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Frequently Asked Questions
- Who do you serve?
- Who can benefit most from your services?
- How much money do you need to start a relationship with us ?
- How much do you charge for your services?
- Are the fees tax-deductible?
- How do you manage investment portfolios?
- Do you offer advisory services?
- Do you offer traditional brokerage services?
- If I come to you for a financial plan, am I obligated to purchase the recommended products or investments?
- Do you invest in the financial products you recommend to others?
- Do you provide legal services?
- Do you provide tax preparation and accounting services?
- Do you guarantee investment performance?
1. Who do you serve?
Our clients include individuals, corporations, small businesses, 401-K & profit sharing plans, estates and trusts.
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2. Who can benefit most from your services?
Investors who prefer to have us help them manage their money so their time can be put to better use with their families, grandchildren, hobbies, charitable work, etc. These individuals want to build a lasting relationship with their advisors, understand the value of a disciplined investment approach and are not looking to ‘win the lottery’ with their investments.
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3. How much money do you need to start a relationship with us ?
The Raymond James fee-based advisory program can best be utilized by those individuals or entities with at least $250,000 in investable assets.
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4. How much do you charge for your services?
Asset management fees are based on the value of assets under management as follows:
$100,000 to $249,000 - 1.5% annually
$250,000 to $999,000 - 1.00% annually
$1,000,000 to $2,499,000 - 0.75% annually
$2,500,000 and up - 0.50% annually
Accounts within a household can be aggregated to qualify for a lower fee.
Fees are calculated on the previous quarter ending balance and are payable in advance.
Account Management Fees can be deducted automatically from the account or billed to the client.
For financial planning only, the client is charged by the hour or a predetermined fixed fee basis. The charge for a typical financial plan runs $1,000 to $1,500 but may be more or less depending on circumstances. The charge for hourly work is $150 an hour. Financial planning is free for asset management clients.
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5. Are the fees tax-deductible?
Section 212 of the Internal Revenue Code permits an itemized deduction for tax and /or investment advice, subject to certain restrictions. Please be sure to contact your tax advisor to discuss your specific situation.
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6. How do you manage investment portfolios?
Since begining my career in the investment management business in 1991, I have been taught that prudent investment management consisted essentially of buying, holding, and monitoring a diversified portfolio of well managed investments over the long term. Further, I was taught that one should NEVER attempt to 'time' entry or exit into the financial markets. Over the past several months, I have come to realize that this concept is false unless one has an effectively unlimited investment time horizon and a VERY deep pocketbook. To help manage systematic risk, one must have a tool to be able to better judge entry and exit points into the market and its various components. We are not talking about so called day trading where one is literally in and out of the market on a daily basis. What we are talking about is analyzing longer term trends of supply and demand in order to better access price trends and compare how one investment is performing against another. The best analogy of this would be to think of a big river in which logs are floating downstream. The river is the market and the logs are various investments. The direction the river is flowing represents the trend. If the river is flowing toward where you want to go, hop on a log. The logs that are moving in front of the pile have the highest relative strength versus the logs at the back which may get all jammed up. However, if the river is flowing in the wrong direction, it doesn't matter what the speed of the logs are, you don't want to be on any of them!
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7. Do you offer advisory services?
Yes. We provide financial planning advice and asset management services ( Jeff Blaser, Jason Blair and Mike Dunning, as Registered Investment Advisor Representatives of Raymond James Financial Services) on a fee basis.
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8. Do you offer traditional brokerage services?
Yes, financial products can be purchased through Jeff Blaser, Jason Blair and Mike Dunning as registered representatives affiliated with Raymond James Financial Services on a commission basis.
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9. If I come to you for a financial plan, am I obligated to purchase the recommended products or investments?
No. However most clients who agree with our recommendations typically implement their plan through us.
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10. Do you invest in the financial products you recommend to others?
Yes. The principals and affiliates of RetireCare Solutions® and Raymond James may personally invest in the products we recommend to our clients.
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11. Do you provide legal services?
No. However we can recommend legal counsel to those who need an attorney and do not have one. We are not compensated for referrals.
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12. Do you provide tax preparation and accounting services?
No. However we can recommend a CPA to those who need an accountant and do not have one. We are not compensated for referrals.
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13. Do you guarantee investment performance?
No. While past performance does not guarantee future results we believe that a disciplined investment strategy (see: How do you manage investment portfolios?) is the best defense in a difficult market environment.
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