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1700 Ashwood Drive Suite 1701 Canonsburg, PA 15317

724-260-0491
info@steinwealth.com
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FAQ


  • Many people are used to saving money towards a specific financial goal. Maybe you’re currently saving in your company sponsored 401(k) plan or perhaps you have a brokerage account with some stocks or mutual funds. This is where it can get very confusing! How much should I be saving? What types of investments are suitable for me? What else should I be doing? Am I on track? A financial advisor will help you put together a game plan that is specific to you and your goals. If you have asked yourself any of these questions then you should consider working with a Financial Advisor.

  • If you have made the decision that working with a Financial Advisor is right for you then the next step is to determine who you should work with. A few key questions to ask your Financial Advisor are:

    • What experience do you have?
    • Are you a Certified Financial Planner ™ Professional?
    • What types of clients to you typically work with?
    • How will I pay for your financial planning services?
    • Do others stand to gain from the financial advice you give me?

  • Most people think all financial planners are “certified,” but this isn’t true. Anyone can use the title “financial planner.” Only those who have fulfilled the certification and renewal requirements of the CFP Board can display the CFP® certification trademarks which represent a high level of competency, ethics and professionalism. Because a CFP’s® are held to a fiduciary standard of care when providing financial planning services, a CFP® professional is required to act in your best interest. Josh and Melissa have been CFP® professionals since 2011 and continue to maintain their accreditation by completing all the CE and ethics requirements on an annual basis.

  • Under federal law, the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, investment advisers are regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) or appropriate state authorities and are required to provide services to their customers under the fiduciary standard. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals providing financial planning services also must abide by the fiduciary standard, as defined by CFP Board. Stein Wealth Advisors is a full-service financial services firm.  This standard nevertheless requires a high duty of care for all CFP® professionals and we shall at all times place the interest of the clients ahead of our own, as outlined in the CFP board code of ethics and standards of conduct.

  • Our Process:
    We walk our financial planning clients through a detailed process to help them pursue their financial goals. You can read about our process in more detail under our Services menu on the website.

    Our Credentials:
    In addition to being CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professionals we are also Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor’s ™ (CRPC ® )*. Individuals who hold the CRPC® designation have completed a course of study encompassing pre-and post-retirement needs, asset management, estate planning and the entire retirement planning process using models and techniques from real client situations. Additionally, individuals must pass an end-of-course examination that tests their ability to synthesize complex concepts and apply theoretical concepts to real-life situations.

    We hold the following securities registrations which are held through LPL Financial:

    • FINRA Series 7 registered as a General Securities Representative
    • FINRA Series 24 registered as a General Securities Principal
    • FINRA Series 66 registered as an Investment Advisor Representative
    • Pennsylvania licensed to sell Life/Accident/Health Insurance

    *CRPC conferred by College for Financial Planning.

    Independence:
    Through our alliance with LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, we are able to offer our clients comprehensive financial advice. Because we don’t work for a bank,  or an insurance company  we do not have any proprietary investments or products.  Instead of reporting to a CEO or a shareholder we report to each and every one of our clients.

  • Your initial consultation with us is always at no cost or obligation to you. We commit to clearly answer your questions about initial and ongoing costs and fees and let you know what you can expect to receive.  Our goal is to be completely transparent regarding fees. Generally, we charge a flat fee for our services which is an annual fee that is automatically deducted from our clients’ accounts on a quarterly basis. Our fees range from 1.4% down to 0.55% depending on the amount of assets we mange for you. During our initial consultation we will review our fee structure with you in detail. For clients who do not have assets that are able to be managed by us directly we may charge them a flat annual fee that may range between $1,500 and $5,000 per year. Our clients are never tied to us and are able to cancel their services at any time if they choose. We pride ourselves on being a full and fair disclosure firm where our clients know exactly what they are paying us with no hidden or extra fees.

  • Each client’s investment portfolios are selected by our investment committee to focus their specific needs. We first take into consideration your individual goals, investment timeframe, risk tolerance and your overall financial plan. We then construct a customized portfolio that pursues your personal needs. Our portfolios are designed in an effort  to minimize investment fees and expenses while keeping your funds liquid and flexible. We often utilize diversified investments such as low-cost mutual funds and exchange traded funds aiming to optimize our clients’ accounts.

  • We generally do not operate on a commission or a transactional basis with our clients. Most of our accounts are set up through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, on a level fee basis. If it is in our client’s best interest to engage in a non-fee-based arrangement through our Broker-Dealer, LPL Financial, we will fully disclose any associated commissions or transaction costs up front and in writing prior to any investments being utilized.

  • We provide a wide range of services to our clients. You can read all about our specific services under the services tab at the top of our website.

  • We take the design, implementation and monitoring of our clients’ accounts very seriously. You can read about our approach to investing in more detail under the services tab at the top of our website.

  • We have a very specific service model that we tailor to meet each client’s individual needs. Typically, we establish a basic service schedule that revolves around 1-2 in-person meetings per year with 1-2 additional phone calls. The frequency of contact will greatly depend on the level of complexity and the agreed upon service schedule for each client. Regardless of our agreed upon service schedule we have an open door policy for every client. This means that if a client needs to meet in-between our service schedule for any reason whatsoever, we will make time for them. We do not charge for additional meetings or phone calls.

  • Absolutely! Our clients are spread out all over the country. Many of our local clients are busy working professionals who find it hard to make time for an in-person meeting. We can offer a completely virtual experience where you will receive the same level of service without ever walking into our office. This is accomplished through phone calls, web meetings, and electronic document signatures. You are welcome to choose all or any of your services to be received through our virtual format.

  • Absolutely! In fact one of our value propositions is that we will assist with the coordination of other service professionals in your life. If you do not have other service professionals we are happy to provide you with recommendations from people we know and value.  You are under no obligation to use their services of and may choose any qualified professional to provide CPA and/or legal services.  These entities and their services are not affiliated with LPL Financial and Stein Wealth Advisors.

  • LPL Financial is a registered investment advisor. We provide investment advice through LPL Financial to our clients who engage in a fee-based relationship.

    LPL Financial is a registered broker/dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC. Our non-fee based accounts are offered through LPL Financial.

  • We understand that it can be hard to build up the courage to meet with a financial advisor. Nobody likes that feeling of sitting down and receiving a sales pitch. Here’s our commitment to you during our initial consultation.

    • We will meet for approximately one hour and twenty minutes.
    • We will listen to your concerns and questions.
    • We ask about your short-term and long-term goals.
    • We seek to understand what is important to you.
    • We gather your current financial data so that we can research and design a tailored investment strategy for you (with your permission.)
    • We educate you about our process, services & fee structure.
    • We will not ask you to make a decision during this meeting. We will not pressure you in any way.
    • We will treat you with respect and keep your personal information private and confidential at all times.
    • Lastly, we will empower you to feel good about choosing to become a part of our firm. Our clients are our family. Our goal is to build a long-term relationship based on trust.