Fee-only means that, as a true fiduciary, we have endeavored to eliminate any and all conflicts of interest that surround some of the common compensation arrangements in the industry. We believe that simple and transparent fees result in fewer distractions to us — and better advice for you. The ReFrame Wealth fee is calculated as a percentage of the assets that we advise on. This fee covers investment management, financial planning, and elder care consulting (including the partners that we use in our planning and investing process). Your fee is automatically deducted from your investment account every quarter; you do not get a separate bill for these services. We do not charge an hourly rate. We have no ties to financial product companies and do not accept commissions or kickbacks for recommending certain investments over others.

Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”), a FINRA-registered broker-dealer and member SIPC, is the preferred custodian we utilize for our clients. We selected Schwab as the custodian for our client’s assets based on their long history of serving investors, as well as their extraordinary commitment to data security and privacy.

No. Your bank’s Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) protection covers up to $250,000 in your bank deposit accounts, including checking and savings accounts, money market deposit accounts, and certificates of deposit. It does not cover money invested in stocks, bonds, mutual funds, life insurance policies, annuities, municipal securities, or money market funds. Assets in your brokerage account (up to $500,000, of which up to $250,000 may be claims for cash) are covered by Charles Schwab & Co., Inc’s Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC) protection. SIPC protection covers stocks, bonds, Treasury securities, certificates of deposit, mutual funds, and money market mutual funds held at a SIPC member firm. It does not cover investment losses or investments in commodities, futures, fixed annuities, currencies, hedge funds, or investment contracts (e.g., limited partnerships) not registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Yes. We built ReFrame Wealth to provide fiduciary advice bound by the standards of both the SEC and the CFP(R) Board. There is no circumstance in which we step away from the fiduciary standard. We embrace our legal obligation to deliver financial advice that is in our client’s best interest — at all times, without exception.

No. However, if you are working with more than one financial planner, you become responsible for managing what each one of them does — because you are the only person who holds all the information. One planner’s recommendations may conflict with what another planner is doing. Or, their recommendations may be redundant. The only way to avoid this is to have one team that understands all of your goals, circumstances, and decisions.

Yes. We offer investment options that match your values. We can build portfolios that are aligned with environmental, social, and governance (ESG) values. We believe that every investment has the potential to be impactful — and take pride in helping our clients vote with their dollars while making progress toward their financial goals.

No. Offering those types of products directly to our clients would disqualify us from running a true fiduciary fee-only firm. If your comprehensive financial plan indicates a need for insurance, annuity, or a mortgage, the ReFrame planners can introduce you to a vetted professional outside of our firm — and walk alongside them to ensure that you are taken care of. We do not receive any payment related to insurance, annuities, or mortgage products that you choose to buy. 

Yes! At ReFrame Wealth, we want you to be in the driver’s seat. You can request to work with the financial planner that you feel most comfortable with.