FAQS

Our first priority is helping you take care of yourself and your family. During our first meeting, we want to learn more about your personal situation, identify your dreams and goals, and understand your tolerance for risk. Long-term relationships that encourage open and honest communication have been the cornerstone of our foundation of success. This starts the financial planning process, which is the foundation for helping you achieve you goals, needs, wishes, and wants. 

Who is Ethos Wealth Planning’s typical client?

Couples, families (multigenerational/legacy planning), small business owners (20-50 employees or less), farmers & ranchers, established professionals, healthcare professionals, and oil & gas executives. We also have a program designed to work with clients that are new to investing or just getting started, but still want the advice & guidance from a professional. More importantly, we work with clients who value and seek our advice.

 What separates Ethos Wealth Planning from other firms?

You’re not just a client at Ethos Wealth Planning. You become family when you join our firm, so relationships are important to us! In order for us to be able to truly help our clients, we get to know our clients on a very deep & personal level so we can fully understand what is most important to you. We celebrate wins, grieve with you during the losses, and support you throughout your life journey. We want you to succeed, so we are here to guide you through every life stage.

 Where do we meet?

Typically, we meet clients at our office which is located in the Galleria Area. As long as we have enough notice, we can also meet you at a coffee shop, your office, or another specified location. We also have virtual capabilities as well.

 Where is your office located? And what about parking?

Driving anywhere in Houston and dealing with parking can be intimidating & very stressful, which is something we put thoughtful consideration into when we were considering the perfect office space.  Our office is located at the Northeast intersection of Chimney Rock & Westheimer. It’s the white high-rise building that says “Capital One” at the top. There is ample parking specifically for the building (not in a parking garage), and even better-it’s free!

 What if I don’t live in the Houston area?

That’s not a problem at all! Technology has evolved tremendously and has allowed us to work with clients all over the US.  We have long-standing client relationships with investors in every US time zone. We meet regularly with our clients and are available to meet in person- either remotely via Zoom, telephone, email, or phone call. As long as you live in the US, you’ll be well taken care of.

 Does Ethos Wealth Planning have a minimum?

No. While our average account size is $250k, we don’t have a set minimum. There are a few characteristics that we are looking for and are required in order to become an Ethos Wealth Planning client:

• Open in sharing your goals, visions, wants, & needs
• Willing & open to receive advice
• Already have a habit of saving
• Genuine, Honest, & Respectful
• YOU care about your money & your future

 What documents do I need to bring to our first meeting?

• Most current investment statements (most important)
• Copy of two years of tax returns (also important)
• Loan, debt, and mortgage information (if applicable)
• Employee benefits statements
• All insurance policies (life, disability, medical, auto)
• Income estimates for current year (offer letter or last year’s final pay stub usually suffices)
• Any budgets you have previously created or documentation of spending and/or saving
   

You can either bring these documents to our first meeting, email them, or upload it into the financial planning vault, which we send you an invite to.

 How often do you meet with your clients?

It’s important to meet our clients needs, so this is something mutually agreed upon when a client is onboarded. At a minimum, once a year.

 Does Ethos Wealth Planning work with a client’s attorney or accountant?

Yes! We strongly encourage this, actually, as long as the client has given us permission. Think of the wealth advisors at Ethos Wealth Planning as the quarterback. You spend a lot of money to work with these professionals, and we want to make sure we are all communicating and working together in a cohesive manner that helps you.

Does it cost me anything to meet for the first time?

No! In fact, it’s really important for us to make sure that we’re a good fit, so the first meeting is simply to get to know you and how we can best help you.

 How do I switch financial advisors? Are there any fees associated with switching?

Switching advisors is actually a very simple process. While this may be a tough decision, we always do things in a respectable manner. All we will need is a recent statement and an account set up for the funds to switch to the new account. Some institutions might charge a closing fee, but this is something we always discuss before anything is done. We will walk you through the entire process and explain any questions you may have along the way.

 How do you charge clients?

