FAQ
At Benchmark Wealth Management, our greatest investment is our relationship with you. That’s why we use a personalized approach to financial management as the foundation of our services, taking into account both your individual goals and your entire financial situation.
Before we look at any numbers or dive into strategizing, we get to know you and what you want out of life. We ask deep questions and seek to understand the nuances of your financial situation. As time goes on, we compound our understanding of you and your needs, allowing us to deliver independent, objective, and tailored strategies that help you rest easy today and in the long term.
We believe our clients choose us because of our unparalleled level of care for them as individuals. We are proud of our personalized approach and work hard to make each client feel important. This may be a bold statement, but outside of your family, no one cares more about you than we do.
Our clients also know that we are a true partner, delivering what is expected, as it is expected, and when it is expected, working diligently to preserve and build your assets as you move through life’s transitions.
Our clients expect and deserve the highest level of personalized service and care. We truly strive to set the benchmark. To support this commitment, we limit our relationships accordingly such that we can deliver proactive planning, investment management and concierge-level client service consistently and dependably.
Rick’s requirement for new client relationships is $5 million or greater.
Tom’s requirement for new client relationships is $2 million or greater.
Limiting new relationships in this manner enables us to safeguard the service experience that our existing clients know and love while also ensuring an exceptional service experience for new relationships.
While we serve clients of different ages and from a variety of professions, the majority are business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs, executives, and retirees. Despite their differences, they have all worked hard for their wealth and created their own path to success.
In person meetings are always welcome, however we understand that time is valuable, and that it can be difficult to get away. Our services and systems have been designed so that all of the information you need to understand your finances can be found on your smartphone, computer, or tablet at any time. With this accessibility, we can easily have impactful conversations about your finances virtually or via telephone, without forcing you to leave your home or office, thus disrupting your routine.
Your initial meeting is an opportunity to discuss your financial goals and concerns. There is no fee or obligation associated with this consultation. We will review your current financial situation, asking questions to get a better understanding of where you are in life and where you’d like to be. While discussing private information can be uncomfortable for some, this in-depth conversation is critical in aiding development of your financial plan. So that we can assess where your finances are, we will ask that you provide financial documents such as bank statements, investment statements, insurance policies, and tax documents. All information you share with us is completely confidential.
No. Our initial meetings are complimentary and without obligation. While we know we may not be the right fit for everyone with respect to an ongoing advisory relationship, we believe it’s good to share our experience and observations about your situation in this initial discussion. Our goal in the first meeting is to learn more about what’s on your mind that led you to seek a financial planner, about you, your family, and your priorities, and finally, to determine if we might be a good fit for a long-term relationship. If we feel that your needs are not a match for our expertise, we will provide you with our rationale and leave the door open to possibly working together in the future.
We utilize a simple, but sophisticated and disciplined approach to managing our clients’ investments. We focus on passive investments reflecting well-established, widely followed indexes offering broad exposure to each select asset class. We focus on what we can control, while reducing the risk and stress to the extent possible surrounding what cannot be controlled. Most importantly, we do not try and time the market.
We are a fee-based financial services firm, which means that our only compensation comes from the services we provide to you. We do not charge a commission, nor do we pass along any transaction fees to clients. We also believe that a financial planner should only do well when their clients are doing well. Our fee structure is simple: you are charged a percentage of the assets we manage for you on an annual basis. That’s it! You can review our fee structure here.
Our primary custodian is Charles Schwab & Co. Our partnership with them offers our clients:
- 24/7 online access to view your account(s)
- Regular statements
- Institutional account reporting
- The safety & soundness of an industry leading, independent custodian
Having Charles Schwab as our custodian provides our clients transparency on investment performance, fees, and transactions.
The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional designation is the gold standard for financial planners. An advisor with this designation is set apart from their peers in a meaningful way. CFP® professionals have met extensive training and experience and commit to the CFP Board’s ethical standards requiring to them to put their clients’ best interests first. Your financial situation is as unique as you are, and this requires a customized approach to putting a plan in place to help you meet your goals. The biggest difference clients notice about working with a CFP® is that their finances now have a purpose. You want to contribute to your retirement plan, save for college, and provide a legacy for your grandchildren, but how do you accomplish these goals? A CFP® will create a plan, monitor your ongoing progress, and be there to answer any questions along the way.
An advisor that is a fiduciary seeks to minimize conflicts of interest, be transparent, and live up to the trust placed in them. A fiduciary places a client’s interest first and is held to the highest standard of care. They are legally, morally, and ethically required to act in your best interest at all times. A fiduciary must:
- Put their clients’ best interest before their own
- Act in good faith and provide all relevant facts to clients
- Avoid conflicts of interest and disclose any potential conflicts to clients
When you work with a financial advisor, you are providing them with access to your money and investments. Because of this, an advisor’s role as a fiduciary is essential. Trust is key in this relationship and knowing that your advisor has a fiduciary duty provides you with the assurance that they are acting in your best interest in everything they do for you.
The bottom Line
Engaging a financial advisor is not a decision to be made lightly. A good rapport and shared values are important – you want (and need) to be able to connect with your advisor on a personal and professional level. If you have questions that have not been answered above or if you’d like more clarification about a particular topic, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us for more information.