| Advisor Profile |
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| Name: |
Robert Higgins |
| Phone Number: |
(980) 939-0683 |
| Website: |
Visit Website
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Business Description |
| I work as my client's personal CFO, to help them make better financial decisions considering their goals and circumstances. My objective is to improve my clients' quality of life through financial planning and investment management. |
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General Information |
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| Insurance License#: |
NPN# 774854
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| Name of Broker/Dealer: |
LPL Financial
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| Name of Custodial Firm: |
LPL Financial
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| States Licensed in: |
NC, SC, CA
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| States Willing to do Business in: |
NC, SC
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| Years of Experience in Financial Services: |
14
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| Number of Years with Current Firm: |
7
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| Work Experience: |
My Economics degree is from UNC-CH and my MBA is in Finance from Wake Forest. I was a financial analyst with GTE, Compaq, and Dow Chemical for 13 yrs. I became a Certified Management Accountant in 1987. I spent 7 years with Northwestern Mutual and earned the CLU and ChFC. In 2000 I left to help a CPA firm start their financial services practice. In 2001, I became a CFP and started my own practice.
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| I work with the following types of clients: |
Businesses, Individual Investors
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Education |
| Academic Background |
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BA, Economics - University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill (1978)
MBA, Finance - The Babcock Graduate School of Management, Wake Forest University (1980) |
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Services |
| Investment Types: |
Annuities, Bonds, Stocks, Insurance, Mutual Funds, Options & Futures, Alternative Investments, Mortgages & Real Estate, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Socially Responsible Investments (SRI)
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Qualifications & Memberships |
| Certifications, Accreditations & Designations: |
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Certificant, Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC®), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®)
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| Securities Licenses: |
Series 65, Series 63, Series 7, Series 6
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| Insurance and Annuity Licenses: |
Variable Annuity, Long Term Care, Variable Life, Disability, Annuity, Health, Life
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| Financial Organization Memberships: |
Financial Planning Association (FPA), Paladin Registry
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| Non-Financial Organization Memberships: |
Institute of Management Accountants
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Firm Information |
| Number of Advisors in Office: |
Up to 10 employees
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| Firm's Number of Clients: |
35
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| Firm's Number of Planning Clients: |
20
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| Firm's Number of Managed Clients: |
25
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| Assets Managed by Firm: |
$20,000,000
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| Advisor's Number of Clients: |
35
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| Advisor's Number of Managed Clients: |
25
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| Advisor's Number of Planning Clients: |
20
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| Assets Managed by Advisor: |
$20,000,000
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Compliance |
| Registered Representative: |
Yes
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| Investment Advisor Representative: |
Yes
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| I am an acknowledged fiduciary: |
Yes
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| Compliance Disclosures in Last 5 years: |
I have a clean record
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| Criminal Disclosures in Last 5 years: |
I have a clean record
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Compensation & Fees |
| I am a fee-based financial professional: |
Yes
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| Minimum Portfolio Size for New Managed Accounts: |
$100,000
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| Compensation Methods: |
Hourly, Based on Assets, Flat Fee
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| Fee % Based on Assets: |
1%
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| Additional Details on Charges: |
Typical financial plans are $1,500 to $1,800. Management fees are 1% for up $1 Mil and graduate to .75. Over $5 Mil. is negotiable
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| Minimum Fee Charged for Managed Accounts: |
$1,000
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| Minimum Fee Charged for Hourly Planning Accounts: |
$150
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| Minimum Fee Charged for Flat Fee Accounts: |
$1,800
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| Prepared By: |
Robert Higgins |
Frequently Asked Questions |
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Do you have a customer satisfaction or refund policy? |
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Yes. If a client doesn’t feel that they have received value in excess of the cost of my services, we’ll renegotiate to ensure their satisfaction. Time spent, without value delivered, is worth nothing. |
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What are your qualifications? What is your education background? |
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My Economics degree is from UNC-CH and my MBA is in Finance from Wake Forest. I was a financial analyst with GTE, Compaq, and Dow Chemical for 13 yrs. I became a Certified Management Accountant. I spent 7 years with an insurance company and earned the CLU and ChFC. In 2000 I left to help a CPA firm start their financial services practice. In 2001, I became a CFP™ and started my own practice. |
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| Q. |
What is your approach to financial planning? |
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Financial planning is a process that defines lifestyle goals in quantitative terms. We make a lot of assumptions we judge to be reasonable based on the client’s circumstances. The value of a plan is not fully realized until it is used as a tool to compare actual results to the plan in subsequent years. Variances should focus corrective action, or test the assumptions. |
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| Q. |
