Frequently Asked Questions

I have been working in the financial services industry since 2003 and as a financial advisor since 2007.

Yes I am!

CFP® Professional stands for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional, it’s the gold standard of financial planning. A CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional helps clients achieve their financial and personal goals. As a CFP® I am part coach, part advocate, all partner. I am in this with you. I take a holistic approach with an emphasis on your entire financial life – not just investments. Ultimately, my goal is to create a path towards financial freedom and peace of mind so you can focus on your family, career, that trip of a lifetime or retirement. As a CFP® I will help you with my wealth of experience and knowledge that come with the highest credentials.

Kind of like the difference between a M.D. and a guy in a van down by the river practicing medicine.

A CFP® professional is one of many types of financial advisors. A financial advisor must earn the right to call themselves a CFP® professional. Anyone can call themselves a financial advisor, because it’s a general term.

Find out more here

Yes! And if you're not sure what that means, you can read about fee-only advising here.

Nope! We will start with where you are. Although I have a variety of clients, I primarily serve retirees and those within 5-10 years of retirement. They are typically looking for answers to make sure they are well-positioned for retirement.

$8,400 ($700/month). I believe a flat annual retainer fee is a more appropriate compensation method rather than arbitrarily deriving my compensation from the value of your portfolio. So instead of assets under management (AUM, 1%, etc) I built a retainer fee structure around the services that I provide. You can get more details in Our Fee Structure.

No, I do not. Our first meeting is just a "Get to Know You" meeting, where we both have the chance to ask questions and determine if working together would be a good fit. Some people will be a great fit and others I will be unable to help. My goal is to deliver massive value to you, and if I believe I can do that we continue the process.

You’re in luck! I do both! Regardless if your are local to us in Naperville, IL or live anywhere in the U.S. I have the ability to to work with you through video conferencing and other internet-based systems. I can securely upload and share documents into your vault, Zoom, and of course the old fashioned phone allowing me to work with you where you are. If you are looking for an experienced financial advisor, and are comfortable building a relationship via phone and Zoom, please reach out and start a conversation.

Absolutely. I try accommodate my client’s schedule – mornings, evenings and weekends. 3am might be pushing it, but I’ll see what I can do. Also meetings can be as short or as long as my clients like. You can schedule a time to meet or speak with me whenever you feel the need. You are working during the day, caring for your family, vacations in your free time or maybe even writing the next great American novel (I look forward to reading it ;). I get it!

No. When you hire me financial planning comes first. As part of the financial planning process, I will evaluate and provide direction on your investments. At that point you have the opportunity to have me implement the investment portion of your plan or you can continue to do it on your own.

Definitely, for most people that is where their nest egg has been building for 35 years. So it is core to make sure your investment strategy is cohesive across all of your assets. I believe in a holistic approach to managing all of your assets.

I work with two custodians: Schwab and Altruist. You will have full online access and a mobile app to access your accounts. Your money will be held with one or both of those custodians at all times.

No. Well, maybe. Here's the thing. Yes, I will need some information from you. I will even need some documents. However, I make it really easy to upload them electronically and most of the information is gathered by linking up your accounts into the planning software directly so that we avoid a lot of back and forth.

It is a little bit of work up front but I'll make it as easy as possible. And in the end by having a complete picture of where you are can bring clarity and relief.

No! Well, I don't know but I don't think so. Here's why. Many people who I work with come to me because they have this nagging feeling that they don't really have a complete picture of their finances or want to make sure the picture they have is accurate (a second set of eyes). They may feel a little bit lost. They feel stressed and avoid looking at their financial situation because they aren't sure what to do.

The very first milestone in our relationship is that you will (maybe for the first time) have a complete view of your financial situation. You will see your net worth, all your accounts in one place, and most have a sense of relief combined with new confidence. Whether it's where you want it to be or not, just about everyone gains some peace of mind from facing their situation head-on and knowing where they are. Even better, we get to talk over your situation and focus on how to get better — together.

While I certainly want to invest in long-term relationships with my clients, you are always in control of your money. Your money is held with a standard custodian and you have the option to stop working with me any time and you can continue to access your money or move it wherever you want.