Frequently Asked Questions

As an Independent advisor, what entities are involved in your practice?

It’s a multi-layered structure. Osaic is my Broker-Dealer and handles compliance and supervision. NFS (National Finance Services, a Fidelity subsidiary) is my clearing firm and where my clients’ money is held. Morningstar is a nationally accredited rating agency, and they provide me with research data. I partner with Highland Brokerage for my clients’ Insurance needs. WealthScape is where my clients can view their accounts online.

How does being an independent advisor benefit your clients?

It helps prevent conflicts of interest because now my clients are the only ones that I must answer to. I am now able to utilize a greater pool of tools to help me run my practice more efficiently.

Do you enforce minimums in your practice and why?

Yes, I require clients have $100K in investable (stocks, bonds mutual funds, cash) assets that I can manage. I have served as a financial advisor for 13 years, and I have found people below this threshold don’t have complex financial needs. I am looking to partner with serious, long-term investors who understand the ebbs and flows of the stock market and the patience required to achieve good returns. I want to work with people who have a healthy emergency fund established, so they don’t have to pull out of long-term savings to meet short-term needs. I want to develop investing strategies with clients, so they can ultimately fulfill their financial goals.

How are you compensated?

Some clients choose to work with me in a transaction-based manner; meaning I receive a commission when a trade is placed. These commissions have a wide variety depending on the product sold. Other clients prefer to pay me an annual account fee of 1.10%. I leave the decision up to the client to choose how they want to work together. I charge $250/hour for financial planning consultations.