Refining Outcomes for Families and their Advisors
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Personne de Confiance
The concept of a personne de confiance, or trusted advisor, committed to serving the needs and interests of a group of families can be traced back through the centuries. A noble position, this trusted advisor would act as the family's financial office, collaborating with a key family member to provide integrated, tailored solutions for the family's capital, while promoting and preserving the identity and values of the family as a whole.
It is well documented in many types of literature how families of means have benefited from the use of various advisors. For instance, the book of Proverbs in the Bible speaks to this in two different passages:
"Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety" - Proverbs 11:14
"Without counsel plans fail, but with many advisers they succeed" - Proverbs 15:22
It is completely intuitive. CPAs, attorneys, and advisors from various segments of finance all collaborating to bring forth better ideas for the family's consideration. However it is imperative that one of those professionals take on the lead role.
Foundational Wealth Advisory (FWA) was established to fill this essential, yet under-recognized, role by providing discerning families with sophisticated, understandable advice across and between generations. The Shared Family Investment Office (SFIO) model we've developed addresses these fundamental needs that any family of means would have.
FWA understands the ongoing challenges today's family faces in dealing with an array of attorneys, accountants, insurers, et al across a plethora of legal and/or corporate structures. Managing, coordinating, and integrating these complex relationships for the benefit of the family is not easy and often times is overwhelming. FWA can help.
We have more than 25 years of experience collaborating with the family's other key advisors to ensure that all the various advisory elements are consistently presented and delivered in a clear, concise manner and are in the best interest of the family.
Through an advisory relationship, we serve in four distinct capacities to our client families: (1) financial planner - providing the framework of the outcome they currently desire; (2) investment advisor - identifying and recommending appropriate investment strategies to meet the goals they've set forth; (3) concierge - adding convenience to their lives by helping them organize their bill payment service options, evaluating their credit cards and recommending appropriate rewards/frequent flyer programs for their lifestyle, and helping them organize and maintain their legal and personal documents for their access anywhere globally; (4) confidant.
The Foundational Difference: We Focus Exclusively on Serving Families
If you're interested: What is Wealth For - Part I and/or What is Wealth For - Part II

Investment Counsel / Fiduciary
The economic environment will always present many new and unique challenges. But along with these challenges come opportunities and potential rewards.
We can assist you in better understanding where certain investment and planning ideas could help, or hinder, your short- and long-term investment goals. You will no doubt have a big "wish list" that we can help you reality test within the context of your tolerance for risk. Our collaborative approach strives to enhance your control both now and in the future.
We help bring clarity to what life might look like for you and your family beyond work.
Purposeful and Continuous Legacy Planning
The Biblical book of Ecclesiastes contains many thought-provoking considerations for families of means. Chapter 2, verses 20-21, is one such passage. How can a family overcome this?
Imagine an advisor serving the patriarch and matriarch of the family in the mid-1980s, seeing the challenges conquered and values birthed in the first generation of the family wealth.
That same advisor helps facilitate the transfer of wealth to the second generation, witnessing mistakes made, old values melding with new ones, and capabilities developing.
As the third generation grows into adulthood, that advisor represents continuity that bridges across generations. That is Foundational Wealth.
We've helped parents plan for their children...and we've helped those same children plan for their parents. We're there for the entire journey.
If you're interested: What are You Investing In?

Foundational Articles - Markets
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We Work With Excellence
We believe that the pursuit of excellence honors God and inspires others. To that end, delivering client service that consistently exceeds expectations is Foundational to our firm's mission. In fact, our high staff-to-client ratio not only allows us to provide prompt, exceptional care, our close personal relationships also allow us to anticipate client needs, thus helping our clients be more efficient with their own time.
Importantly, as a fiduciary, we have a regulatory and ethical obligation above all else to serve our clients' interests. Our goals are aligned with those of our clients. Accordingly, we do not offer any proprietary products.
We operate with an open investment architecture (meaning that we aren't incentivized to use certain products) and provide transparency into our investment decisions and fee structure.