You’ll notice right away that Wealthramp isn’t like other financial advisor referral websites. Everything about Wealthramp was built for consumers. There’s 3 major differences that should matter to you:
1) We don’t “sell leads” to advisors, we make best fit recommendations. That means you won’t receive an endless barrage of calls, texts and emails from advisors you aren’t ready to meet. With Wealthramp, you can take your time - you’ll never be contacted by any advisor until you request a meeting.
2) Our advisor vetting standards are the most-rigorous in the industry. Not only do we screen out brokers and anyone taking commissions on products they recommend, advisors in our network have at least ten years of experience in the industry. And every advisor in our network is personally grilled by Wealthramp’s founder & CEO, Pam Krueger. She’s an award-winning investor advocate and educator, and her deep understanding of the industry makes her an effective judge of all it takes to be a truly great financial advisor - and earn a place in Wealthramp’s exclusive network.
3) We don’t ever aspire to be the biggest network, but we do strive to be the best. Wealthramp is an exclusive, highly curated network where advisors are invited to join after a careful selection process. We always strive to have the right set of advisors to meet our consumers’ unique needs. And advisors in our network can never pay to get elevated or preferential matching results.
Absolutely nothing. We’re paid by advisors when you become a client with a matched advisor on our network. And every Wealthramp advisor is prohibited by regulatory authorities from charging you any premium over their standard fees just because you were connected through Wealthramp.
You bet it is. We utilize best-in-class encryption and our site is monitored 24/7, to secure anything personal you do share with us. Wealthramp does not, and will not ever sell or share any of your information without your permission. That also means you’ll never receive unsolicited sales calls from any advisor you’ve been matched with by Wealthramp.
Use of the “financial advisor” title isn’t tightly regulated. It’s easy to get fooled into thinking you’re buying financial advice, when you’re really being sold products. That’s why the Wealthramp network consists exclusively of fee-only, fiduciary advisors. Fee-only fiduciaries are regulated and licensed investment advisors, and are legally required to go beyond the suitability standard, be transparent always about the cost of their service and any conflicts of interest, and always put your interests first. Every advisor on Wealthramp has a transparent pricing model. They charge a fee - agreed upon up front in a formal engagement contract - for the service they provide; and they don’t earn any commission for selling you insurance or investment products. You can be confident that Wealthramp only recommends fee-only fiduciary advisors.
In addition to being fiduciaries, Wealthramp network advisors must have deep expertise in specific areas such as retirement planning, divorce planning, socially responsible investing, stock options, estate planning, and more. Our matching process helps us determine which advisors have the right experience, fee model and other important attributes to match well with your needs and preferences. If you don’t like our recommendations or need something more specific, just let us know.
Wealthramp advisors go through a rigorous selection and vetting process that looks at experience, professional designations, regulatory history, education, fee model, niche expertise, approach to client service, client retention rates, business continuity plans, team and resources, commitment to excellence, and more. And that’s just the start. Every advisor on the network is interviewed by Wealthramp’s founder - investor advocate and educator Pam Krueger. Pam goes deep in these interviews with hundreds (maybe even thousands!) of advisors. Her background makes her uniquely qualified to gain a deep understanding of each advisor’s gravitas, approach to client service, and the level of care they’ll provide to Wealthramp referrals.
After the selection process, we’re constantly monitoring and curating our advisor network to make sure we have your unique needs and preferences covered.
Yes, we only allow fiduciary advisors to join our network, who are legally obligated to put your interests first.
Fee-only and fee-based are distinct financial advisor fee model categories. They may sound the same, but they’re very different. “Fee-Only” is the strictest standard in the industry. It’s a term defined by the securities regulators that means the advisor makes money by charging a set amount for the advice he/she provides, and does not charge clients any commissions on investment products they recommend. All advisors in the Wealthramp network are Fee-Only.
“Fee-based” means the advisor’s fee structure is a combination of fee-for-service and commissions. Fee-based models inherently have more conflicts, and are less transparent - making it difficult for clients to know exactly what they're paying.
It’s easy to confuse fee-only advice that bases the fee on assets under management (known in the industry as the AUM fee model), with fee-based advice. Many fee-only advisors use AUM as a proxy for complexity, and it’s traditionally been the way the advisor’s fee is calculated quarterly - usually for good reason. At the request of consumers, many advisors will offer alternative fee-only models such as retainer, subscription, or annual flat fees. No matter how you decide to work with your fee-only advisor, they will never charge you a commission on an investment they recommend.
Yes, many advisors in the Wealthramp advisor network offer comprehensive financial planning services without asset management. Just indicate that preference when answering our questions, and you’ll be matched with advisors with deep financial planning expertise.
Many clients start with financial planning, and take the time to get to know their advisor and gain a deeper understanding of the value he/she can add over time. High value-add financial planning services often continue after the initial plan is presented, and are generally offered on a retainer or subscription basis.
Wealthramp can recommend an advisor for everyone - no matter your age, income, or net worth. Answer our quick questions to see your advisor matches. We even have a great selection of financial coaches, for people that might not be ready to benefit from an advisory relationship.
More from our blog: Financial Advisor vs. Financial Coach: Which is Best?
Yes! Most advisor meetings happen virtually today. And in fact since COVID, many advisors have eliminated their expensive office space and are able to pass on some of those savings to their clients in the form of lower fees. Data security for financial advisors is heavily regulated, and you can generally feel confident and safe that your data is secure even in a virtual environment.
More from our blog: The Best Financial Advisor for You Might Not Be Local
Advisors typically meet with their clients once a quarter. With today’s technology, these meetings often happen virtually via video or phone. While our matching technology considers location preferences, we strongly recommend you consider a virtual advisor relationship so we can match you with more expert advisors who are a great fit for your needs.
If in-person meetings are essential to you but you don’t see any local advisor among your matches, email us at contact@wealthramp.com and we can assist you further.
A custodian is a financial institution that holds your investment assets on your behalf for safekeeping. Wealthramp network advisors custody their clients’ assets with all the major custodians including Charles Schwab, Fidelity, and Pershing.
When you decide to become a client of a financial advisor, you may elect to give your advisor permission (known as Discretion) to execute trades and manage your investments directly on your behalf - but always and only according to your agreed-upon investment objectives. You might also decline discretion, and only allow the advisor to execute trades. The level of permission is totally at your discretion, and is part of your formal written engagement with your advisor.
We understand that comparing advisor matches can feel challenging... Don’t worry. Just email us at contact@wealthramp.com and we’ll be happy to assist you.
We’re here to help you find the right advisor. Just email us at contact@wealthramp.com and we'll be happy to answer any questions about your advisor matches, and any part of the process of finding the right advisor for you.
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