FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
What is your service area?
Granite Bay Wealth Management’s offices are located in downtown Portsmouth, NH. Our primary service area includes the Seacoast of New Hampshire, York County in Maine, and North Shore of Boston and Massachusetts, and the Greater San Francisco area. However, we have clients in several states across the country and we will work with anyone who is a good fit for our firm, regardless of location.
What do clients typically ask you in a first meeting?
In the first meeting clients typically want a better understanding of the financial planning process. They mostly just want to know that we have the tools and experience to tell them if they will be able to meet their long term financial goals. They typically also ask about Fees and where we hold assets.
What services do you provide?
We provide comprehensive wealth management, which includes both financial planning and investment management. Beyond that we can help as a resource for any area of your financial life. Clients come to us first with things like estate planning, buying a house or planning for college. We have a vast network of professionals to help with any major financial decision. We develop a personal relationship that aims to help clients achieve financial life goals.
What is a fiduciary?
A financial advisor acting in a fiduciary capacity is legally and ethically bound to place their client’s interests first. This helps establish and maintain a relationship of trust between the advisor and client. Any advisor claiming to be a fiduciary should be willing to put it in writing in their client agreement.
Who is your typical client?
Our clients have large, complex financial situations that require comprehensive, integrated, and personalized advice. We serve as our clients’ financial advocate, helping them to find the most suitable financial plan and service offerings for their needs. While our clients’ investable assets typically exceed $1 million, we are able to serve clients at every asset level. We are also proud to serve multiple generations of many of our client families.
When is it a good time to seek our advice?
Typically, the time for someone to start working with a wealth advisor is when they go through life transitions and find themselves in a more complex financial sitiuation, such as:
- Inheritance
- Retirement
- Divorce or passing of a spouse
- Sale of a business
- Changes in your job or company such as an Initial Public Offering
People who might find themselves with the fortune of a complex financial situation might need guidance on tax-efficient strategies, concentrated stock management, portfolio diversification needs, charitable giving, or just peace of mind.
Is there a cost for the first meeting?
No, we use this first meeting to determine whether or not we can effectively be of service to you, as well as to allow you to evaluate us. In other words, it’s a time for us to get to know one another and determine if we are fit
What is the process of becoming a client?
We typically have an introductory meeting to listen to your needs, ask questions, provide some initial analysis and see if it’s a good fit. We will review your planning needs and current investment portfolio. There is no cost or obligation for these introductory meetings.
If I become a client, how long do I have to commit?
There is no required length of commitment. However, we strongly recommend long-term thinking when embarking on any new investment strategy or relationship.
How have your portfolios performed over the last 10+ years?
We can discuss our average return expectations and goals. However, we do not publish them. In order to publish returns, we would have to have all of our investment portfolio performances audited each and every year at a significant cost. This performance audit is called GIPS Certification. Because this certification is so costly, we as a firm have opted not to partake in this process as it would require us to increase our fees.
How do I know my money is safe?/ Who holds your clients’ assets?
One of the most important considerations when choosing to work with a wealth manager is where they “custody” assets. A custodian is who holds your investments. When you work with our firm, your assets are held at Charles Schwab- the largest RIA custodian in the U.S. with 7.5 trillion under management. We never have access to your funds other than making the investment changes and acting with your written permission.
How are you compensated?
Our main source of compensation is in the form of an asset-based advisory fee. We believe that the advisory relationship works better if our compensation is asset-based instead of commission-based. This approach helps reduce conflicts of interest and more closely aligns client and advisor goals. If our clients’ assets grow, our income grows; the reverse also holds true. We have an incentive to treat the assets as if they were our own.
Do you have a minimum portfolio size?
Our minimum portfolio starts at $250,000 for individual wealth management clients. If your current asset level does not meet our minimum requirements, but you have unique circumstances you would like to discuss, please do not hesitate to give us a call at (603) 610-8881.
cash flow planning investment advice, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance analysis, and risk management. Overall, the goal of a financial planner is to help clients make informed financial decisions and achieve long-term financial security and success. Learn more about our financial planning services.
