The first step is an introductory phone call to confirm your situation matches our expertise. In the call, we'll be seeking a basic understanding of your financial situation and what it is prompting you to seek advice. Needless to say, everything we talk about is confidential.
If there's a fit, we'll talk about what the next steps look like or if there isn't, we’ll gladly introduce you to a firm or resource who is better suited to your needs. Assuming there is a fit, we'll invite you to schedule a Fit Meeting, where we can get into much greater detail.
Following our introductory phone call, the first step in preparing for our Fit Meeting will be completing a questionnaire to get a more accurate sense of your financial life, priorities, challenges, and circumstances.
We'll also provide a secure link to upload your account statements and tax return. This will assist us with the analysis we shall present in our Fit Meeting.
Your answers to our intake questions, along with the documents we have requested, will help guide our analysis, which will result in plain-English answers to a number of critical questions.
We will apply over a decade of experience, thousands of hours of training, studying, and mentoring by the profession’s top experts, and expertise as a Global Financial Planner (GFP) Professional, CFP® Professional and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF®) to answer the financial questions and concerns you identified.
This is a 90 - 120 minute meeting to confirm our understanding of your situation and ask any clarifying questions. There is a $500 fee for this meeting.
Following this we shall share with you more detail about the firm, our mission and who we do our best work with. We shall set expectations for when we can expect to meet throughout the year and introduce the tools and technologies we use to support you, including the Wealth Summit Pathway, our proprietary wealth management project system.
Lastly, we shall review the details of the recommended service package we believe best fits your needs and give you a quote.
At the conclusion of this meeting you'll have an excellent idea of what to expect in working with us and we'll invite you to consider becoming a client.
This is a 60 minute meeting to confirm our understanding of your situation and ask any clarifying questions. There is a $200 fee for this meeting.
We shall review our investment presentation, portfolio implementation process, fees and historical performance.
Following the investment presentation, we shall share with you more detail about the firm, our mission and who we do our best work with. We shall set expectations for when we can expect to meet throughout the year and introduce the tools and technologies we use to support you.
Lastly, we shall provide you with a quote and answer any other questions you have about working with us.
At the conclusion of this meeting you'll have an excellent idea of what to expect in working with us and we'll invite you to consider becoming a client.
Respectful of The Pillow Factor
We only want to work with clients who see long term value in a partnership.
Prior to deciding if we should work together, ask yourself the following:
If a smile comes across your face, we call that having a high pillow factor—meaning you can sleep comfortably knowing you have someone who’s genuinely and authentically committed to serving you, and your best interests.
We do our best work with people looking for a long-term relationship. If you need help locating a financial planner who offers these fee options, send us a note and we will do our best to get you in the right hands.
There are three really important things about our firm that separate us from others:
Great question! But first, let us explain why you shouldn’t hire us.
If you’re looking for an advisor who will trade stocks to “beat the market,” you’re in the wrong place.
Why? Because we focus on what you can control and build robust plans for those things we can't control. Predicting if the stock market will go up or down, or guessing what interest rates will do next, are not things you, nor anyone, can control.
If you’re interested in taking advantage of opportunities available to you, lowering your tax bill, investing smarter, and creating a successful cross-border financial life, you’re in the right place.
We are a fee-only (a.k.a. commission-free) cross-border financial planning firm. We offer clients a number of different service packages depending on your needs. Our fees are transparent and appear as a line item on every statement.
Some financial advisors are commission-based, which may cause fees to be hidden or create conflicts of interest.
Not Areté Wealth Strategists.