This is one of the most common questions we get, and it’s important for you to know all the different ways we are able to work with our clients at Ethos Wealth Planning. Everyone’s situations and needs are very different, so we try to be as flexible as possible to accommodate you. There are several different options available and sometimes this requires a combination:

• Advisory (AUM- Assets Under management)- pay a flat % of is managed
• Flat fee- instead of paying out of your investments, you pay a flat fee to the firm
• Commission- some investment & insurance options are naturally going to fall under commission option
• Financial planning only- pay for a financial plan only (no investment management)
• Subscription Model- this is a great alternative for our clients that are seeking advice, but don’t have the assets for the firm    to manage (yet)

Who has custody of my money when I hire you to manage it?

Ethos Wealth Planning does not take custody or possession of your investments & savings. Client assets are held at Pershing, LLC in an account registered to you in your name.

What Types of Investments do you offer?

We incorporate both traditional investment classes of stocks, bonds, and cash with investment vehicles such as mutual funds, ETFs, private equity, real estate, commodities, hedge fund strategies, and more in our unique sleeve approach of building your portfolio. We also utilize all different types of annuities, when appropriate, as well as structured notes and customized structured notes.

 What is your investment approach?

Does it cost me anything to meet for the first time?

No! In fact, it’s really important for us to make sure that we’re a good fit, so the first meeting is simply to get to know you and how we can best help you.

How do I switch financial advisors? Are there any fees associated with
switching?

Switching advisors is actually a very simple process. While this may be a tough decision, we always do things in a respectable manner. All we will need is a recent statement and an account set up for the funds to switch to the new account. Some institutions might charge a closing fee, but this is something we always discuss before anything is done. We will walk you through the entire process and explain any questions you may have along the way.

What if I don’t live in the Houston area?

That’s not a problem at all! Technology has evolved tremendously and has allowed us to work with clients all over the US. We have long-standing client relationships with investors in every US time zone. We meet regularly with our clients and are available to meet in person- either remotely via Zoom, telephone, email, or phone call. As long as you live in the US, you’ll be well taken care of.

Does Ethos Wealth Planning work with a client’s attorney or accountant?

Yes! We strongly encourage this, actually, as long as the client has given us permission. Think of the wealth advisors at Ethos Wealth Planning as the quarterback. You spend a lot of money to work with these professionals, and we want to make sure we are all communicating and working together in a cohesive manner that helps you.

How often do you meet with your clients?

It’s important to meet our clients needs, so this is something mutually agreed upon when a client is onboarded. At a minimum, once a year.

Where do we meet?

Typically, we meet clients at our office which is located in the Galleria Area. As long as we have enough notice, we can also meet you at a coffee shop, your office, or another specified location. We also have virtual capabilities as well.

Where is your office located? And what about parking?

Driving anywhere in Houston and dealing with parking can be intimidating & very stressful, which is something we put thoughtful consideration into when we were considering the perfect office space. Our office is located at the Northeast intersection of Chimney Rock & Westheimer. It’s the white high-rise building that says “Capital One” at the top.
There is ample parking specifically for the building (not in a parking garage), and even better-it’s free!

What documents do I need to bring to our first meeting?

1. Most current investment statements (most important)
2. Copy of two years of tax returns (also important)
3. Loan, debt, and mortgage information (if applicable)
4. Employee benefits statements
5. All insurance policies (life, disability, medical, auto)
6. Income estimates for current year (offer letter or last year’s final pay stub usually suffices)
7. Any budgets you have previously created or documentation of spending and/or saving

You can either bring these documents to our first meeting, email them, or upload it into the financial planning vault, which we send an invite to.

How do you charge clients?

This is one of the most common questions we get, and it’s important for you to know all the different ways we are able to work with our clients at Ethos Wealth Planning. Everyone’s situations and needs are very different, so we try to be as flexible as possible to accommodate our clients and their needs.  There are several different options available and sometimes this requires a combination:

- Advisory (AUM- Assets Under management)- pay a flat % of is managed
- Flat fee- instead of paying out of your investments, you pay a flat fee to the firm
- Commission- some investment & insurance options are naturally going to fall under commission option
- Financial planning only- pay for a financial plan only (no investment management)
- Subscription Model- this is a great alternative for our clients that are seeking advice, but don’t have the assets for the firm to manage (yet)

Who has custody of my money when I hire you to manage it?

