It’s easy to become a financial advisor, but few have the level of expertise that we provide. Testament to our knowledge is the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ designation held by company-founder Melissa Océan.

We stand apart from most of our counterparts because we are independent, fee-based and have no proprietary products which mean we are not compelled to recommend investments for which we have an economic benefit. We are solely focused on the best interests of the client.

Within the financial advisor industry there are two standards of client care. The most common is the “suitability” standard, which requires that advisors’ recommendations be “suitable” to clients’ needs. At our firm, we adhere to the far more rigorous “fiduciary standard”. As a fiduciary we have an obligation to act in the best interest of our clients in managing their assets, rending investment advice, and trading in their accounts. This obligation comes with an extremely high level of trust, and as fiduciaries, we must not engage in any activity that would be considered a violation of that trust.

Fee-based advisors receive fees for their service rather than receiving commissions from selling investment products. The fees can be hourly, a flat fee, or a fee based on the amount of household assets. Our firm uses a fee-based model as a means of aligning our interests with those of our clients and help limit or eliminate conflicts of interest.

Our firm uses Charles Schwab as a third-party custodian for our clients’ investments. Charles Schwab is one of the largest custodians servicing independent financial advisors. Through Schwab, we can provide the full capabilities and institutional strength of a large firm while maintaining the personalized service and responsiveness of a boutique.