Advice with nothing to sell
Financial services are crowded with confusing titles and hidden fund incentives. Alder Crown Advisory in Charlotte, North Carolina, rests on one rule: an adviser should never profit from selling a client a product.
Plenty of firms call themselves fee-based, which still lets an adviser collect commission on insurance policies, annuities or in-house funds. This practice is fee-only: all of its pay comes openly from clients, so there is no product sale to be conflicted about. Client accounts stay titled in the client’s own name, or their trust’s, at an independent SIPC-member institutional custodian, which keeps advice and safekeeping strictly apart.
Nobody reliably predicts short-term markets, so the practice does not try. It works on what can be controlled: broad global diversification, low underlying fund costs, disciplined rebalancing when markets are volatile and careful tax management across several years. Alder Crown Advisory does not forecast returns and does not describe an outcome as likely.
Three fiduciary commitments
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A fiduciary pledge, signed in plain English
The practice is willing to sign a written pledge that it acts solely in the client’s best financial interest, at all times.
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The tax return, read every year
Federal and state returns are reviewed annually, so an investment move does not cause an avoidable capital-gains or Medicare IRMAA surprise.
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A limited number of families
Each lead CFP® adviser serves a deliberately small number of households, close enough to know the tax picture, the goals and the estate wishes well.
How a relationship begins
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Step 1
A 30-minute discovery call
No charge. What prompted the enquiry, from retirement to vesting equity or an inheritance, and whether the fit is mutual.
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Step 2
A confidential diagnostic
In the Charlotte suite or by video: existing portfolios, hidden fund costs, tax returns and the main retirement questions.
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Step 3
A written scope and fee proposal
The exact flat planning fee or tiered schedule, itemised in dollars, before any agreement is signed.
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Step 4
The plan, then implementation
The plan is finalised, accounts move in kind with tax in mind, and a twice-yearly review rhythm is set.
Regulatory disclosure
Alder Crown Advisory is an independent Registered Investment Advisor. Advisory services are offered only under a written advisory agreement and after delivery of the Form ADV Part 2A brochure. The CPA/PFS and CFP® advisers model tax and estate strategies, but legal documents are drafted by the client’s attorney and tax returns are filed by the client’s tax preparer. Nothing on this site is an offer, a forecast or individual advice.
Begin with a discovery conversation
It carries no charge, and it ends either with a written proposal and fee worth agreeing or a clear statement that none of the six mandates fits.