Picking the right financial advisor is an important and personal decision.
In order to help you make an informed decision, we’ve listed a few situations when we would not be the right financial advisor.
Our goal with this post is to be respectful of your time and upfront about who we are. Thank you for your consideration.
You Are Not Interested In Working With A Newer Company
Think Different Financial Planning (TDFP) was founded in March of 2021. Since then we have been growing consistently, have a stable base of clients, are profitable, and have many established processes in place. If you’d prefer to work with a company that has been around longer, we are not the right fit.
You Are Seeking An Older Advisor
The founder of TDFP, Will Steinberger, was born in 1987. He’s been in the industry since 2014 and is a Certified Financial Planner. If you’d prefer to work with someone older, we are not the right fit.
You Are Seeking A Financial Advisor AND Accountant
Accounting and financial planning are two unique professions. We feel it’s best to try and do one well, as opposed to being spread thin by two. We do review your tax situation and advise on tax-minimization strategies, but we don’t file your return. If you need a referral for a good accountant, we’re happy to provide one. We are also happy to communicate and work with your existing accountant.
You Do Not Want Assistance With Your Investment Management
If you do not want assistance with the operational side of your investment management, we are not a good fit. This includes: trading, rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting, and dollar-cost averaging into or out of an investment. TDFP opens accounts for clients at Charles Schwab, and we have the ability to trade and implement client-approved portfolios. This also allows us to provide performance reports. We do not have an account minimum, but we require at least one of your investment accounts (e.g., IRA, Roth IRA, brokerage account, trust account, etc.) be under our advisement.
You Want To Beat The Market or Use an Active or Reactive Investment Approach
If you want an investment manager who aims to predict near-term macroeconomic results (e.g., company earnings, interest rate movements, etc.), and incorporate those predictions into their investment approach, we are not a good fit. We primarily invest in globally diversified, low-cost, tax-efficient portfolios using passive exchange-traded funds. We don’t believe that you can beat the market, but think you are entitled to get market rates of return. Learn more about our Investment Philosophy.