What Makes BDFP Different? | Why Choose BDFP?

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Fee-Only

"Fee-Only" refers to our compensation structure. To avoid conflicts of interest, fee-only planners are compensated solely with fees paid by their clients and do not accept commissions or compensation from any other source. Since BDFP does not sell products or receive commissions or other compensation from third parties, you can feel completely confident that our interests are aligned with yours and our recommendations are completely impartial and unbiased.

 

 

CFP®

Working with a Certified Financial Planner® practitioner allows you to be confident that you are working with a financial advisor who is highly competent and committed. Many stock brokers and other financial services providers call themselves "financial planners", but most do not have sufficient training and experience to provide full suite of financial services and advice that a CFP® practitioner can. In order to obtain the CFP designation, a financial planner must satisfy the following requirements:

• Education: An individual must become knowledgeable in the CFP Board's financial planning topics, either through a series of classes or self-study. These topics include investments, tax, the mathematics of financial planning, insurance, estate planning, employee benefits and retirement planning.

• Examination: Passing the comprehensive, 2-day CFP® Certification Examination is the next requirement towards achieving certification. The CFP® Certification Examination assesses an individual’s ability to apply financial planning knowledge, in an integrated format, to financial planning situations.

• Experience: A CFP® candidate must have three years of relevant financial planning experience and a bachelor's degree to fulfill the education requirement.

• Ethics: Finally, a financial planner must agree to abide by CFP Board's Code of Ethics and Professional Responsibility which puts clients' interests first and abide by the Financial Planning Practice Standards which spell out what clients should be able to reasonably expect from the financial planning engagement.

 

 

Retainer

Our retainer fee structure guarantees that your fee is individualized to suit your particular situation and the work to be done for your plan. Unlike many financial planners, BDFP won’t turn you away if you don’t have a particular minimum net worth. Conversely, your fee isn’t automatically higher due to a higher asset base because your fees will not be solely based on the value of the assets you entrust to our management. For more on the details of my fee structure, please see the fee section of our website.

 

 

Ongoing Financial Planning and Asset Management

Our emphasis is on ongoing financial planning. While many financial planning firms simply manage your assets and do little else, BDFP will update your plan as circumstances change, and keep you apprised as your options change. This gives you the confidence that your financial plan is current and that we will adapt it to your constantly-changing life circumstances. Additionally, our system of quarterly re-balancing guarantees that your portfolio is actively maintained and updated at least four times per year.

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A Lean Operation

We run a lean operation -- This means that none of your money is channeled into overhead costs such as an extravagantly furnished office, an elaborate marketing campaign, or mailings filled with superfluous information that you do not need. What we do offer you is straightforward, high-quality financial planning services and information which are pertinent to you...OK, and a warm cup of coffee when you come in for a meeting.

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