What services do you offer? |
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Financial planning (retirement, education, life, disability, LTD insurance), estate planning, investment management, employee benefits, rollovers, and 401k review. |
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How many clients do you currently manage? |
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I have about 30 financial planning clients. |
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Will you be the only person working with me? |
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I am the only person you will work with in my office. |
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How are you compensated? How will I pay for your services? |
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A financial planning fee is paid in advance, to ensure the client follows up. While I guarantee satisfaction, it is the client's responsibility to complete the process. |
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| Q. |
If you are going to manage my account, will you obtain my permission every time you buy or sell something? |
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That depends on how you want the account to be managed. For mutual funds and ETF's, I'll generally assume discretion. For an individual stock, I'd try to contact the client to discuss the position even if I have discretion. The simple answer is, whatever makes the client happy. |
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Do you offer any guaranteed results? |
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Not in an absolute sense with regard to investment management. On the planning side, I will not bill unless the client agrees the value delivered exceeds the cost of the service. |
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How much risk should I be willing to take? |
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The risk a client should take depends on their circumstances. Alternatively, how much risk can a client afford not to take? |
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Have you ever been charged with any breaches? |
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I've neither had any complaints, nor been charged with any breaches. |
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What services do you provide? What are your specialties? |
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I provide investment management sevices on several of platforms to accomodate ivestor needs. Portfolios may include stocks, mutual funds, ETF's, separate accounts, and fixed income. |
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What is your experience? How many clients do you currently manage? |
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I have been a registered investment advisor and/or an investment advisor representative since 2000. |
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What financial institution(s) do you represent? |
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I represent my clients, not financial institutions. |
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How do you charge for your services? |
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The most common arrangement is the % of assets under management. The percent varies somewhat depending on the level of assets. It will generally range from 1.5% to .9%, with sums over $5 million negotiable. |
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Do you provide a free initial consultation? |
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I am happy to provide a free initial consulation. This gives us both the opportunity to see if the chemistry feels right. |
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Why should I choose you as my financial advisor? |
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If you find someone better qualified, please let me know. I'd like to hire them to manage my money. As an experience financial analyst, I am comfortable with individual securities analysis as appropriate, as well as conventional asset allocation. This often leads me to core and satellite solutions. |
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What are your qualifications? |
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My Economics degree is from UNC-CH and my MBA in Finance is from Wake Forest. I was a financial analyst with GTE, Compaq, and Dow Chemical for 13 yrs. I became a Certified Management Accountant. I spent 7 years with an insurance company and earned the CLU and ChFC. In 2000 I left to help a CPA firm start their financial services practice. In 2001, I became a CFP™ and started my own practice. |
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What is your approach to 401 K plan rollovers? |
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A 401k should be rolled over to an IRA so that the investment choices are not limited, and the assets can be more easily managed according to an investment strategy that includes all the client's investment accounts. |
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How long does the process of rolling over a 401K plan usually take? |
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It usually takes only 2 to 3 weeks, and that is usually controlled by the current custodian and plan document. Rollover instructions are usually delivered to the current plan sponsor's HR Dept on the client's prior employer's form. |
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What financial institutions do you represent? |
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I do not represent financial institutions. I only represent my clients. |
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How many years of experience do you have? |
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I've been advising people and Fortune 500 corporations on how to make better financial decisions since 1980. That's about 28 years. |
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What are your fees for this service? |
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The most common arrangement is the % of assets under management. The percent varies somewhat depending on the level of assets. It will generally range from 1.5% to .9%, with sums over $5 million negotiable. The hourly rate is $150. Financial plans average $1,800, but vary according to needs. |
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How many 401K rollover clients do you currently manage? |
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About 30 clients. Most clients have an IRA and a regular account. |
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Why should I roll over my 401K plan to your firm? |
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I strive to avoid conflicts of interest. I only recommend what I would do if I were in the client's circumstances. |
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Do you provide a free initial consultation? |
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I am happy to offer a free initial consulation. This gives both the client and myself an opportunity to see if the chemistry feels right. |
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