Ethos Wealth Planning does not take custody or possession of your investments & savings. Client assets are held at Pershing, LLC in an account registered to you in your name.

Who is Ethos Wealth Planning’s typical client?

Couples, families (multigenerational/legacy planning), small business owners (20-50 employees or less), farmers & ranchers, established professionals, healthcare professionals, and oil & gas executives. We also have a program designed to work with clients that are new to investing or just getting started, but still want the advice & guidance from a professional. More importantly, we work with clients who value and seek our advice.

What separates Ethos Wealth Planning from other firms?

You’re not just a client at Ethos Wealth Planning. You become family when you join our firm, so relationships are important to us! In order for us to be able to truly help our clients, we get to know our clients on a very deep & personal level so we can fully understand what is most important to you. We celebrate wins, grieve with you during the losses, and support you throughout your life journey. We want you to succeed, so we are here to guide you through every life stage.

Does Ethos Wealth Planning have a minimum?

No. While our average account size is $250k, we don’t have a set minimum. There are a few characteristics that we are looking for and are required in order to become an Ethos Wealth Planning client:

-Open in sharing your goals, visions, wants, & needs
-Willing & open to receive advice
-Already have a habit of saving
-Genuine, Honest, & Respectful
-YOU care about your money & your future

What is your investment approach?

Asset Allocation / Investment Policy
Asset Allocation (diversification) is the strategy of spreading investments over a variety of different asset classes and management styles in order to reduce the risk of substantial loss. Lack of proper diversification can cause investors to miss unexpected opportunities and/or expose them to unforeseen investment pitfalls. Allocating capital according to a carefully planned diversification guide enables investors to achieve the greatest possible risk adjusted, after-tax return, commensurate with their needs, willingness to bear risk, and need for current cash flow.

Although we are familiar with the criticism of the Brinson, Hood & Beebower study (especially the challenges raised by Kritzman, Ibbotson, and Jahnke) there is little disagreement that asset allocation/portfolio policy is a significant determinant of long-term portfolio performance. We believe in maintaining a forward looking strategic asset allocation for core holdings and only infrequently revising that allocation. We believe in broad rebalancing to the strategic asset allocation; however, the influence of taxes and transaction costs leads us to conclude that rebalancing with fairly wide bands of latitude is the most appropriate solution.

Core and Tactical Satellite
We believe long term real equity returns are more likely than not to be less than the returns of the last 70+ years. In such a low return environment, the drag of taxes and expenses will exceed the additional returns associated with current wealth management investment practices. Consequently, we believe the multi asset/class, multi manager investment policy model adopted by wealth management advisors is no longer appropriate for individual investors. We believe that in today's economic environment an institutional core and tactical satellite portfolio is the appropriate base policy design for individual investors.

Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH)
We believe in the weak form of the EMH. We thus reject the use of classic technical analysis and market timing. However, we believe in the judicious use of tactical strategies as applied to satellite portfolio allocations.

Growth versus Value
We believe in the conclusions of the Fama/French research that there is a "value" factor, and over time, value equity portfolios will provide superior returns, but with potentially higher risk. We also believe eliminating growth allocations will result in interim performance divergence from the broad markets our clients would find unacceptable, therefore we overweight value but do not exclude growth.

Active versus Passive
We believe the choice between active and passive management is not either/or; we use both. In general, we believe diversification among traditional active strategies should be combined with passive strategies, subject to the constraints of expenses and taxes.

What Types of Investments do you offer?

We incorporate both traditional investment classes of stocks, bonds, and cash with investment vehicles such as mutual funds, ETFs, private equity, real estate, commodities, hedge fund strategies, and more in our unique sleeve approach of building your portfolio. We also utilize all different types of annuities, when appropriate, as well as structured notes and customized structured notes.