The real questions people ask before becoming a client.

One way: a quarterly fee, billed as a small percentage of the assets we manage on your behalf. The fee is automatically debited from your Schwab account and disclosed clearly on every statement.

Tiered schedule: 1.00% on first $1M, 0.85% above $1M, 0.70% above $3M, 0.55% above $5M. Effective rates drop as your account grows.

We do not earn commissions, sales loads, trail fees, or referral kickbacks. We are not paid by any fund company or insurance company. Our incentive is aligned with one thing: your account growing.

Yes — every mutual fund and ETF charges an internal expense ratio. This is true of every advisor on earth. The question is how big it is.

The funds in our typical portfolios charge 0.03%–0.10% annually. So a $500,000 portfolio pays roughly $150–$500/year in fund-level fees on top of our advisory fee. We disclose every basis point on the quarterly statement.

For ongoing investment management: $250,000. For 401(k) plan design and administration: no minimum, plan-level pricing.

If you're below the individual minimum but expect to be over it within a year or two (rolling over a 401(k), inheriting, selling a business), call anyway — we'll often start the relationship early.

No. Retirement projections, Roth conversion analysis, Social Security strategy, tax-coordination meetings with Unify CPA — all included in the advisory fee.

Tax prep is billed separately by Unify CPA at their standard rates. Wealth clients get priority scheduling and direct coordination, but the engagements are independent.

Active traders, options/crypto-focused investors, anyone wanting frequent tactical trades, and anyone who wants weekly market commentary. Our edge is in being boring on purpose. If you want a stock-of-the-week newsletter, we'll happily refer you elsewhere.

One full annual review (90 minutes). One mid-year check-in (30–45 minutes). Plus whenever you call, email, or stop in — we don't gate access. Most clients average 3–5 substantive contacts per year.

No. They're sister firms, but completely independent engagements. We work with clients whose CPAs are across the country and give the same coordination effort to outside accountants we trust.

Yes. There are no surrender fees, no contracts, no penalties. Your assets are at Schwab in your name — you can fire us with 24 hours notice. Most clients stay because they want to, not because they're trapped.

Roughly 4–6 weeks from first call to fully invested portfolio. Schwab account opens in a few days; ACATS transfers from your existing custodian take 1–3 weeks; we trade in carefully so we don't realize unnecessary capital gains. We move slowly on purpose.

Almost never. We move your existing investments to Schwab without selling them, then evaluate each holding for cost basis, tax implications, and fit. Concentrated positions get a multi-year unwind plan to manage gains. We are not allergic to legacy holdings — only to bad ones.

Direct Schwab.com login (24/7 real-time), plus our quarterly written reports. We don't use a flashy aggregation portal because most of them charge clients a layered fee for doing what Schwab already does for free.

Honest answer: nobody knows. Long-run history says a 60/40 portfolio has averaged 7–8% annualized over 30+ year windows. Any year can be wildly different. Anyone giving you a specific number is selling something.

No. We're not trying to. We're trying to capture market returns at the lowest possible cost, with maximum tax efficiency, in a portfolio that fits your specific situation, while keeping you invested through the bad years. The long-running SPIVA scorecards consistently show that disciplined, low-cost indexing beats the majority of active managers over long periods — often by a wide margin.

Your portfolio drops, sometimes a lot. We rebalance into the decline, harvest losses, and keep your contributions flowing. We do not “get out” or “play defense.” Behavior is the alpha — we're hired in part to keep you from selling at the bottom.

Your assets are held at Charles Schwab — not at Unify. We have authority to manage but cannot move money to ourselves. Schwab is SIPC-insured ($500K per account). You log in directly to Schwab.com and see every transaction we execute. The structural separation is the protection.

Yes. As a Registered Investment Advisor, we are legally bound to act in your best interest at all times — not the “suitability” standard that applies to brokers. The fiduciary duty is documented in our Form ADV (linked in the footer).

David and Stephanie cover each other's clients — that's the first line of continuity. Your assets are held at Schwab regardless of who's advising, and you'd have full opt-out rights with zero friction at any time.

Yes — design, document drafting, recordkeeper selection, and ongoing 3(38) investment fiduciary. Coordinated directly with Unify Payroll for contribution processing. See the Business 401(k) page for plan tiers and details.

Yes. Plan takeovers are routine. We benchmark your current fees, document any compliance gaps, propose a transition plan, and handle the recordkeeper conversation. Most takeovers complete in 60–90 days.