About Us
About Bill McDonald
Bill is the Founder and Managing Director of Retirement Planning Solutions. He has been interviewed by national publications such as Money Magazine, Business Week Magazine and The Wall Street Journal. He’s participated in national retirement programs sponsored by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance Magazine. He is a member of The Financial Planning Association, The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors, and The National Association for Tax Professionals. He is one of the few investment advisors nationally, who have been selected to work with Dimensional Fund Advisors.
Bill has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry. He worked in the Finance Division with The Gillette Company (Fortune 500 Company) for more than 10 years where he managed over $400 million. He later worked with Waddell & Reed Financial Services where he received top honors for his work. He also worked with HD Vest Financial Services advising clients with portfolio management.
About Independent and Fee-Only
By being Independent and Fee-Only, we separate ourselves from other firms in the industry. Our independent status assures that the advice we provide is always in your best interest. We will never be influenced by commissions, finder’s fees or product sales of any kind. Instead, we focus on creating personalized, long-term relationships with our clients. The investment strategies we use are neither speculative nor high-risk. Rather, we adhere to developing and implementing investment strategies with a proven track record, which have provided our clients consistent long-term growth and preservation of principal.
How does Retirement Planning Solutions set their fees?
Being a Fee-Only Investment Advisory Firm allows us to be 100% objective and totally committed to our clients’ well being. Hence, we strive to minimize your costs, and to maximize your account value according to your specific risk tolerance.
(See our fee schedule under FAQ’s)
In comparison brokerage firms, insurance companies or banks usually charge commissions on the products they sell. Typically they get paid all of their commissions up front, before they invest any of your money. When getting paid up front, one may ask, how much incentive do they have to make your account grow on a long-term basis, and how closely are they going to watch your account?
With Retirement Planning Solutions, we charge NO commissions or up front money and we monitor your account continually. We charge only on a small management fee. This means we get paid on the value of your account and it’s performance.