Choosing a Financial Advisor

You have choices when it comes to choosing a financial advisor.  This can be confusing because over the years many different types of financial services representatives have used the "advisor" label.  Nevertheless, it's the first financial decision you need to make.

To help improve your understanding of our industry we offer the following explanations.

Fiduciary - All investment advisors (or advisers) registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or corresponding state agencies are fiduciaries, meaning they must place their client's interest before their own.  Stock brokers and life insurance agents are not fiduciaries.  They follow a suitability standard for the particular transaction.  I am an advisor bound by fiduciary responsibility.

Independent/Open Product Platform - A financial representative who is independent can offer independent insight, based only on your financial needs.  An open product platform means the representative has the ability to choose from competing vendors (asset managers, mutual funds, life insurance companies, other vendors) to access the product/service that best fits the client needs.  A representative who is captive and sells his/her company's proprietary products may not have the freedom to offer what is best for you by product, by cost, and by insight.  I am an independent advisor with an open product platform.

3 Key Financial Areas - These are planning, investing, and insuring.  There are many financial representatives who are either competent at or paid to do 1, 2, or all 3 financial areas but you should ask about this.  If a financial representative is paid much less for one area, not licensed or registered for that area, does not subscribe to financial planning software, or was never trained in a particular area, then that area could become a financial blind spot for you--something you'd like to avoid.  My practice covers all three areas and I regularly collaborate with CPAs, attorneys, trustees, and others to address areas you may need in which that professional specializes that I cannot.

What can a financial advisor do for you?
S/He can provide the knowledge and experience you need to make the most of your financial resources as efficiently as possible.  An advisor can ask questions you may not know to ask, can  help add clarity to your situation and needs, can help you avoid costly first-timer mistakes, and can suggest strategies you may not otherwise have considered.

That's why your first financial decision is to choose a financial representative who can holistically address your needs, be your convenient single point of contact, and provide you with the financial confidence that the financial decisions you will likely encounter are managed prudently with your best interests placed first . . . so you don't have to worry about that.

We do that.