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As an independent firm, we keep costs low by running a lean, efficient operation. We invest in technology and processes that directly benefit our clients — not in layers of management and overhead. Arcadia is not cheap, but in our opinion offers a fair fee that is predictable each year and does not rise based on your investment portfolio size. Arcadia was built with the sole purpose of providing clients with better service and outcomes, with a transparent and fair fee structure.
The starting point of our relationship is the creation of your financial plan, which is the guide for future financial decisions. As life happens, financial markets fluctuate, and tax legislation changes, your financial plan will evolve. We're there to be your trusted advisor to help you make the decisions and strategic changes along the way.
Financial and tax planning is an ongoing process and a close ongoing relationship between us involving regular meetings, calls, and emails. The ultimate goal is for us to help you make the best possible decisions around your finances to allow you and your family to have your best financial life.
Concurrently, with the implementation of your financial plan, we will create a custom Investment Policy to guide the management of your investment and retirement accounts. We provide ongoing management of your investable assets (with no AUM fees) through our custodians, Charles Schwab and Altruist. We use a straightforward investing approach that ensures your portfolio will remain globally diversified, low cost and properly allocated for your risk tolerance and financial goals.
After discussion of your initial plan and investment strategy, we'll work closely with you throughout our relationship. Typical areas in which we provide ongoing advice are:
Ongoing discretionary management of your investable assets adhering to your custom Investment Policy
Reallocating investment portfolios that we do not manage directly (i.e., outside retirement plan accounts)
Setting up and implementing a portfolio distribution plan (i.e., sequence of withdrawals in retirement)
Doing annual income and tax projections that include analysis and implementation of strategies
Creating a strategy for when to claim Social Security
Design gifting plans to shift wealth to members of your family
Assessing life insurance, property & casualty, and long-term care insurance needs
Helping with the financial and tax aspects of buying and selling residential and commercial real estate
Analyzing whether to pay off, keep, or refinance an existing mortgage
Assisting in updating or putting in place estate documents and beneficiary forms
We typically have two or three formal meetings per year to update your financial plan, refine your investment strategy, determine tax planning actions, and discuss any concerns you have. We're accessible by Zoom, phone, email or in-person at our San Diego office.
Additionally, you'll have continuous access to your own personal finance portals through Right Capital or Income Lab, our two financial planning systems. Our portfolio reporting system, Advyzon, has a custom client portal for you to monitor the performance of the investment accounts we manage for you.
Throughout the year, with no charge on our end, we will coordinate our financial planning efforts with your tax professional, estate planning attorney, and any other professional important to you. At the beginning of tax season, we will compile tax reports for your tax professional that includes the taxable activity in your investment accounts from the prior year, as well as any tax related decisions we made together (i.e., Roth conversions, Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs), tax loss or gain harvesting, etc.)
Your money is held at Charles Schwab or Altruist (your choice), two leading independent custodians. The accounts stay in your name, and we act as your advisor with limited authority to manage them on your behalf.
Transferring your investment accounts is simple and secure thanks to the ACAT system, which moves assets “in-kind”—meaning nothing is sold or changed during the transfer. Whether you’re moving an IRA or trust account, your investments stay exactly the same; the only difference is where you log in. If you already have your accounts at Charles Schwab or Altruist, we simply establish a Limited Power of Attorney (LPOA) so we may serve as the Investment Advisor to manage your accounts going forward.
We are “small” by design - Arcadia’s goal is to build deep relationships and to know exactly what's going on in our clients' financial lives. Our fixed-fee model ensures alignment with your interests, and our client relationships are built on trust, transparency, and results.
We solve your financial problems with a unified strategy for tax planning, investments, and retirement planning.
We don’t charge AUM fees.
We plan with a focus on taxes. We identify tax opportunities now and in the future to keep your lifetime tax liability as low as possible. This is different from tax preparation, which focuses on filing a return. Taxes will be your biggest expense in retirement, so we try to help you minimize the IRS’ take.
We are locally owned with no private equity ownership.
We limit the number of clients we work with in order to give personal attention; not to build assets under management. We will currently stop accepting clients once we have 40 client relationships.
Our investment strategy is grounded in research and built to support your goals through all market conditions. We focus on three core principals:
1.) Diversification That Works - We invest across a wide range of asset classes including U.S. and international stocks, U.S. treasuries and municipal bonds, inflation-protected securities, and more. A broad approach helps reduce unnecessary risk and smooth out your investment journey over time.
2.) Evidence-Based Approach - Nobel Prize-winning data shows that Small, Value, and Profitable companies tend to outperform over the long run. When the market creates opportunity, we increase exposure to these categories to enhance performance without taking on unnecessary risk.
3.) Tax Efficiency Always - Every investment decision is made with after-tax results in mind. Your portfolio will be optimized to limit your lifetime tax liabilities and increase after-tax returns.
Our $1.5 million minimum portfolio recommendation is to ensure our $18,000 annual fee is appropriate and a long-term cost benefit for each client. In some circumstances we may waive our minimum. Exceptions are typically granted for clients who we expect to surpass our minimum within one year of working together.
Yes. Arcadia serves as a fiduciary to all clients, which means we are required to put client interests ahead of our own at all times. We only receive compensation from our clients. If a conflict of interest ever arises, we will notify you immediately and do everything possible to mitigate it.
Even if you don’t work with Arcadia, please ask any prospective wealth manager whether they serve as fiduciaries for all accounts, and will sign a binding contract to that effect (this language is included in every Arcadia client agreement).
We typically have two formal meetings each year: one in late Spring and in the Fall. At our Spring meeting we review your tax return and do an analysis to look at opportunities for the remainder of the year. We meet in Fall, before the holidays, to implement tax strategies before year-end. At both meetings, we review your financial plan and investment portfolio. We are available for calls, emails, and “pop up” meetings as needed.
Although we are headquartered in the San Diego area and meet many clients locally, Arcadia leverages technology (virtual meetings, screen sharing, secure file transfer) and can serve clients in all 50 states.
We work with you to develop a tax sensitive transition plan, and because we do not charge AUM fees, we can help manage appreciated portfolios without you incurring unnecessary management fees. To discuss your portfolio details, please contact us at grant@arcadiaprivate.com.
Our flat fee covers an entire household (both spouses), and there are no limits on the number of accounts or the size of the portfolio. Our fee is billed quarterly ($4,500 per quarter) and typically deducted proportionally from the investment accounts we manage. We don’t earn commissions, sell financial products, or receive incentives from third parties.
We believe it is unfair to pay more just because your have more. That's what a percentage-based fee does. Our flat, fixed dollar fee reflects our work, not your portfolio size.
It depends on your particular situation, but retirement planning is much more complex than saving for it. You’ll need to decide when to claim Social Security and Medicare, how much and which accounts to withdraw from tax-efficiently, whether Roth conversions make sense, how to make your money last 30+ years, and how to enjoy your money while leaving a legacy for your loved ones. A retirement-focused financial advisor can help you avoid costly mistakes that are difficult to come back from.
Grant is 40. Old enough to be experienced, and young enough to hopefully be around for decades to come!