Q: How can you help me toward the process of achieving my financial goals?
A: We assist our clients by managing investment accounts and being a resource to assist with and answer any investment related questions.

Q: What kind of clients do you work with?                                                                                                                        

A: We work with clients who are committed to preparing for their financial future by investing for long-term growth. You should be prepared to make regular contributions to your retirement accounts, and believe there is a value in working with professionals for a reasonable fee to help you work toward achieving your financial goals.

Q: How will my accounts be managed?
A: Accounts will generally be placed in a custom portfolio containing 25% growth, 25% growth and income, 25% aggressive growth and 25% international or global managed mutual funds (or index funds if your tax situation warrants) for the equity side, and an appropriate fixed income model if needed.

Q: What are your fees?
A: You pay an annualized 1.5% on the assets we are managing for you. The fee is calculated based on your end of the quarter balance and is taken from your account balance quarterly. The amount is prorated based on any deposits or withdrawals you made during the quarter. IRA accounts are charged an additional $40 per year maintenance fee after the first year. We’ll send you more details about the technicalities of how the quarterly fee is calculated at the time the account is established. If you require additional advice services we’ll discuss any related fees for that with you. There may be small fees for transactions such as Roth conversions (not contributions).

Q: Once I am a client, how will my questions be answered?
A: You are free to email your questions to our team at any time. We will normally respond the same business day or no later than the next business day. In cases where it makes more sense to respond via a phone conversation, we’ll arrange for a mutually convenient time for that phone follow up call.

Q: Will I be contacted proactively by your team?
A: Yes, you will receive occasional updates via email ranging from general topics to timely economic updates. At least annually we’ll contact you via email to complete an annual review questionnaire, and you will also have the option for an annual phone or online meeting to go over anything including updates and changes to your circumstances.

Q: Who are your team members?
A: You can see more information about our local Orlando based team HERE. 

Q: Can I meet with you at your local office?
A: At this time we are meeting in person with our clients who have $200,000 or more in household assets that we manage. Relationships below that level begin with an online meeting and we correspond via email, and by phone appointments as needed. This is necessary in order to manage capacity and schedules. Once you reach that $200,000 threshold with us we will invite you for an in-person session at one of our local Orlando offices. You will be assigned a dedicated advisor and we’ll use the opportunity do some in-depth financial planning. Your annual fee percentage may be lowered as well.

Q: Can you help me if I currently have other accounts or retirement plans?
A: Yes, we will discuss all of your options during our consultations.

Q: Where will my accounts be held?
A: For your security, your investment assets should always be held at an SIPC insured institution. For more information about the SIPC click here. We use LPL Financial, the largest independent broker dealer in the United States (As reported by Financial Planning magazine, June 1996-2021), based on total revenue and a Fortune 500 company (Fortune 500 Company as of June 2021), to domicile your assets and provide us with needed services. Please click here for more information about LPL. So you will see LPL Financial referenced on many documents. All checks for deposit are to be made to “LPL Financial”. However you will work directly with our team at Merit Wealth Advisors and receive personalized services from us, you won’t need to contact LPL for anything. They provide services to us so we can service you better.

Q: How will I fund my account?
A: You will provide us with your bank checking or savings account information so that you can make deposits on a scheduled basis or when you request it.

Q: I’m interested in learning more, what are the next steps?
A: If we have not spoken before please schedule an initial phone conversation with us by clicking here. If we have already had our initial conversation and you’d like to schedule your online full assessment consultation please email us or schedule by clicking here. 

Q: What do we love about our job?
A: We get tremendous satisfaction out of helping people work toward achieving their financial goals and dreams. We find that many people want to do the right thing for themselves and their families, they just need the right help and guidance. It feels great to help people in the right way.

Q: What services do you offer your clients?
A: We offer investment management and ongoing financial advice. We can assist with saving for retirement, college savings, estate planning, insurance or other needs. Talk with us for more information about how we can help you specifically.

Q: What is your investment philosophy?
A: We believe in taking the time to assess your circumstances, investing in the market utilizing mostly mutual funds for diversification and for long term growth. We believe you should work with professionals who are available to answer questions and walk with you down the path toward a goal of financial independence.

Q: How will we communicate about my investments?
A: Our team will provide you with regular updates via email regarding investments, the market, important topics and other information that may impact you. In addition you may contact us any time via email and we’ll either respond via email or schedule a call to answer any questions you may have.

Q: How will you measure and evaluate my investment performance?
A: It’s important to focus on the big picture, concentrating on the entire portfolio not just the performance of one fund. There are times where one kind of fund does great and other does not perform as well, and that can change at any time. We’ll measure your performance adjusted for your long-term goals, market trends and risk tolerance level. Your rate of return will vary greatly over time, and while rate of return is important it is not the only important factor.

Q: Can you tell me why the last two clients you lost stopped working with you?
A: We have very little “turnover”, and clients have not stated that they have left us due to service or communication issues. The most common reason is that their circumstances have changed substantially. In those rare cases we part on good terms and offer to help again in the future if warranted. 

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