Fee-Only Advisor

Zhang Financial is a fee-only advisory firm.  Charles and Lynn Zhang are proud members of NAPFA, the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. NAPFA members must adhere to demanding practice requirements including fee-only compensation, professional designations, continuing education, comprehensive planning, and fiduciary commitments. Please check out the NAPFA Website or read the Frequently Asked Questions below for more information.  For a more detailed explanation of Fee-Only, click HERE.

Frequently Asked Questions:

What is a fee-only financial advisor?

NAPFA defines a fee-only advisor as one who is compensated solely from the client. Neither the advisor or any related party may receive compensation contingent on the purchase or sale of a financial product. NAPFA members cannot receive commissions, rebates, finder's fees, or any other form of compensation from third-parties as a result of implementing their investment recommendations.

 

Charles Zhang, CFP®, and Lynn Chen-Zhang, CFP®, are fee-only financial advisors.

What is the significance of the term NAPFA-registered financial advisor?

The term NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor indicates that a financial planner adheres to the industry's most demanding practice requirements, including Fee-Only compensation, and meets NAPFA's rigorous standards. We believe that through our NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor program, we have created the financial planning industry's clearest message about the level of responsibility and care that must be exercised on behalf of each client.

Charles was ranked #1 in the nation on Barron's list of America's Top 100 Independent Wealth Advisors for 2023 and has been in the Top 10 every year since 2015.*  He is currently the highest-ranking Fee-Only NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisor on the list.

Why is fee-only compensation of critical importance?

A financial planner who has a financial stake in the course of action that they recommend to a client faces an inherent conflict of interest and cannot be considered objective or unbiased. Unfortunately, the vast majority of financial advisors in the United States are sellers of financial products. Some or all of their income may be dependent upon their ability to steer their clients to a limited number of the thousands of financial products available today. (Putting aside the conflict of interest factor, this limiting of investment choices, in and of itself, often is enough to impact the quality of advice.) NAPFA believes many of the problems that beset Americans today in their financial affairs relate directly to the conflicts of interest that pervade the marketplace.

What does NAPFA stand for in addition to fee-only compensation?

Of equal importance to fee-only compensation is an advisor's ability to make competent decisions and offer a comprehensive approach to financial planning. NAPFA's requirements exceed those of any other financial industry association. The NAPFA program requires new members to have earned the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM certification, submit a comprehensive financial plan for peer review, and complete continuing education in six subject areas every two years. Additionally, his/her Form ADV is subject to review by NAPFA. NAPFA-registered advisors also sign a Fiduciary Oath, a commitment to working solely in the client's interests at all times.

What is the difference between fee-only and fee-based advisors?

Fee-only signifies that your advisor does not receive commissions or additional revenue from product providers. This eliminates any conflict of interest and bias when allocating assets and ensures that your advisor has your best interests at heart. Diametrically opposed, fee-based advisors receive fees from you as well as commissions from selling products and/or have revenue sharing agreements with product providers. A fee-based structure, therefore, introduces unwanted monetary influence in the way your advisor manages your portfolio.

Tell me the difference between fiduciary and suitable.

Fiduciary is a standard key to client agreements with fee-only advisors. While acting as a fiduciary, your advisor must disregard other influences and act only in your best economic interest.

 

'Suitability' lies within much more murky boundaries in which advisors are not upheld to the same level of dedication and commitment to their clients as fiduciaries.

 

Charles Zhang, CFP®, and Lynn Chen-Zhang, CFP®, are fee-only, fiduciary financial advisors.

*As reported in Barron's August 22, 2015, August 27, 2016, September 15, 2017, September 14, 2018, September 16, 2019, September 12, 2020, September 17, 2021, September 16, 2022, September 15, 2023. The ranking reflects the volume of assets overseen by the advisors and their teams, revenues generated for the firms, the quality of the advisors' practices, and other factors.  For Fee-Only status see NAPFA.org.

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Minimum Investment Requirement $1,000,000 in Michigan or $2,000,000 Outside of Michigan

Portage MI Office

5931 Oakland Drive
Portage, MI 49024

269.385.5888

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Battle Creek Office

70 West Michigan Ave,
Suite 100
Battle Creek, MI 49017
269.965.0777

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Grand Rapids Office

460 Ada Drive,
Suite 200
Ada, MI  49301
616.235.5777

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Troy Office

101 West Big Beaver Road, 14th Floor
Troy, MI 48084
248.687.1258 

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Naples Office

999 Vanderbilt Beach Rd, Suite 200
Naples, FL 34108
239.325.1826 

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Zhang Financial

Zhang Financial

5931 Oakland Drive Portage, MI 49024
List of office locations
Email: clientservice@zhangfinancial.com | Toll-Free: 888-777-0126

Minimum investment requirement: $1,000,000 in Michigan, $2,000,000 outside of Michigan.
Investment Advice offered through Zhang Financial, a Fee-Only Wealth Management Group.