FAQ

Yes. Probably. At some point. They always do - in fact, it is common for stocks to drop 5/10/15% within a year. The real question is can this be predicted so you can "time" the low points and buy in, and/or sell at high points to realize profits. The answer to that is nobody knows what stocks will do tomorrow, this year, or the next 10 years. What is best, is to be "invested" for the long term and have a strategy to weather the storms.

A fiduciary is someone who puts your interests first. They act with care, prudence, diligence, and good judgement. It helps if the person you are dealing with does not have any conflicts (a fiduciary must disclose any conflicts). A conflict might be the commissions they earn on offering you (selling) insurance or any financial product that benefits them as well as you. It can be subtle too - like when they would increase their earnings if you move your 401k to an IRA they manage for a fee.

Yes. Both the firm AND the advisor are registered as RIA (Registered Investment Advisor) and IAR (Investment Advisor Representative). Our oath is in our filings with the regulators. In fact, we will not "sell" you any products which we have a beneficial interest in - such as insurance or even mutual funds that offer commissions to the advisor. The incremental fees for managing assets (AUM), are relatively low (starting at 0.5% and quickly fall to 0.25%) and will cover our costs and time for this added effort. And, we are just as happy if you want to manage these yourself (DIY).

Probably yes. Send me an email or schedule a time (Let’s Talk Button) to discuss your needs.

My fixed rate pricing is fully transparent on the website and agreed to with my clients upfront. There are no hidden fees or commissions. I do not sell ‘products.

Some advisors have hidden fees and compensation such as: commissions from selling ‘products’ (insurance or mutual funds), fund fees (12b-1 fees within a Mutual Fund), account-based fees, etc. I also consider “Percent AUM” a type of hidden compensation, since most clients do not understand how much they are paying their advisor.

If an advisor is paid as a percent AUM, they are earning a percentage of the assets under management (AUM). If a client is paying 1%, that amounts to $10,000 or $20,000 per year if the accounts have $1M or $2M, respectively. Most people think 1% is relatively low, but over the course of, say, 35 years, that can amount to giving up over 30% of your total nest egg. Investment management alone does not provide the value that a comprehensive financial plan can provide. There can be a conflict of interest too – if an advisor suggest you move your 401k to a IRA where they can receive AUM compensation.