Our FAQ provides insight into our business and our investing philosophy and other useful information. \u00a0\u00a0<\/b><\/span><\/h1>\n

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Q:\u00a0 Where are you based?<\/p>\n

A: \u00a0We are based in Chatham NJ (Bill), Sandy Hook CT (Jim) and Moorestown NJ (Sean). We work with clients in person in\u00a0 New Jersey \/ Connecticut \/ New York \/ Pennsylvania as well as Minneapolis-St. Paul where Bill travels to regularly. We also serve clients nationwide using video conferencing technology where state regulations permit.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0\u00a0 Do you have any asset or income minimums for clients?<\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 No. We believe that everyone can benefit from unbiased financial advice and developing a plan to support their future goals. If you are willing to invest $750 in your financial future you will get access to a top notch financial advisor.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 What is your investment philosophy?<\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 We are strong proponents of using low-cost index and other passively managed funds. It is very difficult for active mutual fund managers to outperform the market over time sufficiently to justify their fees. A study by Vanguard showed that only 18% of mutual funds managed to beat their benchmarks over a 15-year period. \u00a0Other studies have shown that there are no criteria (past performance, manager tenure, etc.) that an investor can use to predict which fund managers will be in that group of 18%. \u00a0Rather than choosing fund managers, clients are better served investing in a portfolio of low-cost, broad-based index funds.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 You charge a flat fee for your Annual Advisory service.\u00a0 Most advisors charge a percentage of assets under management. \u00a0 Why the flat fee?<\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 We believe that a flat fee is the fairest way to compensate a financial advisor.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why:\u00a0 In a typical Assets Under Management (AUM) arrangement, the advisor charges a percentage of the value of the portfolio being managed (typically 1%) as their fee.\u00a0\u00a0 So, for example, the advisory fee for managing a client\u2019s retirement portfolio worth $500,000 would be $5,000 per year.\u00a0 The fee for a $1,000,000 portfolio would be $10,000 per year and so on.<\/p>\n

However, a fee that is a percentage of assets in a portfolio does not necessarily reflect the amount of time required to provide quality service to the client.\u00a0 Does managing a $1,000,000 portfolio require twice as much work as managing a $500,000 portfolio? \u00a0Probably not, but the client with the larger portfolio is paying twice as much in fees. The size of the portfolio is only one variable that determines the amount of time and effort needed to provide quality financial advice. As such, we don\u2019t believe it should be the sole factor in determining fees.<\/p>\n

Q:\u00a0 Do you prepare tax returns?<\/p>\n

A:\u00a0 Yes. For those clients that sign-up for our annual advisory program, tax preparation is included as part of the services we provide. We believe that the integration of tax and financial planning is an area where we add a great deal of value for our clients.\u00a0 Bill is an Enrolled Agent and Jim and Sean are CPA’s. Enrolled Agents, CPAs and Tax Attorneys are authorized to represent taxpayers before the IRS.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our FAQ provides insight into our business and our investing philosophy and other useful information. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":3,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-139","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"\n