Questions Related to Fees
Why do you charge a fixed flat fee of $9,500?
We charge our fixed fee because the prevailing compensation schemes (commissions and percentages) have troubling inherent conflicts of interest. We also find the idea of massively overcharging clients distasteful.
How will I pay my fee?
You will pay quarterly in advance. Most clients choose to have their fee deducted from their Charles Schwab account(s), but some pay by credit card, bank ACH or check.
What is your cancellation policy?
After the first year, you can cancel at any time for any reason with 60 days notice.
Questions Related to Services
What is your investment philosophy?
We have an evidence-based philosophy. Your portfolio will be low cost, tax efficient, globally diversified and "tilted" towards dimensions of higher expected returns.
Where will my assets be held?
Most of our clients ask us to manage their portfolio directly, which we do at Charles Schwab.
How much access to you and your team will I have?
You have unlimited access to us.
Why should I work with you instead of doing this myself?
Our clients decide to work with us for 4 main reasons: for access to our expertise, to save time, to reduce stress and to avoid mistakes.
How do you make referrals to other professionals (CPA's, attorneys and others)?
We've invested a lot of energy in our referral network. We will happily refer you to the right professional(s) and will stay involved as appropriate. We receive no compensation from any of these professionals.
Questions Related to Who We Serve
I am not close to retirement. Can I still work with you?
Yes. While we have a deep specialty in retirement income planning, we are a wealth management firm first and foremost. We have two CFP® professionals on staff and have lots of clients not yet close to retirement.
Do I need to have a certain amount of money to work with you?
No. But most of our clients have a total household portfolio over $1 million, which makes our fee a significant value.
Do I have to live in the Northeast to work with you?
No. We serve clients virtually across the country.
Questions Related to Our Firm
Why should I choose your firm over other firms?
It’s simple: our fixed flat fee, retirement income expertise and evidence-based investment philosophy.
How long have you been in business?
Since 2016, but our team brings several decades' worth of combined years in financial services.
How many clients do you have?
We have 125+ clients and over $350 million under direct management.
Are you a fiduciary?
Yes.
What is the significance of your logo?
Our logo was inspired by our retirement income framework, which uses safe sources to finance your non-discretionary spending and equities to finance your discretionary spending.
Questions Related to Getting Started
What's your process for working with a new client?
It typically takes 3 months to fully onboard a new client, and the process consists of 3 substantive meetings (and plenty of analysis on our side).
What information will you need from me?
We will ask you to upload a wide variety of financial documents including account statements, insurance policies and tax returns.
I'm ready to become a client. How do we get started?
Contact Angela at angela@bradleyclark.com to start the onboarding process and to schedule your Discovery meeting.
I'm interested but not ready to start. What should I do next?
Watch our free retirement income videos, and then schedule your complimentary call with Bradley.