Frequently Asked Questions

There is no cost nor obligation for our first consultation. We will use this opportunity to get to know each other and determine if it would be a good fit to work together. I can answer any questions you may have and explain how I work. The client-advisor relationship is built first on the building blocks of trust, honesty, transparency, and mutual respect. Only once we lay these blocks can we start talking about fees and in-depth financial plans or wealth management.

You can watch a short (1 min) video about what a first meeting would be like HERE.

In simple terms, a fiduciary is someone that acts in the best interest of another through a legally-binding oath. Instead of putting their own interests first, a fiduciary must put the other person’s interests ahead of their own. Within the context of financial advice, a fiduciary financial advisor can only recommend financial products to a client if it is in the complete and total best interest of the client. You can find more information in our blog post here.

Absolutely. Baobab Wealth Management is a fee-based fiduciary advisory firm that places clients’ interests first and provides complete transparency regarding fees and services. You will never have to doubt or second-guess our intentions or question whether or not your financial plan is suited to your unique needs.

There are a multitude of reasons why one should choose a specialized advisor. Everyone has unique goals and situations in their financial plan. Small firms that specialize in the goals and situations you have are in a better position to help than their big firm counterparts. On top of that, specialized advisors tend to have more niche knowledge due to working with individuals and families over the years that have the same issues that need to be solved. Adding to that, a specialized advisor can offer a much more personal touch to the investing process. Here at Baobab, we have four main specialties…

1. Tax-efficient Retirement Income Planning – If you are aged 50 – 70 and need to figure out exactly how to turn your hard-earned nest egg into a tax-efficient stream of income that you can’t outlive, Baobab Wealth is the right place for you. We wrote the book on tax-efficient retirement income planning actually! Check it out at Divorce-The-IRS.com.

2. US Expats – If you are an American citizen living overseas, you have a whole host of financial planning issues that citizens stateside don’t have to deal with. We have spent more than half our lives living overseas and are uniquely qualified to help this group of globally-minded adventure seekers! Find our guide for US Expats HERE. Watch our short (2 min) video HERE.

3. Cross-Border Families – Americans who fall in love with someone that holds a different nationality also face many unique challenges in today’s financial landscape. From tax to estate planning issues, we can help. Jimmy (American) is married to a German citizen and their son holds dual citizenship so they definitely understand. Watch a short (2 min) video on what cross-border planning is HERE.

4. Foreign Nationals in the USA – Many come to the United States to work and live. Doing so exposes them to a completely new financial system with opportunities and pitfalls. Not many financial planners understand how to really help foreign nationals working in the United States and can create a plan that spans the globe and helps them with issues like eventually getting their money back home without tax penalties. We have a great guide for foreign nationals living in the USA that you can find HERE.

Since we have fewer clients and specialize in a few unique areas, we have the time to get really acquainted with our clients and create better financial plans than any big firm could. Instead of a cookie-cutter plan with a quarterly update, we carefully guide you through every step of your plan and regularly update you on your plan’s performance. With us, it’s the personal touch along with the specialized advice that sets us apart.

Chances are that you don’t have the knowledge or experience, let alone the time, to successfully wade through the bogs of misinformation, biases, agendas, and sometimes even outright lies awaiting you in the murky depths of amateur personal finance. Your financial plan shouldn’t be a hobby or a plan whipped up in your limited spare time. The fact of the matter is that it’s simply too important to be treated in such a fashion. Therefore, it should be a plan created by a professional who does have the time, experience, knowledge, and passion to craft a unique financial plan for you.

A professional who knows the ins and outs of the industry, and who keeps up to date with the latest technologies, financial products, and financial news. Only then can you be assured of your future financial fitness.

Although it would be great to help everyone achieve financial independence, the truth is, like everyone, we have limited time and capacity. Thus, we like to focus our work on those we can serve best with our specific expertise.

First, we are only looking to work with those seeking a long-term, trusted relationship with a fiduciary financial advisor and who have specific goals and ideas for their future. We enjoy working with those who strive to be and do better than average.

Our most valuable work is done for those in the retirement ‘Red Zone’, where getting it right is crucial to long-term financial success. This is the 10 years leading up to your retirement (financial independence) date as well as the first 5 years of retirement. We are comprehensive financial planners but specialize in tax-efficient retirement income planning. If you want to understand the best way to create a safe, increasing, and predictable income you can’t outlive, we are the right firm for you. We best serve savers who have accumulated between $250K and $3M of investable assets. If you also want to pay the IRS the least amount of tax and achieve (or be as close as possible to) the 0% tax bracket (yes, this is absolutely possible) in retirement, we are probably the right firm to work with. We wrote a book on this subject and you can learn more at www.Divorce-The-IRS.com.

We work with people who don’t want the cookie-cutter advice offered at most financial planning firms these days and would prefer a personalized plan that reflects your specific dreams and goals.

Our clients like to be involved in the financial planning process and see options and choices in how a plan is structured, not just offered one solution or product.

Our clients tend to be more optimistic than pessimistic.

Your money is always held in accounts under your name in large, well-established institutions such as Charles Schwab and American Funds. Your money will never be held in any account under my name or anyone else’s.

We charge a fee that’s a percentage of the value of the investments we manage, which is debited directly from the account:

-$1 million or less – 1.00%
-$1 million to $3 million – 0.75%
-$3 million to $5 million – 0.65%
-$5 million and over – 0.5%

We don’t get paid through any type of commission, kickback, or other undisclosed revenue sources.
There’s no additional charge for the tax and estate planning advice we provide.

Absolutely. We regularly write financial articles, upload YouTube videos and post timely, informative content on our Social Media Channels. Don’t miss my book “Divorce the IRS” or our Ideal Number Calculator!

Great question! It’s a book we wrote about the surprising tax burdens that await many of us in retirement. I detail the steps you can take now to reduce those tax burdens. Feel free to download the first chapter for free here!

The book will also give you great insight into what it would be like to work with our firm and is a good place to start if you are still on the fence.

We offer both. With clients spread out all over America and the world (over 20 countries now), we are well acquainted with Google Meets and Zoom. This kind of meeting is more efficient for everyone involved and is our preferred method of meeting. It is definitely possible to meet face-to-face in one of our offices as well.

Our first meeting will leave you with good news, or great news! If you are doing everything right, great! If we discover that there are areas you may be able to improve, good that you will now know what you need to do! Watch this short (1 min) video to find out what our first meeting will be like.

Just click the button below to schedule a Google Meet video call, phone call or office visit. We are looking forward to meeting you.