WebsterRogers Financial Advisors, LLC in Florence, Charleston, Columbia, S.C.

What We Do

INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT

The most important element of an investment philosophy is to have one. At WRFA, we believe:

  • Markets are efficient. Because new information quickly affects prices, it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to consistently and successfully exploit market anomalies.  Additionally, being forward looking, markets have often priced in new information before it is news – right or wrong.
  • Expected return and risk are related. Riskier assets provide higher expected returns as compensation for taking greater risk.
  • Diversification is crucial. High-risk, low correlating assets can reduce a portfolio’s volatility and increase expected rates of return. Passive asset class fund portfolios may be designed to yield the highest expected returns over time based on a given risk level.

WebsterRogers financial advisors in columbia, charleston, florence sc

A financial advisor can help you create your plan and focus on actions that add value.

Speculating Long term investing
Predictions Asset classes
Bets on individual stocks, sectors, managers Planning – begin with the end in mind
Market timing Efficient markers
Breaking news Academic research
Commission-based brokers Fee only, fiduciary advisors

We believe that empirically-based and academically-tested investment strategies yield better long-term results when compared to higher-turnover, active strategies that attempt to “beat the market.”  Conventional active managers struggle to consistently add value. In fact, conventional methods have low odds of success.  Only a fraction of surviving mutual funds beat their index over a 15-year period ending December 31, 2015.*

Past performance is no guarantee of future results. Survivors are funds that were still in existence as of December 31, 2015. Outperformers are survivors that beat their respective benchmarks over the period.
Source: Mutual Fund Landscape, Dimensional Fund Advisors 2016. US-domiciled mutual fund data is from the CRSP Survivor-Bias-Free US Mutual Fund Database, provided by the Center for Research in Security Prices,
University of Chicago. The information shown here is derived from such database.

For more than a decade WRFA has partnered with Dimensional Fund Advisors (DFA) to provide what we believe is a superior way to approach investment management. Founded in 1981, Dimensional Fund Advisors has more than $445BN in global AUM.  You will not find DFA funds online or available in every retail investment outlet. Dimensional Fund Advisors partner with advisors that have a commitment to long-term client relationships and meet their specific criteria for engagement. We chose DFA as our primary investment manager because we share a common belief that conventional management is inefficient and unreliable in its long-term results. WRFA believes there is a better way to serve our clients’ investment needs.

 In USD. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP founded in 1981. Global AUM  and number of employees as of September 30, 2016.

Locations with offices operated by Dimensional. “Dimensional” refers to the Dimensional separate but affiliated entities generally, rather than to one entity. These entities are Dimensional Fund Advisors LP, Dimensional Fund Advisors Ltd., DFA Australia Limited, Dimensional Fund Advisors Canada ULC, Dimensional Fund Advisors Pte. Ltd., and Dimensional Japan Ltd.

Conventional Management

  • Attempts to identify mispricing in securities
  • Relies on forecasting to select “undervalued” securities or time markets
  • Generates higher expenses, trading costs, and risks

Index Management

  • Allows commercial index to determine strategy
  • Attempts to match index performance, restricting which securities to hold and when to trade
  • Prioritizes low tracking error over higher expected returns

An Alternate Approach

  • Gains insight about markets and returns from academic research
  • Structures portfolios along the dimensions of expected returns
  • Adds value by integrating research, portfolio structure, and implementation

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An integrated investment process adds value to each step.

Research can be applied throughout the process for an advanced understanding of all aspects of investing.

FINANCIAL PLANNING

Where are you now? Where do you want to go? What might get in your way? Allow us to evaluate your current financial position, define and refine your goals, and then build a plan to assist in achieving those goals. By working with you on a gap analysis we can determine reasonable goals as well as recommend and implement next steps.

Our financial planning services include:

  • Identifying attainable long and short-term goals based on your individual situation and needs.
  • Examining information and factors, such as income and estate tax liability, cash flow and net worth, risk management, and retirement.
  • Providing you with sound advice by listening to understand your concerns, outlining alternative strategies, mitigating uncovered problems, preparing and reviewing projections, and guiding you through the decision-making process.

