Frequently Asked Questions
Here are answers to some frequently asked questions. During our consultation, we can discuss your specific situation in more detail. Don’t see the answer to your question? Feel free to reach out anytime. We’re always here to help!
Fiduciary Standards, Fees & Credentials
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When investing your funds, yes, we offer advice under the fiduciary standard. When dealing with annuities and life insurance, because commissions are involved, we are not a fiduciary in that capacity but you are free to accept our recommendations with insurance products or seek those products elsewhere.
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It means that when you partner with us, we are legally and ethically obligated to always put your best interests first, ahead of our own. It is the highest standard of care in the financial industry. Fiduciaries (often Registered Investment Advisors, or RIAs) must prioritize your needs when providing advice, making investment recommendations, managing assets, or creating financial plans.
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David holds some of the industry's most respected certifications:
Certified Portfolio Manager (CPM®) - This designation is a professional credential offered by the Academy of Certified Portfolio Managers (ACPM), in collaboration with partners like the University of Denver (and previously associated with institutions like Columbia University in some descriptions). It is specifically designed for experienced professionals in the financial services industry—such as discretionary portfolio managers, investment advisors, and institutional investment professionals—who manage client portfolios directly.
Program Instruction includes advanced, practical portfolio management. Unlike broader certifications (e.g., CFA or CFP), the CPM® emphasizes applied skills in three core areas: Valuation Analysis, Portfolio Construction, and Risk Management. It provides deeper education tailored to real-world discretionary portfolio oversight, including fiduciary responsibility, peer review of investment strategies, and risk oversight.
Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®) - A Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA®) is a financial professional who has completed specialized training through the Institute for Divorce Financial Analysts (IDFA) to focus specifically on the financial complexities of divorce. While many general financial advisors or planners (such as CFPs or those offering broad wealth management) provide excellent overall financial planning, investment advice, and retirement strategies, they typically lack the targeted expertise in divorce-related financial issues that a CDFA professional possesses including:
In-depth analysis of divorce settlement options.
Specialized expertise in divorce-specific tax implications.
Valuation and division of complex marital assets.
Spousal and child support calculations with forward-looking analysis.
Knowledge of relevant legal and property law intersections.
Coaching on post-divorce financial.
Certified Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) - This designation provides training and in-depth skills to help clients (both pre-retirement and post-retirement) create a comprehensive "road map to retirement." Their training emphasizes practical, client-centered strategies drawn from real-world scenarios.
Key special skills and areas of expertise a CRPC typically provides include:
Comprehensive retirement income planning — Developing strategies to generate sustainable income in retirement by integrating sources like Social Security optimization, pensions, retirement accounts (e.g., 401(k)s, IRAs), annuities, and other assets.
Pre- and post-retirement needs assessment — Evaluating and addressing financial, lifestyle, and transitional needs before and after retiring, including bridging income gaps and managing the shift from accumulation to distribution phase.
Asset management and investment strategies for retirement — Applying principles for investing tailored to retirement goals, risk tolerance, time horizons, and the need to preserve and grow wealth while minimizing volatility.
Estate planning integration — Helping clients align retirement assets with estate goals, such as wealth transfer, minimizing taxes, and ensuring legacy objectives are met.
Tax-efficient retirement strategies — Advising on tax implications of withdrawals, required minimum distributions (RMDs), Roth conversions, and other tax-planning techniques to maximize after-tax income.
Social Security claiming strategies — Guiding clients on optimal timing and methods to maximize lifetime benefits.
But what sets David apart isn't just his technical knowledge—it's his ability to empower clients with insight and help them see possibilities they might not have considered.
Getting Started & Initial Consultation
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No, we will help guide you.
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Always!
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We will listen to your needs and explain how we may be able to assist you with your situation. The initial consultation is an opportunity for us to get to know you and for you to get to know us and if we are a good fit to work together.
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No
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Usually, 45 minutes to 1 hour depending on the complexity of your situation.
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Frequently, new clients decide to engage us at the end of the complimentary consultation. However, some need a few days to decide. Either way, the schedule is up to you.
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It is helpful (but not required) if you can provide a net worth statement. If you don’t have a net worth statement, please bring any statements for bank and brokerage accounts, along with 401k statements and last year’s tax return. Those documents can help us see the big picture more clearly, but they are not required.
