Switching Financial Advisors
You're paying for advice and mostly getting a portfolio review. Whether you've already decided to make a change or you're just tired of wondering, this covers both halves — what a better arrangement actually looks like, and what it takes to get there.
What's usually missing
There's rarely a single moment. It's usually an accumulation.
You get performance, not planning. Once a year you see a few pie charts and a benchmark comparison. Nobody has asked what you're planning to spend, when you're claiming Social Security, or what happens to the plan if one of you dies first.
Your questions get answered, but not really. You ask about Roth conversions and hear that it's something to look at. You ask what you're paying and get a percentage rather than a number. Nothing is wrong, exactly. It's just never specific.
Nobody's talking to your CPA. Your advisor manages the portfolio, your accountant files the return, and neither one has ever picked up the phone. The tax planning that lives between them isn't happening.
You've gotten more complicated and the service hasn't. Retirement moved from theoretical to five years out. There's a pension decision, an inheritance, a second home, a kid who needs help. You're getting the same service you got when you had a 401(k) and a question about index funds.
You're not sure what you're paying for anymore. This is the one people say last and mean most.
None of these are scandals. Nobody stole from you. That's part of what makes this hard to act on — there's no clean moment that justifies a decision, so it keeps not getting made.
What it looks like when it's working
You ask what you can spend, and you get a number. Not a range, not "you're in good shape." An actual figure, with the reasoning behind it and the tradeoffs spelled out. It's the question everyone has and almost nobody gets answered.
The tax strategy actually happens. Tax preparation and filing are part of the relationship: returns are prepared and filed through a partner tax firm, and Heritage coordinates the work. The Roth conversion we model is the one the return reflects, because nothing falls into the gap between your advisor and your accountant.
You hear from us before you have to ask. A tax law changes, the market has a rough quarter, your daughter asks about a down payment — you shouldn't be the one initiating that conversation. Most of what makes a plan work is somebody noticing things on your behalf.
It's the same person every time. David Fortosis, CFP® is who you meet, who builds the plan, and who picks up the phone in four years when something changes. No rotating associates, no getting handed to the service team once the paperwork is signed.
We'd rather meet in person. We're in Naperville and work with people across the western suburbs — Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Geneva, St. Charles. Most meetings happen at our office. Video works when it needs to, but if you're nearby we'd rather sit down together.
One fee, and you'll know what it is. We charge 1% of the assets we manage, and that single number covers retirement planning, investment management, and strategic tax planning, with returns prepared and filed through a partner tax firm that we coordinate.
Start with a second opinion. It's free.
You don't have to decide anything yet.
If you're working with an advisor and want an outside read on whether your plan holds up, we'll do that at no cost — a genuine look at your portfolio, your fees, and the tax picture, with a straight answer at the end.
Sometimes that answer is that you're in decent shape and should stay put. We've told people that. It costs us nothing to be honest and it's the only version of this that's worth offering.
If you decide to make a change, we handle the transfer paperwork and coordinate the move with the custodian. We identify anything unusual in the accounts before assets move.
Book a free second opinion