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FAQs

I recently lost my job. What should I do with my 401k? What are my options?

“When one door closes, another opens; but we often look so long and so regretfully upon the closed door that we do not see the one which has opened for us.” - Alexander Graham Bell

When you leave your employer, (whether you’re changing jobs, retiring or in this economic climate, have lost your job) your retirement savings plan doesn’t automatically move for you. I have created a guide that will help you answer questions such as: What should I do with the 401K plan at my old employer? Do I have to move it? Where should I put it? Will I owe taxes on it if I move it? What kind of IRA do I need? How do I turn it into retirement income?
Check out the guide I created with options for your retirement plans at your former employer. Learn More

I’m about to hit 40 and although I earn a decent living I can't seem to save any money! Is it too late for me? Where should I even start?

“The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is NOW.” - Chinese Proverb

If this question resonates with you, seek financial help immediately! Here are 3 steps to get you started...

Step 1: Three Major Money Moves. You don’t need to be rich or earn a million dollars per year to start accumulating wealth. Whether you earn $55,000 or $250,000, there are things you can put into place right now to help you accumulate wealth throughout your career without making changes to your current lifestyle. Here are 3 simple strategies that could put your money to work harder for you, so you can continue living your life without second-guessing each and every financial decision. 3 “Major Money Moves”

Step 2: Change financial habits that are destructive. The fields of economics and finance were built on models that assumed our decision making was entirely rational. Research in behavioral finance has found that rarely to be the case. Humans behave irrationally and make emotional decisions about money and investing all the time. Check out my visual insight newsletter about how to Adopt Better Financial Behaviors.

Step 3: Seek Financial help. This is "Step 1" if the previous steps are daunting. We can help. Schedule a time with me to explore these steps and take control of your financial future.

Do you give tax advice?

While tax issues may be discussed in the general course of wealth planning. We do not provide tax advice. We work in collaboration with your tax consultant during the planning and implementation phase and highly recommend you consult with your tax professional prior to making decisions relative to these issues.

Having stated that, we recognize certain tax savings opportunites that have opened up with new tax rules. We have identified 6 opportunities to lower your taxes.

Learn More

I’m a DIY kindda person. What is your advice for someone like me?

" People make better decisions with Financial Advisors". - Robert Schiller, Nobel Prize in Economics

If you wish to go at it yourself, arm yourself with as much knowledge as possible. Check out the Investing Snapshot section of our website. It is loaded with educational materials and resources.

Here are some book recommendations to read:
A Random Walk down Wall Street
One up on Wall Street
Factfulness
The Richest Man in Babylon
The Intelligent Investor
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Flash Boys
Principles
A Curious Mind

What's the difference between a big "brand name" firm advisor and you?

Having worked at several big "Brand Name" banks (Merrill Lynch, JPMorgan & Wells Fargo Advisors), I can certainly understand the appeal. Here's a comparison of Brand Name Bank vs Independent Advisor and the reason we decided to leave our big "brand name" bank for the Independent Advisor world.

It’s easy to think that a brand name buys you safety. But are you safe in the hands of financial advisors? If you hire a brand-name advisor, they are most likely accountable to the shareholders of their company. That means they need to focus on generating profits. So they may put the company’s interests in front of yours. In fact, it’s perfectly legal. Learn more about “brand name” bank vs. Independent Advisors.

Most "brand name" bank advisors are notorious at steering their clients into high cost mutual fund investments wrapped in a managed fee. The more you get charged in costs and fees, the less money you have working for you. Over time, fees compound and can result in significantly less available to you when you need it. Check out my visual insight newsletter on 4 URGENT reasons you should review your Portfolio Now.

As independent advisors, we are in the business of providing advice, not selling products. We have a fiduciary duty to select investments with reasonable expenses. We don’t have sales quotas to push certain products. Instead, we find you the best solution and help you with all aspects of your financial life.

How are you paid?

“While good advice may not be cheap, bad advice can cost you dearly no matter how little you pay for it.” - Larry Swedro.

Though the discussion about our fee schedule is better had during a live conversation, here is our basic fee structure:

Designing your Wealth Plan

* Flat fee of $297/month (for 12 months) or annual fee $3,000.

Surveillance: Monitoring your Progress

**Flat fee of $97/month (for 12 months) or annual fee $1,000.

Plan Implementation: Annual Advisory Fee Schedule

$ Investment | Annual Fee %

< $500,000 | 1 %

$500,000 - $1,000,000 | 0.75 %

> $1,000,000 | 0.5 %

Is hiring a financial advisor worth it? The answer depends not just on the cost but more importantly, on the value received. Research from Vanguard, Morningstar, and other sources estimate comprehensive financial advice is worth between 1.6% - 4.2% more per year. They show the primary value of an advisor isn’t finding funds that will outguess the market. Services that create the most value are:

Cashflow Guidance

Asset Allocation

Rebalancing

Behavioral Coaching

Tax Management

Many advisors charge a flat annual percentage fee for advice. In other words, a client with $2.5M pays roughly 5 times as much annually as a client with $500K. We don’t really have an account minimum, but our costs are structured so the percentage decreases dramatically as your wealth grows.

Working with us is easy and saving thousands annually for decades compounds to a lot more money. Meet with us to see how much more you can get.

* Our Wealth Planning fee starts at this level and increases depending on the complexity of your goals and plans.

** Surveillance fee is for monitoring your plan and investments. This fee is waived if your Wealth Plan and Assets are designed and managed by us.

April 2019 Financial Market

July 8, 2020

Money in Circulation

Monetary policy decisions have worked out favorably since the start of the pandemic. Capital was made cheap for those in need of it and returns became scarce, requiring capital holders to look for return in riskier places. Money in circulation soared in the second quarter as a result of the

June 8, 2020

Time Bought

The pandemic of COVID-19 remains a relevant topic weighing on the concerns of public-safety and in financial economics. Improvements in the number of daily cases are being made in North America and Europe, but new cases are growing in many of the emerging market economies. The pandemic recovery phase is

May 18, 2020

Paradigm shifts (and how to keep up)

Life has changed; how do we adapt without losing sight of what we want to achieve? As you’ve heard me say before, no one knows how the future will play out, but we should still look ahead and think through the consequences of what’s happening. (More about this kind of

May 11, 2020

Head-to-head with Recession Volatility

Imagine this… There’s a burglary in your neighborhood (not your house fortunately), but you have a 2-week trip planned and no one will be home. What do you do to protect your home while you’re away? Do you take precautionary measures? Talk to neighbors and ask them to keep an

May 8, 2020

April 2020 Financial Market

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May 7, 2020

Cash Made Available

The effects of the Coronavirus crisis are now beginning to show up in earnings and economic data. Economic numbers have deteriorated, but shrinking economies come as no surprise to anyone given the widespread impacts of COVID-19. The US economy contracted at an annualized rate of -4.8% in the first quarter

May 4, 2020

Week 8 SIP: The Economy, The Changes & Some Virtual Fun

What the “new” world could look like… Hello there! I hope you’re safe and well. It’s been 8 weeks since we shuttered the office and started working from home and, like many, I’m feeling the strain of upended life. How about you? Are you ready to venture out again?

April 28, 2020

Week 7 SIP: What lessons will you take from this?

Do we reopen or wait? Are we past the peak? Or just over the first summit of a mountain range? Are we safe yet? So much is unknown. After weeks of restrictions, it’s easy to feel that we’re swirling in a maelstrom of uncertainty, helpless to make decisions when so

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