Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Welcome to Eppes Wealth Management’s FAQ page. Here, we address the most common questions about our financial planning and wealth management services to help you make informed decisions about your financial future.

1. What services does Eppes Wealth Management offer?

We provide comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services tailored to families, young professionals, and retirees. Our services include investment management, retirement planning, tax-efficient strategies, estate planning, and personalized financial advice.

2. Who can benefit from your financial planning services?

Our services are designed to assist a broad range of clients, including young professionals starting their financial journeys, growing families planning their futures, and retirees looking to protect and manage their wealth.

3. What is a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA)?

An RIA is a firm registered with the SEC or state regulators that provides fiduciary financial advice. Investment advisors at fee-only fiduciary RIAs are legally obligated to act in the best interest of their clients, ensuring unbiased and transparent financial guidance.

4. How does Eppes Wealth Management create a financial plan?

We begin with a detailed assessment of your current financial situation, goals, risk tolerance, and timeline. Using this information, we develop a customized plan that includes investment strategies, savings goals, tax planning, and retirement objectives tailored to your unique needs.

Our firm’s financial planning process closely follows the CFP® Board’s 7 Step Financial Planning Process. For a detailed breakdown of this process and an example case study, check out this guide from the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards.

5. What makes Eppes Wealth Management different from other financial advisors?

Two main things set us apart:

We’re a small, boutique RIA offering a personalized, concierge feel to wealth management.

• Many advisors at larger firms are overloaded with clients. One of the primary reasons that people leave advisors is due to the quality of the relationship. EWM is an independent firm and we aim to keep it that way, providing an old-school personal touch to your investments and financial decision-making.

• Our fee-only fiduciary status sets us apart.

  • Fewer than 2% of advisors are both fee-only and fiduciaries — meaning that they don’t receive commissions and are held to the fiduciary standard. We are both!

  • We proudly maintain memberships to the Fee-Only Network, National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), and XY Planning Network, all of which require members to sign a fiduciary oath and to strictly adhere to a fee-only model.

We believe this joint focus on keeping the firm small, independent, and personal, plus our fee-only fiduciary status, will lead to the best outcomes for our clients and for our community.

6. How often will we review my financial plan?

We recommend reviewing your financial plan at least annually or whenever there is a significant life event (such as marriage, the birth of a child, sabbatical, career change, or retirement). For our private wealth management clients, we conduct semiannual reviews, ensuring that your plan stays aligned with your goals.

Wealth management clients also receive occasional notes from our trading desk on macroeconomic conditions, tax strategies, personal finance best-practices, market conditions, general financial education, brain-teasers, and amusing anecdotes from financial history.

7. What investment strategies do you use?

These principles are the foundations of our investment philosophy:

Efficient Markets

• Markets are generally efficient — prices reflect all available information.

• Passively managed mutual funds are ideal for building globally diversified portfolios.

Asset Allocation

• According to Brinson, Hood, & Beebower in “Determinants of Portfolio Performance,” asset allocation explains 94% of portfolio performance — far more than picking stocks (4%) or timing the market (2%).

• Focuses on spreading investments across different asset classes (“baskets”), not just individual securities.

• We create an asset allocation tailored to your individual goals, time horizon, and risk tolerance.

Modern Portfolio Theory

• Combining asset classes with low correlations maximizes return for a given level of risk.

• The goal is to build portfolios with high-return assets that don’t move in sync.

Global Diversification

• Investing across global markets helps reduce risk and improve long-term returns.

• We believe global diversification is essential for risk-adjusted performance.

Portfolio Rebalancing

• Rebalancing keeps your portfolio aligned with your target asset allocation.

• It involves selling what's done well and buying what's underperformed — “buying low” and “selling high.”

• Reduces risk and helps avoid emotional investing driven by fear or greed, which frequently leads investors to “buy high” and “sell low.”

• Rebalancing requires discipline. This is a key reason to work with a financial advisor, so they can help you avoid “buying high” and “selling low.”

Passively Managed Funds

• We build portfolios using low-cost, tax-efficient index funds (primarily Vanguard and Schwab funds).

• Passive funds support long-term performance and broad diversification.

8. How are your fees structured?

We offer transparent and competitive fee structures, typically based on a percentage of assets under management (AUM) for our wealth management clients and a fixed fee for one-time financial plans. All fees are negotiable, and we do provide adjustments depending on client complexity and portfolio size. We believe in clear communication about fees, with no hidden charges.

9. Can you help with retirement planning?

Yes, retirement planning is a core service. We help clients estimate retirement income needs, select the right investment vehicles, optimize Social Security benefits, and develop withdrawal strategies to sustain income through retirement.

10. How do you stay up-to-date with financial regulations and market trends?

Our team regularly attends continuing education, industry seminars, and maintains certifications to ensure we provide current and compliant financial advice based on the latest market and regulatory developments.

11. How do I get started with Eppes Wealth Management?

Start by contacting us for a complimentary consultation. We’ll discuss your financial goals, introduce our services, and determine how we can best assist you in achieving financial success.

For further questions or personalized advice, please contact the Eppes Wealth Management team. We are committed to helping you build and preserve your wealth with confidence.