system became SIP’s, now at the heart of how we plan at Waterstone Financial and far beyond.
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SIP’s : Practical. Predictable. Powerful.
From the very start, SIP’s goal was to transform complex, abstract planning models into visual, personal, and practical tools. We developed a process that allows clients to see how their plans would perform not just in theory, but through stress-tested, real-life scenarios. This enables advisors to plan with clarity, confidence, and integrity.
This isn’t software that makes decisions for you. It’s a system that puts the power of informed decision-making back into your hands.
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What Makes It Different: Beyond Monte Carlo
Traditional planning tools often rely on Monte Carlo simulation models that use probability and randomness to guess how markets might perform. But at Waterstone, we believe your financial future deserves better than guesswork wrapped in math.
SIP’s goes beyond Monte Carlo by simulating specific, real-world challenges like inflation surges, tax changes, unexpected expenses, or early retirements and showing how your plan holds up. This shift from “maybe” to “what if” transforms financial planning into a dynamic process that evolves with your life.
You don’t need 10,000 simulations. You need a plan that works under pressure, over time.
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Planning by Time Horizon: The Advantage That Changes Everything
One of the greatest breakthroughs within SIP’s is its time-segmented approach to planning. Instead of treating all dollars equally, we organize your wealth by when you’ll actually need it: short-term, mid-term, and long-term. This methodology:
-Shields short-term income from market volatility
-Allows mid-term assets to grow moderately without risking liquidity
-Empowers long-term investments to perform at their full potential
We call this The Time Horizon Advantage. It’s how we help you stay invested with purpose not emotion and make confident decisions in every market environment.
A New Chapter with PlanScout
As SIP’s evolved, we attracted attention from other advisors and eventually, venture capitalist partners. That’s when PlanScout entered the picture, not as a buyer, but as a strategic partner who saw the power of what we had created.
Today, SIP’s is now used by thousands of advisors nationwide through PlanScout, bringing Waterstone’s planning philosophy to firms across the country. But the spirit of the software, the values, the vision, the engineering, remains 100% true to our roots.
Why This Matters to You
Clarity Over Complexity: You see exactly how your plan works, no guesswork.
Engineered for Life: Designed to adapt to life’s turns, not just market moves.
Trusted Nationwide: Built here at Waterstone, now trusted by firm’s coast to coast.
Still Ours. Still Personal.: We didn’t sell out, we built up. This is our vision, scaled.
Your Financial Future Deserves More Than Guesswork
This isn’t just about software. It’s about giving people tools that actually make retirement clearer, more confident, and better tested than ever before. That was the goal when SIP’s started. It still is.
Welcome to planning, engineered with precision.