Shotwell Rutter Baer
Financial Planners
FAQs
Questions
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What type of planning do you offer?
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.
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What's a fiduciary and why does it matter?
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.
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How do we get started?
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.
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What's the difference between working with you and the TIAA or Fidelity folks?
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.
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How do you get paid?
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.
Net Worth Range & Tiers
Annual Advisory Fee
$0
$749,999
$5,500
$750,000
$999,999
$6,500
$1,000,000
$1,499,999
$8,000
$1,500,000
$1,999,999
$10,000
$2,000,000
$2,999,999
$13,000
$3,000,000
$3,999,999
$17,500
$4,000,000
And up
$22,000
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Do I have to be a MSU employee to work with you?
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.
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Who is your typical Client?
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.
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What will I get out of working with you?
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.
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.
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Do you have a minimum amount of assets requirement?
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.
Net Worth Range & Tiers
Annual Advisory Fee
$0
$749,999
$5,500
$750,000
$999,999
$6,500
$1,000,000
$1,499,999
$8,000
$1,500,000
$1,999,999
$10,000
$2,000,000
$2,999,999
$13,000
$3,000,000
$3,999,999
$17,500
$4,000,000
And up
$22,000
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How do you handle information security and privacy?
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.
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Our Form ADV Part 2 and Form CRS
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