Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to common questions about working with SRB Advisors, our process, fees, and how we help university and state employees plan for retirement.
Our Strategic Reliable Blueprint is a comprehensive solution to your financial planning needs. It allows us to customize your financial plan to your vision. It covers a range of different planning topics specific to your unique situation. In the initial fit meeting, we will discuss exactly what we believe the important pieces of your planning would be so that you know exactly what we will cover during the process. This also allows us to determine if we are the best fit to serve you.
As fee-only financial planners, we always operate as a fiduciary. This means that we are legally obligated to provide advice that is in your best interest. That is, we don’t profit by selling you a particular product or investment. Many people believe that all financial advisors are required to give advice that is in your best interest; unfortunately, that’s not always true if they have something to gain by steering you in one direction or another. Since commission-based financial planners are paid to sell products, they may choose a product that pays them a higher commission, even if it’s not the best choice for you. As fiduciaries, we don’t get paid that way. Learn more about our Philosophy.
Getting started is easy. Set up a call with one of our team members by clicking on this link:
Once our team answers your questions, we will set up a fit meeting so that you can determine if moving forward without firm is best for you. It also gives us the information we need to make sure that we are the best firm for you. Depending on your situation, there may be another advisory firm that has specific expertise in the planning that you need. If we feel that’s the case, we will be happy to refer you to them. Contact us today to get started.
We believe that financial planning is the most important step in the decision-making process. We are passionate about helping you define your goals and get really clear about the things that are important to you now and in your retirement. We work for you. TIAA and Fidelity’s advisors work for the institutions that provide MSU Retirement benefits in the form of your 403(b) account. They focus on selling proprietary products. Because we don’t sell products (and aren’t compensated by insurance or investment companies), we are able to provide advice that is in your best interest without being motivated by how we might personally benefit. This is truly what being a fee-only fiduciary means.
Our Strategic Reliable Blue Print plan fee is based on your net worth. There is an initial onboarding fee of $2,400 that covers the first three months of the process. We calculate the fee quarterly based on your net worth. Your fees can be billed from accounts that we manage or paid monthly from your bank account or a combination of both options. We will help you develop the best way to pay for our services based on your situation.
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No, you do not need to be an MSU employee to work with our firm. While we do have special expertise and experience working with the university’s plans and benefits, our clientele comes from a variety of different industries with a diverse range of situations.
Our typical new clients are still working and want to create a financial plan that helps them connect their finances with their values. Often this means preparing for a transition to retirement, or to a new career, and frequently includes college planning and other nearer – term goals.
Simply put, we help you develop the financial knowledge you need to achieve financial freedom and create the life you want now and in retirement.Â
Our Strategic Reliable Blueprint will give you a clear, organized picture of where you stand financially.  We will help you come up with goals and the steps you need to take to reach them. We will become your accountability partners in this endeavor.Â
No, you do not need investments for us to work with you. We charge a flat fee based on your net worth to develop your financial plan using our Strategic Reliable Blueprint Process. We will then work with you to implement and monitor your plan whether we are managing your assets or you are managing them on your own based on our recommendations. Please contact us to get more detailed quote for our services.Â
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We take your privacy and the security of your personal information very seriously. We adhere to the standard of our industry. We partner with an IT consulting firm to stay updated on cybersecurity requirements for our industry. They perform ongoing tests and system maintenance and conduct regular training for our staff. You can find more information by downloading our privacy policy or disaster recovery plan.
You agree to receive informational messages (account notifications, customer care) from Shotwell Rutter Baer. Message frequency will vary. Message and data rates may apply. Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages. You can cancel SMS service at any time. Just reply STOP. Once you reply STOP to us, we will send a message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us. If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time and we will start sending SMS messages to you again. If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can reply with the word HELP for more assistance, or you can get help directly at info@srbadvisors.com. If you have any questions regarding privacy, please read our privacy policy here – Privacy Policy.
We provide comprehensive financial planning and investment management with a focus on retirement planning. This includes:
- Retirement income planning
- Tax-efficient withdrawal strategies
- Social Security optimization
- Healthcare and Medicare planning
- Investment management
- Estate and legacy planning
- Education funding
- Insurance analysis
- Life planning through the Kinder Institute
The Strategic Reliable Blueprint is our comprehensive planning process. It starts with understanding your values and vision for retirement (through Kinder Institute life planning), then builds a customized financial plan that coordinates all aspects of your financial life, and includes ongoing reviews and adjustments as your life evolves.
Most clients meet with us quarterly or semi-annually for formal reviews, though we're always available for questions or concerns between meetings. The frequency depends on your preferences and where you are in your retirement journey.
Yes. Many of our clients keep some or all of their retirement funds in their employer's plan. We can provide comprehensive planning and advice regardless of where your assets are held.
We're fee-only advisors, which means we're compensated directly by our clients rather than through commissions on products we recommend. Our compensation comes from:
- A percentage of assets under management (AUM) for investment advisory services
- Planning fees for comprehensive financial planning
We never earn commissions on insurance products, investments, or any other financial products, which ensures our advice is always objective and unbiased.
Yes. As a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), we have a legal and ethical obligation to act in your best interest at all times. This is different from many financial advisors who work under a "suitability" standard.
TIAA, Fidelity, and Voya advisors work for those companies and are incentivized to keep your money within their products. We're independent and have no relationship with any specific provider. Our only obligation is to you and your best interests.
While we specialize in MSU and state employee benefits, we work with anyone who values comprehensive retirement planning and wants to work with a local, independent advisor. This includes university faculty from other Michigan schools, retirees, and pre-retirees from various backgrounds.
We can continue working with you remotely through virtual meetings. Many of our clients have moved to other states after retirement, and we've maintained our relationship with them.
Our advisors hold the CFP® (Certified Financial Planner) and RLP® (Registered Life Planner) designations. The CFP® is the gold standard in financial planning, requiring rigorous education, examination, experience, and ethics requirements. The RLP® designation is awarded by the Kinder Institute of Life Planning and represents specialized training in helping clients clarify their values and life goals before building financial strategies around them.
All of our advisors are committed to ongoing education and staying current on retirement planning strategies, tax law changes, and best practices in financial planning.
No. We're an independent advisory firm. While we specialize in understanding MSU and state employee benefits, we have no formal affiliation with either employer.