You have questions and we have answers. Take a look through these frequently asked questions and if your question still hasn’t been answered, please contact us.

1. Do we need to meet in person?

   Our clients are located all over the United States, and we use video conferencing (as well as old fashioned email and phone calls) to stay connected and move through the planning process in a convenient way. We do our best to get face-to-face with each of our clients on a regular basis, but many of our regular meetings will be virtual.

2. I see a lot of Bible verses and talk of “biblical” concepts here - what does that mean for the clients you work with?
   We hear you.  We are convinced adherents to Biblical principles around here, and while we want our clients to know where our values find their origins, we don’t foist those same expectations onto them. That is to say, we want you to know where we’re coming from, no matter where you’re coming from. Even if you don’t believe the Bible, we want to help you unearth your purpose, etc., and serve you with excellence.

3. What does the typical schedule look like for the initial planning period?

   While it varies a bit from client to client, this meeting schedule outlines the basic flow and timing you can expect during the quick-start phase of your financial planning engagement.

4. After the initial planning period, what should I expect as an ongoing client?

   Beyond managing assets for clients, we also believe that ongoing planning is as important as the creation of an initial plan because things are always changing in your life. Our Waypoints Program is our annual rhythm to ensure that we are partnering with you to closely monitor 12 key areas of financial life as we keep your plan updated over time. We also hope that you consider us a key partner in navigating financial decisions as they arise, and make ourselves available to clients at any time to fulfill that role on your team.

5. I’m not in the ‘just starting out’ phase - do you work with people who are near or in retirement?

   Yes! We are skilled in helping those who are ready to transition from the accumulation phase of their financial life, to the distribution phase. For those who are transitioning to a new financial phase, we look at tax strategies and create flexible plans to manage risk and provide long term funding for your post-working years. But what really gets us excited is helping you enlist younger generations into your family vision. And we think you’re not too late to craft that vision, even during your retirement years. Whether you’re thinking about wealth transfer, generosity, or defining and sharing a multigenerational vision for the first time, we would love to guide you through this process.

6. Why do you guys do this, again?
   We do what we do because we see tons of families around us who have one (or more) of several problems:

   • Their money is in good shape but without a real defined family vision, they feel rudderless.  “Why are we increasing our wealth again? Just to win the invisible American game?”

   • They’ve just started family life and want to know which target they’re aiming for. They need an objective third party to review their lives and felt calling, and help them start in a direction that squares with their unique design.

   • They’ve been responsible with money and conservative in their budgets, and they’re out of the deep weeds of debt and poverty. Now what? Are they to just keep doing what they’ve done, or is it time to pivot into a broader life? Is it time to put real thought and intentionality toward giving, and create a lifetime spending plan, and put trusts into place for multi-generational impact? Success is often bewildering, and people who’ve broken through need friendly like-hearted counsel for the next stage.

   • They’re great on the vision/purpose/calling axis, but the money management… less so. This kind of family needs a financial planner who understands their vision and can sync up their finances to really power those goals.  

   • They have substantial resources and desire a skilled team of financial managers so that they don’t have to spend their time rebalancing investment portfolios and researching asset allocation (among many other things).

   We also feel that WE have a calling… and that calling is to help families create a self-sufficient culture that serves their unique gifts and callings (not ours). We call that self-sufficient family, along with all its resources and plans, an Outpost.  We’re here to help outposts come to life across the world.

7. There’s a lot of “we don’t take commissions,” “we don’t do stock-picking” etc. around here… but you WANT to make me money, right?

   Yes! We believe that one of money’s best uses is making more money--for the good of your family and for the good of others. We’re in the money multiplying business and we heartily expect all your money to grow! But we say that with, again, several caveats:

   • We don’t believe in money at any cost. There are many immoral and unethical ways to make money, including some in our own industry.  We won’t go there.

   • We don’t believe in “fast money”. We believe in prudential investing, for market returns, compounded over decades--and generations. We won’t chase short-term gains at the cost of long-term strategy.

   • Some things are worth more than money. A loving marriage, for example. A child’s health. A parent’s care. A community of faith. Sometimes using money--and making the stack a little smaller--is completely worth it. So the goal isn’t always growing richer according to the bottom line, as much as it is growing in the richness of life.

   At the end of all those caveats… YES! We want your money to grow by leaps and bounds!

8. What does it mean that you’re a fiduciary?

   Great question.  “Fiduciary” is one of those technical financial terms that often means far less to our clients than it does to those of us inside the industry. But we wish more people understood the term! Fiduciary means that we’re managing your property--not ours--and our duty is to act in your interests--not ours. It’s about trust, and we take that responsibility gravely.

   Many money managers, we hasten to add, avoid the accountability of being a fiduciary. They would much rather be a broker, shuffling money around and taking a cut off the top, while shifting responsibility to someone else.  

   Not us.

   We consider it an honor to steward that which does not belong to us, tending to your financial interests while you’re getting on with your life. We proudly wear the fiduciary badge and welcome the responsibility it confers onto us.