FAQ

A Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) is an investment adviser (IA) registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission or a state’s securities agency. An IA is defined by the Securities and Exchange Commission as an individual or a firm that is in the business of giving advice about securities.

Arch Financial Advisors LLC, is a Registered Investment Adviser (RIA) with the State of Maryland. You can view our filing by visiting the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) website at www.adviserinfo.sec.gov and search using the firm’s name.

We are a fee-only firm. This means we are only paid from our clients for the services we provide. We don’t sell products and we never receive commissions. We do provide advice regarding taxes, investments, insurance, retirement, elder care issues, estate planning, and other financial matters.

No. Fee-only advisors earn money from the fees that their clients pay them. Fee-based advisors may receive commissions or other forms of compensations from the companies providing the products that they may recommend to clients. These fees present a potential conflict of interest. Fee-bases advisors may recommend a product that pays them more money even though there may be better options available to the client.

Brokers are held to a less stringent ethical code than RIAs since brokers are required by the SEC to recommend products that are suitable for their clients and not necessarily in the best interest of clients. The suitability standard requires that adviser’s investment recommendations must fit clients’ investing objectives, time horizon and experience. Under this standard of care, they can recommend products that pays them more as long as it’s suitable. An RIA is obligated to always act in the clients best financial interest and to offer the lowest-cost products that fit their needs.

We utilize low cost, tax-efficient funds. If you’re looking for the next “hot stock” or market timing strategy, we are not a good fit. Before making any investment for a client, we consider their unique circumstances, risk tolerances and time horizons. We look at all your accounts; individual, joint, trust, IRA, rollover accounts, 529 plans, 401(k), and 403(b)s to aid in designing your portfolio.

We work with retirees and pre-retirees who have accumulated wealth and need an ongoing, consultative advisor to provide recommendations on how to make their money last during their lifetime. If you are interested in investing smarter, lowering your tax bill, and creating a reliable income in retirement, you can contact us to set up an initial phone call so we can learn more about you.