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Portfolio: Gilliam, Mease, & Advisors (GMA)
Life App Maximizes Value, Minimizes Complexity
Gilliam Mease Advisors (GMA) is a financial planning and advisory firm based in Louisville, Kentucky. The firm focuses on equipping people to lead better financial lives by offering personalized advice and management strategies.
GMA contacted us seeking to grow their client relationships and advisor impact without adding complexity. So we built [Fi]Life, an interactive Progressive Web App that helps GMA clients invest in their future, track key milestones, and make confident financial decisions without feeling rushed.
For GMA’s advisors, the app pays dividends by offering a clear view into each client’s goals and financial readiness. The result? Stronger bonds, conversations that accrue real value, and a growing portfolio of satisfied clients and advisors.
Goals
GMA Set the Vision. We Brought It to [Fi]Life
GMA challenged us to create more than just a financial planning app. They wanted a digital experience to help clients take charge of their future and arm advisors with the insights at the right time. Together, we would help them turn financial curiosity into confident action.
- Design and develop a digital financial planning assessment tool for clients
- Provide valuable, actionable information to the GMA team
- Guide and prep users toward meaningful engagement with GMA advisors
- Reinforce GMA’s credibility as a financial services brand
Challenges
Solving for the
‘What Ifs’
Just as smart investing means planning for every scenario, developing this app meant tackling the complexities of financial planning head-on, ensuring every [Fi]Life user, whether new or a seasoned expert, felt right at home.
1
Create a tool that balances the complexity of investment planning with ease-of-use
2
Ensure the digital experience appeals to new and existing financial services clients
3
Collect and present financial data that’s useful for clients and advisors
4
Collect and present financial data that’s useful for clients and advisors
Strategy & Approach
Start with the Why
We understood that the first steps in personal financial planning are often rife with anxiety, vulnerability, and uncertainty. So the app needed to be simple to use and easy to navigate, prompting clients to reflect on their financial well-being and aspirations. Keeping the app’s design clean made it manageable.
Feature/Function Framework for [Fi]Life
The [Fi]Life app was designed to provide upfront value to users and GMA financial advisors. Each feature is designed to be intuitive, visually engaging, and actionable, ensuring that users stay engaged and motivated throughout their financial planning journey.
| Feature | Description | Value to User | Value to GMA Team |
|---|---|---|---|
| Life Checkup | Interactive survey segmented by financial categories (giving, taxes, debt, savings, etc.) | Self-assessment and benchmarking | Client timeline provides insights for context-driven guidance and alignment |
| Life Radar | Tool for visualizing short- and long-term financial goals and life events | Clarity on future needs and priorities | Highlights client priorities |
| Self Profile | Collects data on habits, values, and preferences | Personalized financial insights | Enables personalized, behavioral planning |
| Life Decision App | Guides users through major life decisions (e.g., buying a home, car) | Structured decision-making | Reveals client readiness and needs for timely guidance |
User Experience
Build the Foundation
We designed intuitive navigation that strategically leads users through each step of building their [Fi]Life financial framework, ensuring engagement and completion.
Development
Beyond Code
We developed this PWA using Laravel to deliver a technically robust, friction-free experience.
Robust caching to enhance speed and performance
Optimized database management for seamless data handling
Offline functionality to maintain accessibility without an internet connection
Security mechanisms to protect user data and build trust
By combining Laravel’s backend strength with a focus on clarity, accessibility, and responsiveness, we created an experience more than functional–it was reassuring.
Results
Stronger Connections,
Smarter Planning
Making financial planning personal and approachable helped GMA bridge the gap between curiosity and action with the [Fi]Life app. Clients arrive better prepared and more engaged, while advisors leverage clear, actionable data to guide every conversation.
The result is a digital experience that builds lasting trust and value for every user, strengthening the relationship between GMA and its clients by keeping them aligned and in command of their financial future.