Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. At Swell, we act as your legal fiduciary. That means we put your interests first at all times. In practical terms, that means we only do what is best for you.

We know it sounds strange….don't all financial advisors have to provide advice that’s best for you? Surprisingly, no. Only an estimated 29% of all U.S. financial advisors can call themselves a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ that operates using the fiduciary standard.**

The rest? They fall under a different legal standard called “suitability.” That means they can recommend something suitable for you, even if it pays them a higher commission.

At Swell, you’ll work directly with a CFP® professional, meaning the advisor has earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ credential. All CFP®s act as your fiduciary. The CFP® mark also assures you that the professional has the experience and knowledge to serve you well. Those who have earned this mark must meet these rigorous requirements:

• Have at least 6,000 hours of financial planning experience
• Complete 18 to 24 months of extensive financial planning coursework
• Pass a 170 question, 6 hour comprehensive exam
• Stay up to date with continuing education
• Agree to follow the CFP® code of ethics

While there are other financial planning credentials out there, many simply require attending a short course and passing a multiple choice exam. These help with marketing more than benefit your bottom line.

Your money is too important, so we always recommend that you insist on working with a fiduciary and a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional, at a minimum.

**Cerulli Associates estimated study from 2018
https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/21/as-financial-advisor-shortage-looms-colleges-look-to-fill-talent-gap.html

That’s a great question since few financial advisors publish fees on their websites. At Swell, we believe that trust is built on transparency from the start. So you’ll find our fees and pricing clearly spelled out here.

We’re also a fee-only financial advisor, meaning we charge fees, not commissions. This minimizes the conflicts of interest that are so common in the financial industry. Instead of commissions, you pay us just as you’d pay other professionals such as your accountant or lawyer.

At Swell, you’ll never experience sales pressure, commissions, or wonder what you’re paying.

We have created a hybrid fee model based on the complexity of your financial planning needs. The fee is all-inclusive, so you’ll always know exactly what you will be paying—no nickel and diming here.

Our fee is based on a percentage of your assets under management plus a fee for monthly financial planning. Once calculated, you’ll pay one flat fee per month, just like you’d pay for Netflix or Spotify.

Nope. We have intentionally created our monthly Subscription model without an Asset Minimum so that you can get the help you need, no matter where you’re starting from. At Swell, we believe having a minimum asset requirement causes too many people to be excluded and go without financial advice at the time in their life they need it most.

No. At Swell, you’re not locked into a contract. You can cancel at any time. You won’t find any surrender charges or penalties here, either. Our goal is to provide relational-based planning, not transactional. We strive to earn your trust and business one month at a time. Should you decide to leave, our subscription model requires payment in arrears rather than advance, which would mean you would owe a prorated fee for your last month.

Research shows, time and again, that the deck is stacked against do-it-yourself investors. A study by DALBAR, an investor research firm, found that in a 30-year period when the S&P saw an average annual return of 11.1%, individual investors only averaged 3.69%. Put another way: individual investors only realized about one-third of the overall market’s return.

Why? Blame our human emotions. It’s difficult not to react with fear (selling after the market drops) or greed (buying too much of something that has gone up in value). These are powerful natural emotions, and it takes years of training to overcome these biases.

Fortunately, research suggests that working with a financial advisor can help you increase your returns, even after all fees are considered. A study by Vanguard found that by working with an advisor, individuals netted an extra 3% per year.

We’ve all known people who do well during crazy bull markets, only to give it all back once the trend changes. Bottom line, it’s a different skill set to hold on to wealth than create it. Most people are best served having a trusted advisor help them make important financial decisions. There’s too much at stake to take the risk of expensive mistakes that can derail your lifestyle.

At Swell, our goal is to help you achieve your goals. Part of that is the avoidance of financial mistakes which can set you back. That’s why we include unlimited support, so you can call, email, or text us any time we can help you with a financial decision.

Here’s what this can look like:

• You’re trying to decide whether you should buy or lease your next car
• You’ve got a question on whether you should choose a fixed or adjustable mortgage
• You’re trying to plan for rising health insurance costs and expenses

Or maybe it's more complex—you’re selling your business or weighing competing job offers. Whatever it is, we’re here for you, and you’ll never get a surprise bill from us.

With wealth management, you’re usually faced with a decision: go with a large firm and be a small fish in a big sea, or hire a small firm and get more individual attention.

At Swell, we are dedicated to helping every client make noticeable progress every year toward their goals, so we intentionally limit the number of households we work with.

But here’s the key: We’re small and independent, but we’re not alone.

We have a strong network of experts that we regularly collaborate with, so we can help you with many specialized needs. So this way, you get the benefits of a large firm without the problems you’ll likely encounter (less attention and more conflicts of interest).

From an investment standpoint, it’s always safest to have more than one person weighing in on your strategy. That’s why we have partnered with some of the industry’s largest, most reputable investment firms to stand on their shoulders and utilize their systems and research. We also partner with investment managers who actively manage your tax liability, which is an often underutilized strategy to increase your returns with less risk.

Over the past nine years, I have worked in just about every wealth management job and capacity, from back-office to lead planner. Seeing the various levels of client advice and service across the industry, I’ve arrived at the conclusion that smaller is better and financial planning requires more than an annual check-in. While I’ve always done my best to provide high-quality service everywhere I’ve worked, I would have preferred to spend more time with fewer clients to help them even more.

With Swell, I have intentionally limited the number of clients I work with to provide you the care and attention you deserve.