Client Fit & Working Relationships
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We follow the CFP Board’s 7 step process starting with:
Step 1 Understanding your personal and financial circumstances by collecting and analyzing both qualitative (e.g., family situation, values, health, risk tolerance) and quantitative (e.g., income, expenses, assets, liabilities, insurance coverage) information to build a complete picture of your current situation.
Step 2 is identifying and selecting your long range and short-range goals.
Step 3 is helping you prioritize those goals and
Step 4 is developing customized recommendations for your situation.
In Step 5, we present our recommendations, discuss the potential outcomes, risks and alternatives to help you make informed decision.
Step 6 is where we implement the plan and
Step 7 is all about monitoring your progress, updating the plan periodically and helping you make course corrections along the way to your goals.
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You’ll know because you will feel comfortable opening up about your situation, your hopes, fears and dreams. If you have a great relationship with your primary care doctor, you can talk frankly and share concerns with a good doctor who listens like a friend, without judgment. You should be able to talk with your financial advisor the same way.
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No, we do not have a minimum. Some major firms may have $250,000, $500,000 and $1 million dollar minimums. We don’t work that way. Some of our most treasured relationships began with $25,000 and blossomed into much larger relationships because the client saw that we cared about them on their entire journey, not just when they “arrived”.
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Yes. We invite your questions because successful investment requires understanding, particularly when the road becomes bumpy.
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We typically work with clients who appreciate a more tailored and responsive approach to service along with customized investments rather than the big firms “one size fits most” approach and the generic emails with generic market updates with a cookie recipe. We will not clutter your inbox with irrelevant emails.
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Yes, for financial advice, but you will also work with our team members for client service. Each member has a specific set of roles and responsibilities.
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You will typically hear from our staff every other month at a minimum with proactive outreach calls to find out if you have service issues that need to be addressed or if your financial plan needs updating.
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Both
Services
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Yes. Retirement planning requires an initial plan to help us understand where you are today and where you would like to be at retirement. Once the plan is built, we will update it periodically and make course corrections as needed.
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Yes, we do help clients who are already retired! That is a significant area of growth in our practice because clients are living longer, the investment approach must evolve from simple age-based investment models because your situation may be different from other people in the same age group. For instance, a client who needs more income will have a different approach than someone who has ample income and wants to grow their assets for their children, grandchildren or for charity.
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We have 2 Certified Divorce Financial Analyst (CDFA) practitioners. We can add value to a divorcing client by helping advocate for an equitable after-tax settlement.
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This is a professional designation for financial professionals who focus on the financial aspects of divorce. A CDFA helps individuals (and often their attorneys) navigate complex money-related issues during divorce proceedings, such as:
Analyzing tax implications of settlements (e.g., alimony, property transfers, retirement accounts)
Evaluating short-term and long-term financial impacts of different settlement scenarios
Budgeting, support calculations (like child support or spousal maintenance), and future financial planning post-divorce
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Yes, we can help you come up with a plan to generate growth or income or both with a goal of attempting to maintain the core principal.
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We help business owners with a variety of issues from retirement plans to asset management to transitioning to retirement after the sale or retirement.
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While we are not attorneys, we can still help you understand the broad issues surrounding legacy planning, inheritances and providing for family members after your passing.
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We can and do but financial planning is included with our management fees as a value-add to you and us. The better we know your situation, the better we can serve you.
Location, Meetings & Logistics
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We can serve clients throughout the United States and U.S. territories where we are registered.
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Yes, and we frequently collaborate with clients via video call or telephone – it is your choice on how you wish to engage us.
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Both, it is your choice.
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In Duluth, Georgia about 25 miles northeast of Atlanta.
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Clients are always welcome to call for brief questions, but we ask that more involved conversations be reserved with time on our calendar so that we can focus on your questions without interruption.
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Fill out our questionnaire and share your concerns.
Your Investments, Fees & Account Security
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See above.
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Yes, every month, you will receive a statement by email directly from Fidelity. And, each quarter, you will receive a performance summary by email.
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No.
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We are neither the most expensive nor the cheapest. Our fee schedule is inclusive, meaning you do not pay any commissions, sales charges, trading fees or nuisance annual account maintenance fees.
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You will receive a call from our staff informing you of the news and you will be asked if you would like another advisor at our firm to manage your relationship or if you would prefer to disengage and find another advisor.
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The unique perspective of our founder, David Cross, and his 35 years of experience. David is a student of investments, economics, finance, government spending, economic and monetary policy and how all these issues interconnect to affect your investments.