- Are you a fiduciary?
- What does Fee-Only mean?
- What services do you offer?
- Who do you work with? What types of clients do you specialize in?
- How do you charge for services & how much?
- Do you have a minimum portfolio size?
- How am I billed?
- How much contact do you have with your clients?
- What is the first step to becoming a client?
- What is your investment approach/philosophy?
- Are you Independent? Or - Are you affiliated with any broker-dealer?
- Do you have any conflicts of interest?
- Where will my money be held?
Are you a fiduciary?
Yes, we’ve been a Fiduciary since our founding in 1989, and continue to hold ourselves to the highest standard of care set forth by the SEC. We accept no commissions, sell no products, and have no conflicts of interest. This means our clients’ interests always come first, every day.
What does Fee-Only mean?
Fee-Only advisors do not receive any type of commission from the sale of products and are instead compensated exclusively by their clients for advice, plan implementation, and ongoing management of assets. All NAPFA members are required to work only within the Fee-Only structure and may not accept commissions from their financial advice or investment selections.
What services do you offer?
We specialize in Comprehensive Wealth Management, a system that aligns your financial plan with your investment strategy. Under this umbrella, we address many different topics, including retirement planning, tax savings strategies, business planning, education funding, estate planning, investments, multi-generational planning, and more related topics.
Under the Comprehensive Wealth Management Umbrella, we also work with young affluent professionals to help them establish a solid financial foundation for the future. We tailor our plans for them to take into account the priorities, current earning power and tendencies specific to young professionals.
Please visit our Services section for a more detailed description of our services.
Who do you work with? What types of clients do you specialize in?
We work with a variety of clients, but most have certain characteristics in common:
- Value a long-term relationship with independent advisors that they trust
- High net worth families, affluent professionals
- Busy professionals who don’t have the time, energy or expertise to create a comprehensive wealth management plan on their own
- Young affluent professionals that strive to establish a solid financial foundation for the future
- Please visit our Who We Serve page for further details
Who are our clients?
| Young Affluent Professionals | Wealth Accumulators | Approaching Retirement | Retired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 25-34 | 35-49 | 50-65 | 65+ |
| Minimum Investable Assets | No Minimum | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,500,000+ |
How do you charge for services & how much?
Our services are billed on a quarterly basis as a percentage of assets under management (AUM). It’s important to note that your AUM is calculated based upon only the investments that we manage on your behalf. Your personal assets, such as your home or vehicles, do not contribute to this asset total, unlike many other fee-only advisors that bill based upon the client’s total net worth.
| Market Value | Annual Fee | Quarterly Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Up to $1,000,000 | 1.05% | 0.2625% |
| Next $2,000,000 (up to $3,000,000) | 0.55% | 0.1375% |
| Next $2,000,000 (up to $5,000,000) | 0.45% | 0.1125% |
| Next $5,000,000 (up to $10,000,000) | 0.35% | 0.0875% |
| Over $10,000,000 | 0.25% | 0.0625% |
*Minimum annual fee of $5,000
Do you have a minimum portfolio size?
Yes, we have minimum portfolio sizes that adjust based upon your stage in life.
Who are our clients?
| Young Affluent Professionals | Wealth Accumulators | Approaching Retirement | Retired | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age | 25-34 | 35-49 | 50-65 | 65+ |
| Minimum Investable Assets | No Minimum | $500,000 | $1,000,000 | $1,500,000+ |
How am I billed?
Investment management fees are billed on a quarterly basis as a percentage of assets under management (AUM). Your investment management fee can be deducted directly from your investment account(s), or you may choose to be invoiced and pay by check.
How much contact do you have with your clients?
We have ongoing communication with our clients, customized to their personal financial needs. Whether it’s an in-person meeting, a phone call, or a FaceTime session, we’re here for our clients when they need us.
What is the first step to becoming a client?
We understand how important the relationship is between client and advisor. So we start with a free, no-obligation call that gives us the opportunity to interview each other. We hope this helps you better understand our process and ensure you are in the right place. If both parties feel it’s a good fit, we schedule a data-gathering session with both a financial planner and investment manager. Learn more about our process here.
What is your investment approach/philosophy?
When it comes to investing, there is no one-size-fits-all solution, so our investment philosophy is simple: We manage money based upon the client’s portfolio needs. We find that providing a tailored investment strategy for each of our clients is the approach that works. Our financial planning process helps bring clarity to the strategy that will be used to meet each client’s unique portfolio needs. When evaluating investments, we take into consideration all aspects of the process such as fees, risks, taxes, and more. As an independent, fee-only investment firm, we have the ability to utilize any investment strategy available that best serves our clients.
Are you Independent? Or - Are you affiliated with any broker-dealer?
We are Independent and have been since our founding in 1989. Our commission-free compensation comes exclusively from our clients. Our independence allows for unbiased advice and provides us complete flexibility in matching your portfolio needs with the appropriate investment vehicles.
Do you have any conflicts of interest?
No, we do not. As a fee-only Fiduciary we do not sell any products or receive any commissions. We hold ourselves to the Fiduciary standard of care, always putting our clients’ interests first.
Where will my money be held?
We are an independent firm that has the ability to invest with any custodian – we’re not tied to any particular custodian, like many broker-dealers. We choose for most non-employer-related accounts that we manage to be held at either Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. or Fidelity Investments because they provide our clients a financial discount on purchasing and holding investments. We can, however, choose to hold client assets at other custodians when it makes sense, and have done so in certain cases.
Schedule a Consultation
We have helped our clients answer these questions and more. If you want a clear understanding of your financial future, and need help making changes to reach your goals, schedule a consultation and we can get started.