Frequently Asked Questions

In a nutshell, we actively strive to prepare families to enjoy, grow and protect their wealth in support of their vision and values. When becoming an RPG client, you join a family. We take ownership of the responsibility of your financial success by employing a comprehensive approach to planning that covers all areas of finances including investments, taxes, retirement, insurance, philanthropic solutions, and estate planning. You can read more about our comprehensive services here.

We provide a comprehensive financial planning solution to families, professionals, and entrepreneurs looking to simplify their financial life. Our clients are able to focus their attention and efforts on their business and personal matters, knowing that their financial matters are well attended. Our ideal client is prudent and disciplined, seeks professional counsel, and needs a long term, comprehensive planning relationship.

We generally help clients who have saved at least $500,000 of investable assets but we also work frequently with clients who have most of their wealth tied up in a business or young professional families who are beginning to save.

Our advisors individually specialize in certain niches where unique expertise or experience gives clients customized and higher value advice. For example, John Howard specializes in working with special needs families and business owner physicians. Additionally, Alan Thomson specializes in working with mid-career professional families, and physicians. You can read more about the individual specialties of our advisors on their respective bio pages here.

No. We believe in letting you see our value rather than just telling you about what we do. We provide two complimentary meetings where we get to know you and then provide you with option to have a Strategy Session so you can experience the value of our service.

We are a Fee-Only advisor and our fees are generally a percentage of the assets we manage on your behalf. The fee rate starts at 0.25% per quarter and drops for larger asset balances. Fees are debited quarterly from the portfolio based on the value of your managed assets and we seek to debit them in the most tax efficient manner for each client. For early or mid-career professionals who have yet to accumulate significant savings, we also offer a fixed monthly retainer fee.

Your relationship with RPG is at-will. There is no minimum time or fee to a relationship. If you elect to terminate us as an advisor, your assets will remain invested with the existing custodian.

It is first important to understand that only a small percentage (estimated as less than 5%) of financial advisors are truly Fee-Only. Most advisors charge covert commissions, mutual fund loads, or profit from selling products like insurance and annuities. Additionally, many financial advisors only really provide investment management and not comprehensive financial planning. We encourage you to compare our fees against other Fee-Only comprehensive planners.

Of the nearly 600,000 financial advisors in the United States, less than 12% have the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) designation. We believe strongly that anyone providing financial advice should have the CFP designation and all of our advisors maintain this credential. Additionally, John Howard is a Certified Public Accountant and has unique expertise in estate planning as evidenced by a JD from Emory University.

Our investing methodology is based on rigorous academic evidence, not Wall Street forecasts. We utilize a discipline that removes emotion and focuses on adding reliable sources of after-tax excess return. The process begins with the development of an investment policy consistent with each client’s specific risk tolerance and goals. Using this framework, we construct a tax-efficient and globally diversified portfolio favoring low-cost, passive investments. We then apply a risk-management discipline to help minimize losses which, in turn, helps our clients avoid the behavioral mistakes induced by fear and greed.

We meet with clients as often as needed. In the first year of a relationship, we generally need several meetings to tackle important planning items. After the first year, we can meet as often as 3-4 times per year but no less than once per year to ensure that the financial plan is on track.

You work with a dedicated team comprised of two advisors and a client service specialist. We seek to learn enough about each client so we can assign advisors who are best suited for the needs, stage of life, and career. That said, we pride ourselves in client service so you can always speak with any member of our team.

While many of our clients are located in the metro Atlanta and Golden Isles (St. Simons Island) areas of Georgia, we do work with clients all around the United States. We stay connected through technology, web meetings, and some out-of-state travel. If you prefer to find a locally-based provider, browse our Financial Links page for other independent fee-only financial advisors.

No. We are far removed from a stock broker and we are resultantly not a good fit for someone who wants to trade individual stocks and bonds. One big difference is that we are a fiduciary by law meaning that we are required to work in our client’s best interest. Brokers are compensated based on the securities they sell and any advice they provide is not required to be in the client’s best interest. Additionally, we are a comprehensive financial planner which means that investment management is only one of many services we provide to clients.

Our clients’ accounts are held at either Charles Schwab, TD Ameritrade or similar custodian through whom we simply have authority to view and trade these accounts. You have 24/7 access to all of your assets at these custodians.

You will receive monthly statements from the custodian and consolidated quarterly reports from RPG which show all of your investments in one place.

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