How We Add Value

Rodgers & Associates is a Fee-Only Registered Investment Adviser. As a RIA we are, by law, fiduciaries for our clients. This means that we must act in our clients best interest at all times. We are not registered representatives of any broker/dealer. We do not accept any compensation from the producer or distributor of any financial products. Our compensation is from fees paid to us by our clients. This type of compensation reduces the possibility of any conflict between our interests and those of our clients.

Qualified Advisers: How do you choose from the “alphabet soup” of initials after an advisors name? According to a recent article in the Wall Street Journal by Jeff D. Opdyke, “The Certified Financial Planner, or CFP, designation is the gold standard in this crowd.” Jane Bryant Quinn in Newsweek magazine asks “Who qualifies as a financial planner? For me, it’s the certified financial planner.” Rick Rodgers is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) Professional who also holds the CRPC® and Certified Retirement Counselor designations. Lita “Lee” Pelko is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional and holds the CRPC® designation. Alan Campbell is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional and  holds a Masters Degree in Personal Financial Planning from Texas Tech University. Michael Helveston is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional and holds the Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor™ designation.

Specialization: Most brokers attempt to be all things to all people. We have chosen to focus on the issues and concerns of those who are retired or about to be retired. Because we work with this group every day, we are acutely aware of their unique concerns and needs. We understand the issues of Medicare, social security, estate planning, life insurance, long term care and much more. Because we do not sell insurance products, our advice is based on your actual needs, not our need to make a commission.

Ongoing Advice: One of the most common complaints we hear about the financial profession is that clients don’t hear from their advisors except when they want to sell them something. We establish a review schedule, usually once a quarter, and contact our clients to schedule their review for them. We consistently monitor the investments in our clients’ portfolio to make sure they continue to perform to our standards. Most brokers get paid to sell. Their advice is incidental to the sales process. Once they have sold an investment they need to find another buyer so they can earn another commission. We get paid by our clients to provide ongoing advice and analysis.

Performance: We believe that a well defined process will provide improved investment performance for our clients. We evaluate an investments performance against its peer group on a regular basis. If appropriate, after considering taxes and other possible expenses, we change from underperforming investments to similar ones which meet our performance criteria. While there are no guarantees, we believe that this process will result in better performance over time.

Reporting: Most brokerage statements aren’t designed to let you easily see how your investment portfolio did last year. In addition to statements from TD Ameritrade or Fidelity, Rodgers & Associates prepares quarterly reviews where we report the performance of your overall portfolio net of fees, the appropriate market indices and any fees which you have paid. In this way you can better evaluate exactly how your portfolio is performing.

Comprehensive Financial Planning: Do you worry that your investment decisions may cost you at tax time? In addition to investment advice and asset management you can count on us to provide tax planning and review, and estate planning advice. We will work with you to answer your questions regarding your insurance programs, charitable giving, planning for a child’s or grandchild’s education, or whether to buy or lease your next vehicle. Our services include preparation of tax projections and recommendations of tax saving strategies before year end.

Protection: What if your advisor leaves the business? All client assets are held by an independent custodian. Rodgers & Associates never takes possession of your money to ensure your safety. We currently use TD Ameritrade, formerly TD Waterhouse, a discount broker/dealer as our primary custodian. TD Ameritrade is a member of the NASD and SIPC. Some accounts are custodied at Fidelity.

Risk Management: Do you worry about the level of risk your investments represent? Because our recommendations are based on clients’ goals, we build a portfolio to meet those goals with as little risk as is possible. Commissions are often higher on higher risk products so a commissioned salesperson may have an incentive to maximize your risk. Because we do not accept commissions, we do not have that incentive. We use bonds and CD’s to provide necessary safety to our clients.

Personal Attention: Do you fit into a “cookie-cutter” portfolio? Our portfolios are individually constructed to meet or clients needs and goals. Our goal is to get to know each client so we can act as their chief financial officer. Our advice is not limited to investments.

Team Approach: What if I can’t contact my advisor? Our advisers use a team approach to develop and implement a financial plan. The WealthGuard™ process and the team approach mean that you will get consistent advice. Although we are a small company we have taken steps to make sure you get the appropriate advice whether you speak with your primary adviser or someone else on our team. Our advisers concentrate on working for their clients. Business development and administration are handled by other members of the team to allow our advisers to do what they do best.

WealthGuard™: Can anyone accurately predict where the market is going with any lasting success? Our investment decisions are not based on predicting the next hot stock or mutual fund. Instead we have developed a process to evaluate and choose the best investments to help you achieve your goals. Using a process is the best way of ensuring consistent advice and management.

Education: Would you like to learn more about financial issues? We offer regular free educational seminars for our clients. No sales, just good information to help them understand why we do what we do.

Independence: We are not affiliated with any company that pays us to sell investments or other products. Because our compensation is not based on what we sell you, our advice is based on what you need. You will never be pressured to purchase any product. Our goal is to provide you with the information necessary for you to decide what you really need. We are also independent in that we owe no allegiance to a large firm. We do not have an inventory of investments to push nor do we have our own family of mutual funds to sell. Our investment decisions are based on our clients’ goals and our criteria for performance…nothing else.

Ethics: Each of our employees has signed the company's ethics policy and our advisers are all members of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors and subscribes to their code of ethics.