We use Fidelity Investments as our Custodian. This means they are the company that “holds” your assets. We never receive or hold client assets. Fidelity has proven to be a progressive Boston-based firm that invests heavily in technology, and to date, has not been hacked, which makes us all feel more secure. They have a robust technology platform that allows us to handle your assets with confidence. We have worked with Fidelity in this capacity since 2005.
As an open architecture firm, we do not use the identical investment structure for every client. Every client’s needs are unique. Instead, we start with a base structure from which we draw some of our strongest funds, then we will supplement the portfolio with mutual funds and ETF’s to form the ideal portfolio for that client’s individual needs. Below is a list of some of the fund family names we employ.
Fund Families
• Fidelity Investments
• Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) – Founded in 1981, Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) is one of the only investment firms in the world that applies academic research to the methodology of investing, and they have been successful in creating a large and loyal force of member advisors who provide the only avenue into accessing DFA’s funds. DFA funds have been a standard offering in our recommended fund lineup since 2006. DFA does not share profits with Fidelity, hence funds from DFA carry trade fees. Only advisors have access to DFA funds.
• Morgan Stanley
• Thompson Funds
• Invesco
• iShares
Redtail
We utilize Redtail’s secure, online database for our Customer Relationship Management System. Given our virtual work environment, Redtail allows us to communicate seamlessly on client and internal activities from any location. The system is highly secure and provides an effective historically based records retention system. We use this system both for client records and for scheduling meetings.
Money Guide Pro
Money Guide Pro is a financial planning software that is both highly complex and plain language, allowing the highest technology available in financial planning and reporting. Our clients glean considerable assurance from their financial plans that are continually updated by our staff.
Morningstar
Morningstar is a global financial services firm headquartered in Chicago. It provides an array of investment-research and investment-management services. At FNI we use Morningstar daily to research investments, create portfolios and prepare reporting.
Memberships
Several of the advisors are members of National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) and various chapters of the Financial Planning Association (FPA) where we share knowledge and maintain the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) that is required for our designations. These conferences also allow an open forum for communicating and sharing industry trends and standards.