Risk management review

Whether we are looking at how you protect your assets or your income, allow us to be a second set of eyes to determine what type of insurance best suits your needs. We do not sell insurance of any kind but can work with the providers of your choice to ensure that you have the right coverage for the right reasons.

Philanthropic planning

Do you have a cause that you support? Would you like to make a gift now or a legacy gift? Let us work with you to determine what to give and when to make sure that both you and the charity of your choice maximize that gift.

Education Planning

It’s no secret that the cost of education is on the rise.  Let us help you plan to meet your family’s education goals.

EMPLOYER RETIREMENT SERVICES

Our 401k team will work with you to provide an effective way of offering retirement benefits to your employees. We have the expertise to help you keep all aspects of your company retirement plan running smoothly and efficiently.

Selecting and implementing a competitive retirement plan that fits your goals is a vital key to your business’s success. Having a competitive benefits package is an advantage when it comes to retaining your best employees or having them go elsewhere. Due to increasing costs and changing regulations, finding the best plan has become increasingly difficult. We can assist you in evaluating your options and overcoming obstacles.

As an ERISA 3(38) Investment Manager, we take the responsibility of choosing and monitoring funds, custodians, and other service providers off the plan sponsor. Acting as a Registered Investment Advisor and Accredited Investment Fiduciary, we also conduct ongoing reviews of business practices to ensure that fiduciary principles are properly applied. We use a third-party fund monitoring, fi360 Fiduciary Score, to provide ongoing objective evaluations of every holding in your plan. On a quarterly basis our Investment Policy Committee meets to review and monitor each investment.

In addition to working with you on your plan, we believe in providing a high level of employee education to plan participants. Greater level of employee understanding helps you, the plan sponsor, meet your fiduciary responsibilities. We schedule routine onsite visits for enrollment and education as well as individual meetings, phone calls, and emails.

You can rely on us to provide proactive solutions that fit your retirement plan needs. From small, family-owned businesses to larger companies, we have experience finding the right solutions.

Our clients turn to us for their retirement plan needs because they know we always work to do it right and do it well. We have the industry experience and depth of knowledge to meet our clients’ needs and exceed their expectations.

RETIREMENT PLANNING

In addition to providing retirement plans for businesses through our Employer Services offering, we specialize in working with individuals to define, refine, and implement retirement strategies. By listening to understand your goals we will work with you to address your retirement needs. You can look to us to help anticipate risks, address concerns, and develop a strategy based on your ideas for retirement. Successful retirement is not just about saving money; it is also about your long-term quality of life. We work with you on tax conscious investment strategies, evaluating sources of retirement income and managing the distribution of assets to help you enjoy the next chapter.

FAMILY ADVISORY SERVICES

Working with WebsterRogers Financial Advisors provides you with access to deep resources and broad experience. We know no two families are alike, and as such, no two service models are alike. We tailor our services and expertise to your needs and work with you in the capacity that benefits you most. We keep you informed, involved and fully engaged in your family’s wealth management. We lead, collaborate with, and coordinate with your other service providers. We educate. We are discreet. We work to create solutions by demonstrating a thorough understanding of each person and family’s needs and priorities. Whether evaluating and implementing the most sophisticated estate planning techniques or coaching you through an important acquisition, the professionals at WebsterRogers Financial Advisors and WebsterRogers LLP have the technical expertise, depth of experience and ability to navigate and guide you.

TAX STRATEGIES

Our sister company, WebsterRogers LLP, gives you an added layer of tax expertise. As one of the largest CPA firms headquartered in South Carolina, WebsterRogers LLP offers technical depth. With three CPAs, three CFPs and one CFA on the WRFA team, there isn’t much we can’t address in house, but when we need additional technical expertise for you, it is at our fingertips. If not WebsterRogers LLP, we can also work with the CPA of your choice to ensure we are coordinated and pursuing the right tax strategies for you. Either way, we will work with you to choose the best investments and strategies for your own tax situation.