There is a lot more to creating a financial plan than just picking the right investments. A financial advisor or wealth manager can not only help you plan for your goals, but he/she can also educate you and encourage you as you work toward them, providing explanation, education, and helping to manage investor expectations and behavior.
According to the 2024 Vanguard Advisor Alpha Study, working with a professional wealth manager can significantly improve your investment outcomes and financial confidence. Research shows that clients who collaborate with wealth managers feel more assured about their financial future and are better prepared to reach their goals through personalized guidance, disciplined planning, and expert risk management.
We offer a wide variety of services, each of them with different types of compensation. We are independent financial advisors and are not paid more to recommend one company over another. We have a fiduciary duty to make recommendations that are in our clients’ best interests. We have access to thousands of different investment and insurance companies and we make our recommendations based on each individual client situation. We are paid predominantly in three ways:
1. Asset Management Fee
If we work together in helping you manage your investment portfolio, we charge a fee based on assets under management (AUM). This fee starts at 1% and decreases as your portfolio grows.
2. Insurance & Commission-Based Products
If we help clients with insurance planning, we are paid a commission from whatever insurance company we utilize and those fees are already factored into the cost of the insurance product. In addition, certain investment products are available on a commission-based platform, such as ABLE accounts and 529 Plan accounts.
3. Flat Fee for Financial Planning
If we work together in helping you create your financial plan without implementing an asset management strategy through us, we charge a flat fee similar to how attorneys or CPAs are compensated. This fee starts at $1,800 and scales based on the complexity of your financial plan.
Yes! We begin with an introductory call to learn about your financial goals, discuss our services, and determine if we’re a good fit to work together. This conversation is complimentary and helps set the stage for a productive partnership.There is no charge for our Envision process where we explore your vision for your future, and we review your current financial situation and financial goals. Our analysis is part of our process and is critical to put us in a position to make recommendations that best suit your needs.
As financial planners, we help guide you through the estate planning process by educating you on key topics like wills, trusts, powers of attorney, and beneficiary designations. We can review your current documents for gaps or inconsistencies and help ensure your financial accounts and insurance policies are aligned with your wishes. While we don’t provide legal advice or draft legal documents, we work closely with estate attorneys to make sure your financial and legal plans work together smoothly. Our goal is to help you understand your options and feel confident as you take the next steps with your attorney.
Our clients are individuals and families who either have existing wealth or are committed to building it over time. They value collaboration, transparency, and professional guidance in pursuit of their financial goals. Many clients come from diverse backgrounds, including Deaf and hard of hearing communities, and we pride ourselves on delivering inclusive, personalized service.
Yes — when we’re acting in an advisory capacity, we operate as fiduciaries, which means we’re legally and ethically obligated to act in your best interest. We also offer commission-based options when they may be more cost-effective or appropriate for a client’s needs. No matter the structure, we always start by understanding what’s best for you and recommending solutions that align with your goals, risk tolerance, and financial situation. Transparency and your best interest are at the core of how we work.
We are independent advisors so we do not have any proprietary products, nor do we have any incentives to offer one type of product over another. There is no cookie-cutter approach for our clients. Each investment portfolio is tailored to each individual client’s needs. We may use stocks, bonds, mutual funds, ETFs, insurance products, separately managed accounts, or a combination of all the above, depending on the client’s needs.
Your first meeting typically involves reviewing your current financial situation, discussing your goals, and outlining potential strategies. This session is collaborative and designed to establish a foundation for your personalized wealth plan.
In order to be in a better position to make recommendations or give guidance that best suit your objectives, we will ask for additional details about your current financial situation and resources. Everything is held in the strictest confidence.
Once we have had a chance to gather complete information on your current situation and goals, we can complete our analysis and will schedule a second meeting where we will go over everything and answer any questions you may have.
Typically, most clients meet with our Wealth Managers at least annually, like visiting a doctor for an annual check up. However, we are completely flexible to cater around you and your schedule. We encourage our clients to contact us any time there is a major life change such as a job change, death in the family, salary increase or decrease, or change in objectives. At the same time, if we determine a change is needed at any time within the year, we will reach out as well.
Osaic Wealth is our Broker/Dealer firm and Registered Investment Advisor, with whom we have chosen to affiliate with for our securities registrations and Investment Advisory services. They are a member of FINRA/SIPC and registered with the SEC. They are a network with over 11,000 affiliated financial professionals. Osaic provides us with compliance supervision, technology platforms, and operational support for us to better serve our clients.
Pershing, LLC is owned by BNY Mellon and is our custodian and clearing firm for our clients’ brokerage accounts. Clearing firms work with various financial exchanges to handle confirmation, delivery, and settlement of your financial transactions. They also handle all tax reporting and produce the monthly statements and tax documents for our clients who have brokerage accounts.
If you have additional questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to help guide you toward a confident financial future.
