At Granite Oak Private Wealth, we charge a single, transparent fee based on a percentage of the assets we manage for you – what’s often called an asset-based advisory fee. That fee covers portfolio management, trading costs, financial planning, and ongoing advisor support.
| Assets Under Management | Annual Fee % | |
|---|---|---|
| FIRST | $250,000 | 1.75% |
| NEXT | $250,000 | 1.50% |
| NEXT | $500,000 | 1.25% |
| NEXT | $1,000,000 | 1.00% |
| NEXT | $3,000,000 | 0.75% |
| ABOVE | $5,000,000 | 0.50% |
Your advisory fee is the only cost of your investment management and financial planning relationship. It covers portfolio management, trading, financial planning, and ongoing advisor access – not a series of add-on charges. Beyond the fee itself, we build a comprehensive plan around your investment strategy, retirement readiness, tax awareness, risk management, and estate planning. That coordinated approach helps you avoid costly gaps and stay on track toward your goals. We also believe in proactive communication and regular check-ins, so you’re never left guessing about where things stand.
Our investment management and financial planning services are compensated solely through your advisory fee – a transparent, asset-based fee you agree to before becoming a client. We do not earn commissions or product-based compensation on the investments we manage. Because insurance can be part of a comprehensive financial plan, Granite Oak is also insurance licensed. When we help implement a recommended solution, we may receive separate compensation from an insurance carrier. That compensation is always disclosed before implementation and is never part of your advisory fee.
Granite Oak Private Wealth owes you a fiduciary duty, and it comes from two separate directions. As a registered investment advisor, the firm is required to act as a fiduciary when managing your investments. Robert J. Walczak, CFP®, carries that same obligation personally, under the CFP Board’s Code and Standards. In practice, that means recommendations are made with your interests first. Any conflicts of interest, including insurance compensation, are addressed through disclosure and careful management, not by avoiding the topic.
Insurance isn’t why we manage your money; it’s one tool we turn to when your financial plan identifies a genuine need. Most Granite Oak clients are self-insured, so we rarely recommend life insurance outright. When it does come up, it’s typically in one of these planning contexts:
For coverage outside these areas – home, auto, umbrella – we typically refer clients to other qualified insurance professionals. We still coordinate their recommendation with the comprehensive plan we build for every client.
Not in the strict industry sense. Granite Oak is insurance licensed, so Robert may receive compensation from an insurance carrier when helping implement certain coverage – which means the firm doesn’t meet the technical definition of fee-only. Your investment advisory services, though, are compensated solely through transparent, client-paid fees. We don’t earn commissions on the investments we manage. Firms like ours, that combine advisory fees with occasional insurance compensation, are often described as fee-based. See the next question for how that’s different from being a fiduciary.
Fee-only describes how an advisor is paid. Fiduciary describes the duty owed to the client. The two terms aren’t interchangeable. A firm can owe fiduciary duty while using a compensation model that includes both advisory fees and occasional insurance commissions, as long as conflicts are disclosed and managed. That’s the model Granite Oak uses.
Yes. Our investment advisory relationship is fiduciary, and Robert J. Walczak’s CFP® certification carries its own fiduciary obligation under the CFP Board’s Code and Standards. Recommendations are made with your interests first, and conflicts of interest are managed through disclosure rather than left unaddressed.
Investment management and financial planning are compensated through a single asset-based advisory fee, agreed upon before you become a client and outlined on this page. Certain investments carry their own third-party costs, such as fund expense ratios, which we explain during planning. If an insurance recommendation is implemented, any related carrier compensation is separate from your advisory fee and disclosed in advance.
Not on the investment portfolios we manage. Robert is separately licensed for insurance and may earn a commission from a carrier when helping implement a recommended policy. That compensation is disclosed before implementation and kept apart from your advisory fee.
Because a handful of clients have insurance needs that are better solved inside their full financial picture than by a separate referral. Long-term care planning, life insurance for estate liquidity, and coverage for a special-needs beneficiary are the situations where this comes up most. Keeping the license lets us evaluate those needs as part of the plan itself, and any resulting compensation is disclosed before implementation.
No, you’re always free to use another insurance professional, and we’ll coordinate their recommendation with your plan either way. When we do help implement coverage ourselves, it’s usually long-term care, life insurance tied to estate planning, or a policy designed around a special-needs family situation. We don’t recommend insurance because a product exists; the starting point is always whether your plan shows a real need.
Any time compensation could follow from a recommendation, a potential conflict exists. We’d rather say so than pretend otherwise. We disclose applicable insurance compensation before implementation and weigh any recommendation against your full plan, existing coverage, and objectives. Insurance is never a requirement for becoming an investment management client.
Your advisory fee covers the wealth management services on this page. Some investments carry their own costs, such as fund expense ratios, and an implemented insurance solution has its own premium and, where applicable, carrier compensation – both explained before you decide to move forward.
Beyond a transparent fee, the real value is in the depth of the plan itself. We bring together investment strategy, risk management, tax awareness, retirement readiness, and estate planning into one coordinated approach – helping you avoid costly mistakes and stay on track toward your long-term goals. Regular check-ins and proactive communication mean you’re never navigating financial decisions alone. Ultimately, our fee structure reflects the same principle as everything else on this page: you should always understand what you’re paying, how we’re compensated, and why a recommendation is being made.
A reliable advisor is invaluable in your financial journey. We offer a complimentary initial consultation because your time deserves that respect. Please contact us to see if we’re the right fit.
