Do you have a customer satisfaction or refund policy?
I do not have a formal satisfaction or refund policy. However, if a client is not satisfied with my work I'll make every reasonable effort possible to change that.
Onetime project based flat fee financial planning only clients; However, will have their fee refunded if they become investment management clients after the deliver of the plan. The fee is refunded after the investment management fees collected reach the fee charged for the plan.
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Why should I choose you as my financial advisor?
I am a fiduciary, which means the best interest of clients comes first. I hold some of the most respected designations in the industry and I center my practice around helping clients make good decisions with money versus trying to beat the market.
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What are your qualifications? What is your education background?
My educational background includes a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston in 2000, as well as, attaining the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner (2006), Chartered Financial Consultant™ (2013) and Accredited Estate Planner™ (2014) professional designations through coursework at the College of Charleston and the American College for Financial Services. I also holds a post-baccalaureate certificate in Taxation from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro which I earned in 2021, as well as, the Enrolled Agent (EA) designation (2020), the highest credential awarded by the IRS.
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How do you charge for your services?
I receive fees from asset under management for investment management clients, as well as a flat project based fee for financial planning only client.
My fee and service schedules are published on my webpage (about half way down the page on the left hand side). https://www.cummingswealth.com/brian-cummings
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How are you compensated? How will I pay for your services?
I receive fees from assets under management for investment management clients. I also offer a onetime project based financial planning only service module for a flat fee.
My fee and service schedules are published on my webpage (about half way down the page on the left hand side). https://www.cummingswealth.com/brian-cummings
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If you are going to manage my account, will you obtain my permission every time you buy or sell something?
Generally speaking no. I manage assets on a discretionary basis. However, I keep clients informed of changes to their accounts.
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How many clients do you currently manage?
I currently manage about 22 households.
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Will you be the only person working with me?
Generally yes; However, you may also periodically interact with our firm staff, as well as, the home office staff of the independent Registered Investment Advisor firm I am affiliated with, Commonwealth Financial Network.
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Do you offer any guaranteed results?
Guaranteed results are not possible in the investment management or financial planning business as no one can predict the future of capital market valuations or any other forward looking assumptions with any certainty. I would be very cautious of those who claim to.
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How much risk should I be willing to take?
I help clients determine their individual risk tolerance levels and discuss with them the pros and cons of taking more or less based on their overall financial planning goals.
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Have you ever been charged with any breaches?
No
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What services do you provide? What are your specialties?
No specialties per se. I offer personal investment management and comprehensive financial planning services. Financial planning is included in the asset under management fee for asset management clients. For clients who do not want asset management, I offer a flat fee, project based service model for a one time financial plan, which includes modeling out up to 4 "what if" scenario variations chosen by the client.
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What is your experience? How many clients do you currently manage?
I have extensive experience in banking, investment management, and financial planning. My educational background includes a bachelor's degree from the College of Charleston in 2000, as well as, attaining the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® practitioner (2006), Chartered Financial Consultant™ (2013) and Accredited Estate Planner™ (2014) professional designations through coursework at the College of Charleston and the American College for Financial Services. I also hold a post-baccalaureate certificate in Taxation from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro which he earned in 2021, as well as, the Enrolled Agent (EA) designation (2020), the highest credential awarded by the IRS. I currently manage about 22 households.
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What financial institution(s) do you represent?
I am registered with Commonwealth Financial Network, an independent Investment Advisor. The custodian used by Commonwealth for client assets is National Financial Services (NFS), also known as Fidelity Institutional. You can learn more about this relationship here:
https://www.commonwealth.com/for-clients
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What is your approach to financial planning?
My financial planning process is from a cash flow perspective, which utilizes software to help clients understand their current cash inflows and outflows. This helps clients identify opportunities and make adjustments now so that they are better prepared to achieve their future financial goals.
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What services do you offer?
I offer investment management and financial planning services. Financial planning is included in the asset under management fee for asset management clients. For clients who do not want asset management, I offer a flat fee project based service model for a one time financial plan, which includes modeling out up to 4 "what if" scenario variations chosen by the client.
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