on being different

How is DRW Financial different from our competitors?  How do we aspire to be worthy to provide advice and investment management to our clients?  These are good questions, and deserving of an answer.  Below and in brief I will outline my philosophy and the DRW Financial approach to delivering service.

self sorting?

One key to our approach in identifying prospects and taking on new clients relies on the concept of self sorting.  We believe that the best client relationships arise when the clients themselves see us as a good fit, as opposed to being "sold" on our services.  In some ways this is like going on a few dates before committing to a longer term arrangement.  And the process relies on both parties -- if DRW Financial doesn't get the sense that we can productively work together, we will (and have!) refer prospects on to another professional who seems like a better match.

Values before money

When a prospect does become a client, our early work is dominated by a conversation around values, specifically the values that inform the client's life.  In some cases, clients have yet to take the time to articulate their thoughts and priorities around their value system, and David & DRW Financial serves to facilitate that conversation.  We aspire to remain agnostic, not imposing our values onto our clients, but choosing instead to be good and discerning listeners.

fiduciary means clients come first

DRW Financial is organized as a registered investment advisory.  Our sole compensation comes from the delivery of advice via a financial planning fee or a fee only investment management fee.  RIAs must adhere to a fiduciary standard.  The combination of this standard and our compensation arrangements create a scenario where our interests align with those of our clients, as well as providing simple transparency to identify conflicts of interest where they may exist.

simplicity and transparency

When we deliver advice or design investment portfolios, we aspire to high standards of simplicity and clarity.  While there are complicated concepts in the world of finance, we believe that good advice should be understandable and actionable.  We avoid "black box" investment products; we favor planning that follows best practice; we design plans and investments to be portable should our clients wish to transition to a DIY model.  Our portfolios tend to be rely heavily on low cost "index tracking exchange traded funds", individual stocks, and bonds.

cooperation, not competition

We work alongside our clients in pursuing their goals.  We are also open and willing to working cooperatively with other members of the "team" advising our clients: estate planning attorneys, tax professionals, insurance agents, and similar all have roles to play and DRW Financial is able to productively engage with each.  In circumstances where our clients need services not directly provided by DRW Financial, we are able to provide objective and conflict free advice on how and where to find those services.

technology forward

David and DRW Financial are committed to communication.  We make use of personal interaction, the telephone, email, and social media to engage with our clients, and we leverage a select set of technology platforms to support our values of simplicity and transparency.  Different clients have different needs, and our technology suite is curated to allow for a variety of modes of engagement.  On one point we remain proudly abnormal: David answers the phone and responds to emails directly, and with an efficiency many clients find startling.

professional development

David brought more than a decade of financial services experience and education to DRW Financial, and since founding the firm has sought and earned designations as Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® and CFP®.  Our intention is to continue seeking new learning and evolving our approach along with industry best practice.

questions to ask

When you find yourself evaluating the options for choosing professional financial advice or going the DIY route, you may wish to consider the following (with notes on our likely answers):

• Who do you like to work with?
  • DRW Financial prefers to work with clients who value communication and care about something(s) more than money.
• How are you organized, and how do you get paid?  Broker, agent, advisor?  Commission, fees, or a hybrid?
  • DRW Financial is a fee only advisor
• What standard applies to your practice?  Are you a fiduciary, or held to a "suitability" standard?
  • DRW Financial is a fiduciary
• How many clients share your attention?
  • DRW Financial is committed to maintaining a small and focused practice.  We currently serve approximately 25 households, with an intention to cap our practice at 50 households.