Why Should I Consider Arkell?
Our advice is independent and solely in the best interests of our clients. Arkell sells no products or investments for a commission. We make investment recommendations only in the best interests of our clients, not for potential sales-related income for the advisor or the advisory firm.
We believe long-term performance and growth are achieved through a disciplined approach. The investment accounts serve a distinct and fundamental purpose: to preserve or to achieve a desired lifestyle.
FEE-ONLY
The way a financial advisor is compensated can affect the recommendations made to you. As fee-only financial advisors we are compensated only by the client; we receive no sales commissions nor do we have any relationships with investment companies. This removes the potential for a conflict-of-interest between advisor and client. It also means we have a fiduciary duty to put the clients' best interests ahead of our own. Investment recommendations are made to best serve the client, not the advisor.
Commission-based advisors, and those working on a combination of commissions and fees, receive compensation for the investment products recommended to their clients. There is a conflict-of-interest in these recommendations, making it difficult for these advisors to put client best-interests ahead of their own and ahead of those of the advisory firm. Instead of having a fiduciary duty, this type of advisor is required only to make recommendations that are "suitable."
INDEPENDENCE
As an independent advisor, Arkell is not tied to a type or brand of investment product. The freedom to recommend any investment is instrumental in designing an objective and efficient investment strategy, one targeting a client's unique rate of return, but at the lowest cost to the client and with the minimum amount of risk.
Arkell does not take custody of client assets. All client assets are held by a respected, independent financial institution. This institution sends our clients trade confirmations, account statements, and tax forms, as well as provides clients with online access to their accounts.
CHOOSE YOUR FEE
At Arkell, clients choose their advisory fee and their level of service. This allows the client to minimize costs and to pay only for the services they need.
During our complimentary discovery meeting, we listen to you and your unique needs. We explain common investing mistakes, our investment philosophy, and our levels of service. Together we determine the advisory fee, the service level, and the investment strategy appropriate for you, not for the advisor.
INVESTMENT PHILOSOPHY
We believe in a disciplined and academically tested method of investing. The focus is on low-cost, efficient portfolios.
Investment-related costs are paid by the individual investor. As an independent, fee-only financial advisor Arkell is free to choose from the entire universe of investments. Once the client’s unique target rate of return is determined using the financial plan or the investment profile, Arkell builds an investment strategy using low-cost investments. The cost-savings are passed directly to the client, increasing the potential for long-term portfolio growth.
Investors often focus solely on achieving the maximum return and overlook both the risks associated with individual investments and the risk of their overall account. It isn’t until periods of significant loss that many investors appreciate the need for risk management. At Arkell we define risk as the probability of a client’s lifestyle changing due to investment loss. Downside protection is utilized to limit that risk and to protect the client's lifestyle.
With a low-cost, efficient investment strategy in place, Arkell applies a disciplined, long-term approach to investing. Periodically, the accounts are re-balanced to maintain the strategy over the long-term. Economic and market conditions can allow for more frequent account re-balancing, but never at the risk of diverging from the long-term investment strategy.
Icons made by Freepik from www.flaticon.com