What is your advisor actually costing you?
Fees you can see, fees you can’t, and taxes paid that never had to be. A plain read on the whole bill, before you decide anything.
How we are paid
Fee-only. A fiduciary at every meeting. No commissions.
Services
What we manage and plan
Four parts of one plan, each decided with the others in view.
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Investment management
Diversified, low-cost portfolios built around what the money is for, rebalanced with taxes in mind and reported on plainly.
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Financial and retirement planning
When work can stop, what can be spent each year, Social Security timing and the order in which accounts are drawn down.
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Tax and estate coordination
Tax-aware decisions through the year, and the estate plan kept in step with the accounts, worked alongside your CPA and attorney.
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Business owners and executives
Equity compensation, concentrated stock, a sale of the business, and the years either side of a liquidity event.
A second opinion on the plan you already have
The firm
Investment management and planning in one place
Most families have an investment account, a tax preparer, an estate attorney and an insurance agent, and none of them sees the whole picture. With no product to sell, the portfolio, the tax return, the estate documents and the business sit in one plan and every recommendation can be judged on its merits.
How it goes
From a first conversation to a plan that is kept current
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A first conversation
What you have, what it is for and what you would like to change. No engagement is required, and nothing needs to move.
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A plan, then the portfolio
The plan comes first: cash flow, retirement, tax and estate. The investments follow from it, and the fee is agreed in writing before anything is transferred.
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Kept current
Regular reviews, rebalancing, and the plan updated when life changes: a sale, an inheritance, a retirement date, a new grandchild.
What people ask before they move
What does fee-only mean?
A fee-only advisor is paid only by the client, usually a percentage of assets managed or a flat fee, and takes no commissions on products. A fee-based advisor can charge a fee and also earn commissions, which is a different arrangement.
What does it mean that an advisor is a fiduciary?
A fiduciary advisor is legally required to act in the client's best interest and to disclose conflicts of interest. A registered investment adviser owes that duty on the advice it gives, and its Form ADV describes how it is paid and where conflicts exist.
Who holds my money?
Client money at an independent advisor is usually held at a large third-party custodian in an account in the client's own name. The advisor can manage the account and deduct an agreed fee, but cannot withdraw the money for itself.
Is there an account minimum?
Account minimums vary by advisor, and many are set out in the firm's Form ADV Part 2A. Ask for the minimum and the full fee schedule before the first meeting, so neither side spends time on a poor fit.
Before you move anything
A first conversation costs nothing and commits you to nothing.