FAQ
Questions people actually ask us.
Straight answers, in plain English. If yours is not here, ask it in person. The first conversation is complimentary.
Working with us
- What does the first meeting cost?
- An hour of your time, nothing else. It is a complimentary review, and most of it is us listening. No documents required, no commitment expected, and no pitch.Start a conversation
- Do I need to prepare anything before we meet?
- No. If there are specific things you want us to look at, the more information you bring the better. But we are happy for the first conversation to be about getting to know each other and sharing ideas before anyone looks at a piece of paper.
- How long until I actually have a plan?
- Once we agree a plan makes sense and gather your documentation, deliverables typically come together within about two weeks, followed by a meeting to walk through them.
- What if we meet and I am not a fit, or you are not?
- No worries, honestly. We are always happy to meet new people. We stay in touch if you want, and if anything changes we pick up the conversation where it left off.How we work
- What happens to my current accounts if I move to you?
- Transfers are handled electronically between custodians, and our operations team manages the paperwork end to end. Before anything moves, we review each existing account and policy for costs and consequences of transferring, including anything that is better left where it is. You will know the full picture before you sign anything.
- How often will I hear from you once I am a client?
- At minimum, a full annual review. In practice it depends on your needs and what is going on in your life. Some clients talk with us monthly, others prefer less. The cadence is driven by what you have going on in your life, not by a schedule.
Our independence & how we are paid
- Are you a fiduciary?
- Yes. We are an independent firm and we are held to a fiduciary standard in our advisory work. Some clients also choose transaction-based brokerage services, where recommendations are governed by Regulation Best Interest, the regulatory standard for brokerage recommendations. We will always tell you plainly which type of account and standard applies to a recommendation, and why.
- How are you paid?
- Transparently, and we would rather show you than summarize. Our Form CRS spells out how we are compensated in plain language, and we will walk through it with you in the first meeting if you want. We are upfront about compensation before you commit to anything.See our Form CRS
- What does independence actually mean here?
- It means every recommendation is chosen for one reason: it fits your plan. We operate under Arete Wealth, which provides institutional resources, due diligence, and compliance oversight, while the advice stays ours. When a better strategy or partner exists, we are free to use it.
- Who actually holds my money?
- Not us, and that is by design. Assets are held at major custodians: Charles Schwab, and Pershing, a BNY Mellon company. You see your accounts directly with the custodian, and every account operates under FINRA and SEC oversight.Client portal
- What makes you different from the big brokerage my money is at now?
- Scale changes incentives. Because we are small by choice, we can source planning strategies and opportunities that only make sense at our size, and every client relationship gets senior attention. We think of it as one coordinated team around a small number of families, with the freedom to go find what fits each plan.
Services
- Do you work with my CPA and attorney, or replace them?
- We work with them, gladly. Coordination among your advisor, CPA, and attorney is most of what "holistic" actually means. If you need a CPA, attorney, or other professional, we are happy to make introductions, and we always suggest you interview them and decide for yourself.
- I keep seeing alternative investments and tax strategies all over the internet. Are they real?
- Some are real and heavily oversold. Some are real and genuinely useful for the right person. Some fail basic tests. This is one of the most common conversations we have, and the honest answer is that the strategy matters less than whether it fits your situation, your risk, and your taxes. We will tell you plainly which category something falls into, including when the answer is no.Alternative investments
- Will tax planning strategies increase my audit risk?
- The strategies we discuss are established planning concepts, not schemes, and everything we do is coordinated with your CPA, whose job includes keeping your filings clean and defensible. The real protection is doing things correctly and documenting them, which is exactly the discipline we insist on.Tax-efficient investing
- I am already retired. Is it too late for planning to matter?
- No. Even in retirement there are usually meaningful efficiencies available: how income is drawn, how taxes are managed year to year, how assets are positioned, and how wealth transfers. It is never too late to make changes that benefit you and the people who come after you.
- Where does insurance fit in all this?
- As one of four coordinated disciplines, never a product pitch. When insurance comes up in a plan, it is because the plan surfaced a need, and any recommendation follows a suitability analysis of your specific situation.Insurance strategy
Tax and insurance topics on this page are general and educational. Specific tax strategies are coordinated with your CPA, and any insurance recommendation follows a suitability analysis of your situation.
Logistics
- Do you only work with people in Florida?
- No. We have clients all over the country. Video and phone meetings work just as well as the office does, and we are happy to oblige either way.
- How do meetings actually work, virtual or in person?
- Same structure either way. The first conversation is generally an hour: we listen first, then share thoughts and ideas that could put you in a better position. We would love to meet you in person eventually, but nothing about the work requires it.
- Is there a minimum to work with you?
- Our work is built for families with meaningful complexity, and most clients come to us with significant assets. But we start with the conversation, not a number. If we are not the right fit, we will say so and point you somewhere useful.
- Where are you located?
- Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, serving families across the country.Office details
Ask the rest in person.
Twenty answers cannot cover your situation. One conversation can start to, and it is complimentary and unhurried.