Peter F. Gaertner, CFP, CDFA, MBA
Affinity Wealth Management, LLC

Tel: (302) 254-6121

2961 Centerville Rd
Suite 310
Wilmington, DE 19808

Live your best life!

About Affinity Wealth Management, LLC

Affinity Wealth Management is an independent, objective wealth management firm. We help clients create a life lived-full through exploring all the possibilities with their money. Our wealth management and investment management process is designed to create a lifetime of great experiences and memories. Since 1974, Affinity has helped clients create life experiences that match their personal and financial means. We believe anyone can create any life they want, and we help clients live the best life possible. We do it, by helping people live more fully.

What makes us different is our disciplined process when it comes to helping our current and future clients: I will spend the first meeting completing our Discovery Meeting during which you will learn a lot about AWM and your potential advisor. At the same time, it allows for us to get to know you, your financial goals and hopes for the future to determine whether there could be a fit and we can add value to your situation. Be prepared to talk a lot and share professional and personal details with me! Once mutual interest has been confirmed, an investment plan meeting will be scheduled to review your current situation and come up with a financial strategy as recommend by a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER specialist going forward. Our goal is to make the sometimes overwhelming and complex process of full- service financial planning as simple as possible for our clients and offer a truly unmatched experience doing it.

General Information

Firm Start Year:		1974
No.of Employees:		10-19
Name of Broker/Dealer:		MerCap Securities, Inc.

Name of Custodial Firm:

TD Ameritrade Institutional

States Licensed in:

Number of Years with Current Firm:

I work with the following types of clients:

Individual Investors, Non-Profit Organizations, Businesses

Foreign Languages Serviced:

German

Services

Investment Types:

Bonds, Stocks, Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs), Alternative Investments, Mutual Funds

I can meet clients in the following ways:

At your office, Via email, Via phone, At my office, At your home, Video Conference

Qualifications & Memberships

Insurance and Annuity Licenses:

Life, Variable Annuity, Disability, Variable Life

Financial Organization Memberships:

Society of Financial Services Professionals, Financial Planning Association (FPA)

Non-Financial Organization Memberships:

Rotary Club

Firm Information

Advisor's Number of Clients:

100

Compliance

Registered Investment Advisor:

Yes

Registered Representative:

Yes

Investment Advisor Representative:

Yes

I am an acknowledged fiduciary:

Yes

Compliance Disclosures in Last 5 years:

I have a clean record

Criminal Disclosures in Last 5 years:

I have a clean record

Compensation and Fees

Fee Structure:

Fee-Based

Minimum Portfolio Size for New Managed Accounts:

$500,000

Compensation Methods:

Based on Assets

Additional Details on Charges:

$3,750.00 up to $300,000 1.25% from $300,001 to $500,000 1.10% $500,001 to $1,000,000 1.00% $1,000,001 to $2,000,000 0.90% $2,000,001 to $5,000,000 0.80% $5,000,001 to $10,000,000 0.50% $10,000,000 +

Minimum Fee Charged for Managed Accounts:

$3,750.00

Minimum Fee Charged for Hourly Planning Accounts:

$1,500

Minimum Fee Charged for Flat Fee Accounts:

Board Positions

Organization:

Society for Financial Service Professionals Delaware Chapter

Position :

Director

Duration :

01/01/2017-Currently holding

Education

MBA

Delaware State University - Dover, DE
08/2007- 05/2008

Bachelor of Science - Finance and Banking

Delaware State University - Dover, DE
08/2004-05/2007

Faqs

Do you have a customer satisfaction or refund policy? Customer satisfaction is our main priority. If you are not completely satisfied with our services, we can certainly come to a mutual agreement regarding discounted fees for services rendered. We have been in business for 45 years and are proud of an A+ Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating.
What are your qualifications? What is your education background? I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner and have worked in the financial industry since 2008. I was awarded the Five Star Wealth Manager Award as recent as 2019. I earned both my Masters (MBA) and Bachelors degrees (Finance) at Delaware State University.
What is your approach to financial planning? Listening. The financial planning process begins with both of us working as a team to determine what your specific goals are and for me to assist you with the tools of proper, comprehensive financial planning to achieve them.
What services do you offer? Investment Management, Financial Planning, Retirement Planning, Risk Tolerance Assessment, IRA and 401(k) Rollovers, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans.
How many clients do you currently manage? I am very selective in the clients that I work with and am only looking to bring on a few new ones each year.

