Frequently Asked Questions

Being a fee-only advisor means we’re only paid directly by our clients. We receive no commissions, referral fees, sales fees, loads or payments of any kind from any 3rd parties like brokers, fund companies, insurance companies, other investment managers or anyone else. This allows us to provide unbiased advice and a plan that is right for you. We don't sell. We advise.

Working exclusively as a Registered Investment Advisor, we are a fiduciary for our clients at all times. This means we must act in our clients’ best interests, placing client interests ahead of our own. Some advisors who sell financial products through brokers may work under the fiduciary standard some of the time, but under the suitability standard at other times. It can make it hard to know why your advisor is making a particular recommendation, and whether it is in your best interest. That never happens at Balanced Rock; we are fiduciary-only™, all the time.

We do not advertise or report firm or model investment performance. Our investment strategy is intended to perform similarly in risk and return to our target benchmarks. We provide each wealth management client with the actual net of fees performance for their portfolio compared to their risk-based benchmark on an ongoing basis, so that they can monitor and assess our actual performance.

No! Balanced Rock never takes actual custody of client funds or securities. We work with qualified custodians (like Charles Schwab) with whom we have relationships that hold our clients’ assets while allowing us to trade in the client accounts on their behalf. Balanced Rock only withdraws client funds for the payment of our management fee, when authorized by clients. All other transfers to 3rd parties must be approved in writing (or electronically) by clients.

No, but we can connect you with a tax preparer or free tax preparation resources, depending on your income and needs. See out DIY financial planning toolbox page for recommendations.

No, but we can connect you with an attorney who will prepare them. We can also help you think through your estate planning options and then title accounts and set up beneficiaries appropriately to implement your estate plan effectively. See our DIY financial planning toolbox page for estate planner recommendations and resources.

At Balanced Rock, we aim to provide comprehensive financial planning, investment management, philanthropic and values-based investment services to our clients. In order to provide this level of service for our reasonable fee, we generally only work with clients who would like to engage us to manage their entire portfolio of investable assets. We understand this may not be the right choice for every investor, and that other advisors may do things differently. But, in our experience, we have found that a comprehensive relationship leads to the most valued and productive advisor-client relationships.

We do have a written advisory agreement that clearly describes our relationship, the services we provide, and the fees we will charge. The agreement can be canceled at any time by written notice to Balanced Rock. Fees will only be due through the date of cancellation.

We use a multifaceted approach to data security, management, and monitoring including ongoing training of all personnel. All firm computer and phone devices are encrypted, 2-factor authentication is required for all systems containing private client information, and passwords are updated regularly. All employees commit to protecting client information through their participation in our ongoing compliance program and also sign confidentially agreements with Balanced Rock committing to protect client information during and after their employment.

Balanced Rock’s clients would be contacted by staff of Balanced Rock to notify them of any change in our ability to manage their assets. Balanced Rock does not hold any client assets, and all accounts would continue to be held by the same qualified custodians. Our goal would be a sale of Balanced Rock to its employees in the event that Daniel Flannery is no longer able to operate the business. However, clients would be able to obtain substantially similar account management from other Registered Investment Advisors as needed in the event of a failure of Balanced Rock and/or our continuity plan.