SELECTING YOUR INVESTMENT ADVISOR

A recent article in the Wall Street Journal ("Due Diligence: Five Key Rules to Heed Before Hiring a Financial Adviser, Jonathan Clements, Getting Going column, May 31, 2006) set forth five key requirements for hiring a financial adviser. In short, they were:

1. Use fee-only advisers
2. Use knowledgeable, trained advisers
3. Avoid advisers who won't commit to acting as a fiduciary
4. Pick an adviser who provides more than investment advice
5. Watch your adviser's fees

This is important advice, and we think its right. For our managed accounts, we meet all of those criteria. Specifically, as to each point in that article.

1. We charge only a simple fee, based on the amount of assets you entrust to us. We earn no part of commissions on trades in your account.
2. Our advisers are knowledgeable and trained advisers, with years of education and experience in finance and money management, taxes and planning. See our biographies on this website.
3. Our advisers are registered investment advisers. Under state and federal law, they must meet the demanding standards of a fiduciary, placing your financial welfare above even their own. Commissioned brokers are not required to meet this high standard of care.
4. As part of our service, we conduct one or more extended meetings with you, and prepare a financial plan for your future. We examine a wide range of issues relating to your financial circumstances including taxation, estate planning, risk management, and planning for important life goals and milestones, such as housing, education and retirement. We are also frequently called upon to assist clients with advice regarding their mortgages, their businesses, and other major financial decisions. (See our wealth management services.)
5. We are proud of our fee structure, which we believe to be highly competitive for our profession. We invite you to compare.

We invite you to take a look at several illustrative examples of our services, and see how we might be of help to you.