Let's see if we're the right fit.
Fill out the application on this page and we’ll review it before we ever get on a call. If it looks like we can help, you’ll hear from us within one business day with a time to talk.
Get a plan that you are happy with or get your money back.
Once you pay your onboarding fee, we have 30 days to deliver a comprehensive financial plan that completely blows you away and earns your trust. If we fall short of the mark, your onboarding fee is completely refunded with no questions asked.
We won’t ask you to transfer any accounts until you’ve seen your financial plan and are satisfied with it. At that time, we plan on being your trusted partners for life in exchange for a single, transparent, flat-fee. Our relationship involves no long-term commitments and can be cancelled at any time if you stop receiving value from it.
No commissions, no kickbacks, no referral fees, no revenue sharing arrangements with custodians or fund managers – no shenanigans, only advice you can trust!
Start by introducing yourself.
Here's what people are asking.
Do I have enough money to be a client?
Currently, we are accepting clients who have $2M in investable assets excluding real estate. We hope to lower this minimum considerably in the future, but for the time being this isn’t feasible.
While anyone who meets our minimums will be well served regardless of what walk of life they’re in, individuals and families who are currently retired or are within 10 years of their target retirement age tend to be the best fit for us.
What are your fees and how are you compensated?
We charge a minimum flat fee of $15,000/yr and a one-time upfront onboarding fee of $5,000. Clients should expect this fee to be adjusted for inflation periodically.
If your situation involves more complexity, such as business ownership or advanced planning needs, additional fees may apply. The entirety of our comprehensive financial planning and portfolio management services are included in our flat fees. We do not charge assets under management (AUM) fees.
As fee-only advisors, we do not receive commissions, kick-backs, or third-party payouts on any products or investments that we recommend to our clients.
How often will we meet?
We will meet on multiple occasions during the onboarding process while your comprehensive financial plan is completed and delivered.
After this, all of our clients meet with us at least semi-annually – once in the Spring, and once in the Fall. We also have multiple touch points scheduled internally throughout the year to be sure that our clients are receiving personalized updates on their financial plan outside of our meetings.
Clients may also schedule calls or meetings outside of their semi-annual Spring and Fall meetings whenever they would like.
Are you a fiduciary?
Yes! Zach Lopez is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and is held to the following Code of Ethics by the CFP Board:
- Act with honesty, integrity, competence, and diligence.
- Act in the client’s best interests.
- Exercise due care.
- Avoid or disclose and manage conflicts of interest.
- Maintain the confidentiality and protect the privacy of client information.
- Act in a manner that reflects positively on the financial planning profession and CFP® certification.
Where will my accounts be held?
Client accounts are primarily custodied at Charles Schwab. Outside of being our preferred custodian, we have no affiliation with Charles Schwab.
Will I have access to my funds? How can I get money out?
Yes – all clients have full access to any assets under our management and funds are typically available within 2 business days of request.
You are also able to initiate trades, contributions, distributions, and internal transfers through your Charles Schwab online or mobile portal at your own discretion, although most of our clients prefer to have us handle those things.
Will my investment options be limited with you?
For the most part, no.
There are some funds that are exclusive to certain custodians, but we wouldn’t recommend our clients invest in these anyway because of our investment philosophy. Even in these cases, Charles Schwab typically has their version of these funds that are exclusive to them.
What is the account transfer process like?
It can depend on what kind of account is being transferred, but we handle as much as we possibly can for you to make the process as simple as possible. When they begin to work with us, almost every client comments on how easy and fast it proved to be to transfer their accounts.
All paperwork is prefiled by our team, so all you have to do is review and e-sign the account applications and transfer paperwork. This usually takes about 5 minutes. All forms are immediately sent to Charles Schwab for processing and assets usually arrive in your new accounts within 5-10 business days.
All assets are transferred in-kind, meaning no securities are sold during the transfer process. For a few weeks, transfer lines are kept open between Schwab and the delivering firm that will automatically sweep any residual assets left in your account, typically from dividends and interest that are paid out during this period.
On rare occasions, there might be some positions in your old account that can’t be custodied at Charles Schwab. In these cases, the assets must be sold and the cash will automatically sweep to Charles Schwab in the same process described above.
What payment methods are available to pay your fee?
Most clients select to have their fees directly debited from the accounts under our management. The IRS does NOT consider investment advisory fees deducted from retirement accounts to be taxable withdrawals, so there are no negative tax implications to this option.
We also have options for clients to pay their fees on a credit card or out of a bank account.
Do I have to move everything to you?
Typically, yes. We prefer to manage all accounts that are available for management so we can see your entire picture, ensure that our recommendations for your portfolio management are promptly acted upon (by us, of course), and retain our ability to accurately report performance of your investments and project your taxes.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t have a “fun money” account outside of our management or place some of your own trades in your accounts. But it is important to us that we’re transparent about who we are the best fit for, and that is for families who are ready to delegate their financial planning and portfolio management decisions to a professional.
Do you offer tax planning services?
Absolutely – in fact, this is one of our biggest differentiators when compared to our competitors.
Tax planning and optimization is the fifth step in our comprehensive financial planning process and we leave no stone unturned. Our goal is to utilize multiple advanced strategies that, when coordinated together, will minimize your lifetime tax bill and maximize your legacy. Many of our clients can expect to realize six-to-seven figure tax savings as a result of our planning.
Every year, the tax strategies we’ve agreed to execute on are re-evaluated with precision and communicated to you and your CPA for a smooth filing season.