FAQ

Many people turn to financial advisors during major life transitions, such as starting a new job or business, getting married, having children, buying a home, navigating divorce, or receiving an inheritance. Others seek guidance when their financial lives grow too complex or time-consuming to manage alone. But the truth is, there's no wrong time to begin. Taking a proactive approach to your financial planning can provide clarity, confidence, and a stronger foundation for long-term success.

Our advisors take a comprehensive, holistic approach that includes all the above. We can suggest ways to lower your taxes by using accounts like IRAs, HSAs, and 401(k)s. We can analyze your income and expenses and help you set savings goals while identifying areas to improve your budget. We can work with you to balance debt repayment with saving and investing goals. And we can help estimate future education costs and teach you about savings vehicles such as 529 plans.

A financial advisor can be especially helpful during major life changes. We offer personalized guidance before, during, and after transitions — helping you understand how each change may impact your finances, providing clarity during emotional times, and adjusting your plan accordingly. Beyond reacting to change, we also help you envision the future. We "paint the picture" by working with you to define your goals, planning backwards from where you want to be, and then executing forward with a clear, strategic path.

The best time to start saving and investing is when you’re young. But if you’re nearing retirement and haven’t put together a solid savings foundation, it’s not too late. There are tools that can help, like catch-up contribution limits and Social Security strategies. We can work with you to figure out where you are and to set goals aimed at helping you achieve the retirement you want to have.

Rea Wealth is a fiduciary when managing assets. In wealth management, a fiduciary is a financial professional who is legally obligated to act in the best interests of their clients, putting their clients' needs above their own. This means they must prioritize their client's financial well-being when providing advice and managing assets. They are held to a high standard of care, often referred to as the fiduciary standard, which requires them to act with loyalty, good faith and prudence.

We can assist you with financial planning, investment management, retirement planning, charitable giving, estate planning, and business planning, including company retirement plans. We work with knowledge and integrity to help you navigate life transitions and reach your financial goals, coordinating decisions with your accountant, lawyer, and other professionals to help keep you on course.

We take a true partnership approach—listening, planning, and working alongside you to chart a path aligned with your goals. Our team offers decades of experience across financial planning, investing, tax strategies, retirement, and estate planning. What sets us apart is our deep integration with Rea’s broader Business Advisors group. This gives us access to in-house experienced professionals in tax, accounting, estate planning, managed security and IT services, and business valuation — resources that few firms can offer under one roof. When your needs evolve, we’re ready with coordinated solutions that go far beyond traditional wealth management.

We have a team of nearly two dozen financial advisors and support staff across five offices who work closely together in service of our clients, who reside in more than 30 states. Many people are referred to specific advisors by existing clients. Others are assigned to an advisor who best meets their needs based on their location or specific situation. We’ll work with you to find the right fit.

We charge advisory fees based on a percentage of your account’s value, billed quarterly in advance. Fees are either based on a fixed rate or a blended schedule that applies different rates to portions of your account balance. Fees may vary by client depending on factors like account size. Fees are typically deducted directly from your account with your permission. Additional costs, like transaction or custodian fees, may apply.

Rea Wealth provides investment advice to a wide range of clients, including individuals (both high net worth and others), retirement and profit-sharing plans, trusts and estates, nonprofit and non-for-profit organizations, and various business entities. All clients must sign a service agreement to begin working with us.

Yes. In today’s world it’s easy to connect virtually. We can still meet “face -to-face” even if you don’t live near one of our offices. Our advisors are licensed in more than 30 states. If they’re not already licensed in yours, they can apply for a license there.

Ultimately, only you can decide if your current advisory relationship is the right fit. But it’s worth evaluating key factors—whether your advisor acts as a fiduciary or operates transactionally, the level of personalized service you receive, how well your planning and investment management are integrated, and whether the value you're getting aligns with the cost. Our advisors would be happy to connect and share more about our approach, and how our experience, collaborative style, and commitment to your goals could support your financial journey.

We’ll set up a first meeting to get to know each other. We’ll answer your questions, talk about the timeline of your goals, and learn about your current financial situation. We’ll also discuss how much risk you’re comfortable with and any experience you have with investing.

A solid financial plan should be personalized to fit your unique circumstances. It typically involves setting clear financial goals, evaluating your assets and liabilities, analyzing your income and expenses, and developing an investment strategy that aligns with both your risk tolerance and long-term objectives. A comprehensive plan also includes preparation for retirement, tax planning, insurance coverage, and estate planning to manage the distribution of your assets after death.

Yes, we will take your personal values and preferences into account when recommending investment options. It’s your money, and you should invest it in a way that feels right to you.

Yes, we can help you organize your accounts. You’ll provide statements for your existing accounts, and we’ll work together to determine how to best handle them.

Typically, advisors and clients meet at least once per year to ensure that financial plans are on track and to keep up with any changes in the clients’ lives. Your annual review meeting would include discussion about your investment plan, your progress toward your goals, and any personal or financial changes that may have taken place since your last meeting. That said, you should always feel free to reach out whenever something changes or if you need financial guidance.

You are welcome to call any of our offices during business hours (or you can leave a voicemail message after hours) or send an email specifically to your advisor or to anyone on our team. You can even use the green “Contact Us” button on our website. Your messages and questions are important to us, and we’ll respond as quickly as we possibly can.

Absolutely! We will work with your accountant / CPA, attorney or any business professionals whom you engage. We want to make things as seamless as possible for you, and to ensure that we are always working with a big-picture view.

Yes, we can help determine the best retirement plan for your business by considering a variety of factors related to your goals, employee needs, and financial situation.

Setting up and maintaining a retirement plan involves initial costs, such as creating the plan document and employee onboarding, and ongoing expenses, like recordkeeping and administrative and advisor fees. Factors that affect costs include plan size and design, number of employees, and type of provider. We disclose fees for retirement plans to plan sponsors and plan participants through specific documents and processes mandated by federal regulations. These disclosures ensure transparency about plan costs and investment options, enabling informed decisions.

Yes, our advisors can assist you by assessing your current plan and determining if a change would benefit you. If so, we could help choose a new plan and provider, manage the transition, communicate with employees, and provide ongoing support.

Yes, we offer to meet annually with your employees, either in a group setting or individually, to educate them about your company’s retirement plan. Additionally, we are available to answer questions as they arise.