As an independent registered investment advisor, we provide customized portfolio management and financial planning on a fee-only basis exclusively to individuals and families.  Most clients come to us during a time of transition, such as retirement, divorce, changing jobs, receiving an inheritance or business transactions.

Financial Planning

We work with our clients to identify, prioritize and achieve their long-term financial goals.  For most of our clients, retirement is the primary objective and we focus our efforts on retirement income planning.  We also offer guidance related to estate planning, charitable giving, education funding, insurance, real estate and various other issues.

As an independent registered investment advisor without a broker-dealer affiliation, we do not collect commissions or referral fees.  And because we don’t have a financial incentive to recommend any one product, our advice comes free from conflicts of interest.

Investment Management

Most financial advisors utilize mutual funds, hedge funds, exchange traded funds and other commingled investment vehicles in client portfolios.  By outsourcing client portfolios to third party fund managers, these advisors never fully understand what they own and why they own it.  Furthermore, each fund generally assesses a second layer of fees, creating a major headwind as returns compound over many years.

By investing in individual stocks and bonds, we know exactly what we own and we can avoid poorly-timed and panicked decisions.  This level of transparency also gives our clients a sense of comfort during the inevitable market swoons.

In qualified retirement plans where investments are limited to mutual funds, we advise clients to minimize fees and turnover while focusing on asset allocation and periodic rebalancing.

Fee-Only

Atwater Malick provides fee-only asset management and financial planning.  Rather than earning a commission based on product sales, we charge a fee based on the value of a client’s portfolio.  We believe this compensation model encourages long-term relationships and ensures that our incentives are aligned with each client’s.  And as a registered investment advisor, we follow a fiduciary standard, which requires us to act in our clients’ best interest.

Proactive Communication

As an independent firm not beholden to a corporate parent, client satisfaction is the cornerstone of our business.  We meet directly with clients on a regular basis and send original market commentary and financial planning updates via email.  We respond promptly to all client inquiries and proactively schedule regular meetings to help clients stay on track toward meeting their financial goals.

Please send us a message to set up an in-person meeting.