+ What is Fee-Only, Fiduciary Financial Planning?

The word Fiduciary has become very popular in financial services. It is not uncommon for financial advisors associated with brokerage firms and insurance companies to call themselves “Fiduciaries”. However, what we feel is very important is a clear understanding of any and all potential conflicts of interest that exist. At RE|Focus, the only way we are able to be compensated is directly by our clients. We are not able to sell insurance policies or investment products, rather we give you unbiased advice based on what will be best for your situation.

+ Does RE|Focus help clients find and acquire real estate investments?

While we love real estate and believe it is a great long-term investment for many people, we do not actively source and place our clients in individual real estate investments. However, we do feel an integral part of our job for clients is to be a sounding board for our clients as they are evaluating investment opportunities of their own. This means that as clients are looking to acquire, dispose, or exchange property, we will be there every step of the way.

+ Why doesn’t RE|Focus charge Assets Under Management(AUM) fees like most other financial advisory firms?

We feel very strongly that we want our financial advice to have as few conflicts as possible. One conflict that exists in traditional AUM fees is an incentive to add more assets under the firms management, as it results in more revenue to the firm. If the stock market goes up 10%, should the financial advisor get a 10% pay increase? If a client has a desire to expand their business by taking capital out of their accounts under management, an advisor at an AUM based firm might push back against that. We believe that a transparent flat-fee pricing based on complexity is the best approach for our clients.

+ What does RE|Focus’ investment management approach look like?

RE|Focus believes in a tax-efficient, low-cost investing strategy. In our experience, utilizing passive, index-based ETFs is the best way to execute this strategy. Occasionally, our clients come to us with existing appreciated holdings. When this occurs, we work with these clients to manage around these positions and ensure the portfolio is well diversified for long-term success.

+ Can I cancel my planning + investing service agreement?

While we want to make sure that every single one of our clients are receiving much more value from the relationship than they are paying to us, we understand that circumstances change. We bill our fees on a monthly or quarterly basis in arrears. Therefore, there would be no refund, only a pro-rated fee from the last billing date to your cancellation date.

+ I don’t specifically fit into your target client type, could we still work together?

Absolutely! Our goal is to work with creative, hard working individuals and families seeking unbiased financial advice. If we are not the right match for you, we have a deep bench of other like-minded financial planners we would be happy to refer you to.