FAQs

Do you have a customer satisfaction or refund policy? Customer satisfaction is our main priority. If you are not completely satisfied with our services, we can certainly come to a mutual agreement regarding discounted fees for services rendered. We have been in business for 45 years and are proud of an A+ Better Business Bureau (BBB) rating.
What are your qualifications? What is your education background? I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner and have worked in the financial industry since 2008. I was awarded the Five Star Wealth Manager Award as recent as 2019. I earned both my Masters (MBA) and Bachelors degrees (Finance) at Delaware State University.
What is your approach to financial planning? Listening. The financial planning process begins with both of us working as a team to determine what your specific goals are and for me to assist you with the tools of proper, comprehensive financial planning to achieve them.
What services do you offer? Investment Management, Financial Planning, Retirement Planning, Risk Tolerance Assessment, IRA and 401(k) Rollovers, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans.
How many clients do you currently manage? I am very selective in the clients that I work with and am only looking to bring on a few new ones each year.
Will you be the only person working with me? Because we believe in a team-based approach, you will likely see an associate advisor in meetings with me. We do this to ensure consistency and comfort for our clients. Should there be a specific need, however, we would add other qualified individuals to our discussion as well.
How are you compensated? How will I pay for your services? Here at Affinity Wealth Management, we believe that our goals are best aligned with those of our clients' by charging a percentage-fee based on assets under management (AUM) for each client.
If you are going to manage my account, will you obtain my permission every time you buy or sell something? In order for me to actively manage your account, you will need to sign a limited POA/trading authority authorizing AWM to execute trades on your behalf and within a mutually crafted investment strategy. You will receive trade confirmations for each activity automatically.
Do you offer any guaranteed results? No.
How much risk should I be willing to take? Your risk tolerance is one of the key components of the financial planning process. Through careful analysis we can pinpoint how much risk you "need" to take to accomplish your specific goals.
Have you ever been charged with any breaches? No.
What services do you provide? What are your specialties? Investment Management, Financial Planning, Risk Tolerance Assessment, IRA and 401(k) Rollovers, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plans and Long-Term Care.
What is your experience? How many clients do you currently manage? I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner and have worked in the financial industry since 2008. I earned both my Masters (MBA) and Bachelors degrees (Finance) at Delaware State University. I am the President of the Society for Financial Service Professional Delaware Chapter. The SFSP unites Financial Advisors, Accountants and Estate Planning Attorneys to come up with better client service ideas and planning opportunities for our mutual clients.
How do you charge for your services? Here at Affinity Wealth Management, we believe that our goals are best aligned with those of our clients' by charging a percentage-fee based on assets under management (AUM) for each client. These fees are charged quarterly and are listed on your statements. If preferred, we can also charge a flat fee for a financial plan, fees varying depending on complexity.
Why should I choose you as my financial advisor? I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner, acting as a true fiduciary for my clients. Through diligent planning, we can determine the proper investment allocation for you and periodic reviews, ensure that your actual performance keeps you on track to your goals. Since we are an independent firm, we can choose from the best fund provider's out there.
What are your qualifications? I am a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioner and have worked in the financial industry since 2008. I earned both my Masters (MBA) and Bachelors degrees (Finance) at Delaware State University. I manage around 100 relationship but have capacity to add to those.
What is your approach to 401 K plan rollovers? I like to make rollovers and transfers as easy as possible for my clients. My qualified staff will assist you with any paperwork necessary and/or even coordinate a time with you to call the plan administrator together to initiate a transfer.
How long does the process of rolling over a 401K plan usually take? 401(k) plan rollovers typically take 2 - 4 weeks, depending on the 401(k) provider.
How many years of experience do you have? I have been in the financial service industry since 2008.
What are your fees for this service? Here at Affinity Wealth Management, we believe that our goals are best aligned with those of our clients' by charging a percentage-fee based on assets under management (AUM) for each client. These fees are charged quarterly and are listed on your statements.
Why should I roll over my 401K plan to your firm? 401(k) plans are very restrictive with regards to investment options. At AWM, your 401(k) can be rolled to an IRA where we will actively manage your portfolio using the same in depth research and fundamentals that have been so successful in the past. Additionally, as an independent advisor, we have access to an ever expanding universe of investment options.

Disclaimer

Securities offered through MerCap Securities, LLC, Member FINRA/SIPC and wholly-owned subsidiary of MerCap Enterprises, Inc. Address: 73 Chestnut Rd, Suite 400, PA 19301 Phone: (877) 784-8021 MerCap Securities, LLC is not affiliated with Affinity Wealth Management LLC

Peter F. Gaertner, CFP, CDFA, MBA

CDFA, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Certificant

Peter has been working in the financial services industry since 2008 and joined Affinity Wealth Management in 2013. He previously worked with Advisers as an Outside Portfolio Manager at J.P. Morgan Private Bank and later moved into a role as a Senior Client Service Associate. In this position, he was the primary point of contact for select Private Banking clients and helped facilitate an exceptional client experience across available banking and financial service products and services.

Peter, a native of Berlin, Germany, is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner, Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® and has active Life and Fixed Annuity/Variable Annuity insurance licenses. He has been an adjunct professor for Financial Planning at the Delaware State University where he taught Retirement Planning and Estate Planning. He has also instructed retirement readiness courses at the University of Delaware Lifelong Learning center along with multiple other community based financial literacy events that he led. He is an active member of the Financial Planning Association and the President of the Society for Financial Service Professionals in Delaware. He earned an MBA and a Bachelor of Science in Finance and Banking from the Delaware State University, where he also served as the Football team's place kicker during his studies. He currently resides in North Wilmington with his wife, Erin, and their three children Ben, Cole and Sarah. During his free time, he enjoys golf, tennis, soccer, skiing and fantasy football.