A definable difference ensures you’re first in all we do

Because the founders of our practice wanted a better way to serve the comprehensive financial planning needs of clients, they chose not to build the practice around the more traditional “commission-based” model – where clients pay a commission for each stock transaction made – rather, they chose a “fee-based” model. In doing so, a fee is charged for managing assets around their careful preservation and attention to growth rather than collecting a commission when assets are bought or sold.

This means as our client, your overall financial planning needs will be carefully and methodically assessed before any talk of investments takes place. Once your goals and objectives have been clearly defined, only then will our team provide appropriate investment choices that align with your overall financial plan. Under your direction, the team will also consult with your other professional advisors, such as your attorney and CPA, to help ensure your financial plan aligns with each aspect of your life.

To make financial management less burdensome for you, the Chapman & Cardwell team provides discretionary investment service that greatly reduces your active involvement in the investment process. Rather than call you every time an investment decision must be made, we simply take action on your behalf, guided by a strict investment policy that is carefully crafted based on your tolerance for risk, unique time horizon and income requirement. This, in turn, frees you to focus on other more enjoyable aspects of your life rather than fielding sometimes-frequent phone calls for investment decisions.

Another important difference is that the Chapman & Cardwell team builds and manages its own investment portfolios. Investment selection and allocation for each diverse portfolio is done completely in-house – there’s no outsourcing here. The team meets weekly to review all portfolios, and any adjustments made are done collectively via a carefully defined process. As a client, you’ll work directly with the money managers responsible for your investments. This means when you have questions, you’ll receive answers directly from the source.

In a fee-based account clients pay a quarterly fee, based on the level of assets in the account, for the services of a financial advisor as part of an advisory relationship. In deciding to pay a fee rather than commissions, clients should understand that the fee may be higher than a commission alternative during periods of lower trading. Advisory fees are in addition to the internal expenses charged by mutual funds and other investment company securities. To the extent that clients intend to hold these securities, the internal expenses should be included when evaluating the costs of a fee-based account. Clients should periodically re-evaluate whether the use of an asset-based fee continues to be appropriate in servicing their needs. A list of additional considerations, as well as the fee schedule, is available in the firm's Form ADV Part 2A as well as the client agreement.

Investing involves risk and you may incur a profit or loss regardless of strategy selected.