Frequently Asked Questions
Scholar Advising is an independent fee only investment advisory firm focused on providing individuals with virtual fiduciary flat-fee financial planning services.
General Questions
What types of clients tend to benefit most from working with Scholar Advising?
We work best with individuals and families who have reached a level of financial complexity that demands genuine coordination, not just investment management.
Many of our clients are executives, business owners, and accomplished professionals who have accumulated significant assets across multiple structures, including taxable accounts, retirement plans, business interests, real estate, and concentrated positions. At this level, the challenge is rarely about finding the right investment. It’s about ensuring that every decision across taxes, liquidity, estate planning, and the household balance sheet is made with the full picture in mind.
Our clients are often thinking about questions such as:
- Structuring portfolios that serve multiple generations
- Managing concentrated investments or equity compensation
- Coordinating tax strategy across multiple account types
- Planning around business ownership or major financial transitions
- Supporting children or future family goals
What types of financial complexity do you advise on?
Examples of topics we frequently advise on include:
- Portfolio rebalancing, asset allocation, and tax-aware asset location
- Coordinating across multiple retirement accounts, taxable portfolios, and other investment vehicles
- Tax planning today while preparing for future liquidity events or major financial decisions
- Managing cash flow from business distributions, bonuses, equity compensation, or liquidity events
- Evaluating and managing concentrated stock positions
- Reviewing private investments and alternative assets within the context of an overall portfolio
Do you charge an AUM Fee?
No. We are a fee-only advisory firm and do not charge AUM fees or accept commissions.
Our clients pay us directly for financial planning and advisory services through either flat-fee planning engagements or an ongoing advisory relationship.
Because many of the individuals and families we advise have wealth spread across multiple account types and assets. We structure our fees around the complexity of the planning involved rather than the size of a single investment account.
This approach allows us to provide objective advice that is free from product incentives or asset-based compensation.
Are you paid a commission?
No. Neither Scholar Financial Advising nor any of our advisors receive compensation for recommending securities or financial products. We do not sell investment products, and our advice is never influenced by third-party incentives.
Do you require clients to have a minimum amount of invested assets?
Our service paths are designed to meet clients where they are, and we recommend each based on the complexity and scope of a client’s financial situation rather than a single asset threshold.
For clients engaged in our Comprehensive Financial Planning, we recommend a minimum of $250K in annual income or $5M in investable assets.
For clients engaged in our Signature Coaching Program, we recommend a minimum of $1M in annual income or $10M in investable assets. This program is designed for individuals and families whose financial lives require comprehensive, ongoing coordination across investments, taxes, liquidity, and long-term planning.
To explore which service path is the right fit for your situation, visit our Services page.
Do you make trades or manage accounts for clients?
No. We do not take custody of client assets or exercise discretionary control over any accounts.
Instead, our role is to provide expert analysis, coordination, and strategic guidance that allows clients to make confident, well-informed decisions. We develop comprehensive strategies and action plans that clients implement directly within their own accounts and through their existing institutional relationships.
Many of the clients we work with have spent decades building and protecting significant wealth. They aren’t looking to hand over control. They want an independent perspective on the decisions that matter most: asset allocation, tax efficiency, concentrated positions, investment opportunity analysis, strategic liquidity planning, and decisions that will shape generational wealth transfer.
For clients who maintain a private banking relationship or AUM manager, we are also available in an advisory overlay capacity. In these arrangements, we develop the strategy and planning framework independently, while the client’s existing manager handles execution. This structure works particularly well when there is value in having a truly independent perspective to pressure-test recommendations, identify gaps across advisors, or ensure that investment decisions are fully integrated with tax, estate, and legacy planning goals.
What qualifications do your advisors have?
Education and research expertise are central to how we approach financial advising.
Our advisory team includes professionals with advanced academic and professional credentials in finance and taxation:
- Stephan Shipe, Ph.D., CFA, CFP®
- Deon Strickland, Ph.D., MBA
- Derek Cheshire, CFP®, Enrolled Agent (EA)
These designations represent extensive academic study, professional experience, and ongoing ethical standards.
For example, the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation requires four years of professional experience, over 1,000 hours of study, and completion of a rigorous three-exam program focused on investment analysis and portfolio management.
You can learn more about these designations below.
What is the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER certification?
What is the Chartered Financial Analyst designation?
What does “fiduciary” mean?
Fiduciary Duty of an investment advisor means that the advisor is required to work in the best interest of their clients. Scholar Financial Advising is an independent fee-only advisory firm that operates under this fiduciary standard.
Do you work with clients remotely?
Yes. While we are headquartered in North Carolina, our clients live across the United States. We currently advise individuals and families in more than 40 states.
Many of the families we work with have demanding schedules or travel frequently, so we structure meetings around secure document sharing, financial planning tools, and communication through phone, email, and video conferencing.
Can we meet in person?
We default to remote meetings and videoconferencing. However, we also offer in-person meetings for clients located in or visiting the Winston-Salem, North Carolina area.
Whether we meet over Zoom or in person, presentation meetings include live walkthroughs of financial planning tools, retirement simulations, and your full picture in real time.
Contact your advisor if you are interested in setting up an in-person meeting.
Do you have a secure method for sharing sensitive information?
We use an encrypted Box folder for document collection and sharing. We do not recommend sharing sensitive documents through email.
Does the plan include tax advice or analysis?
It’s worth distinguishing between tax advice and tax planning, as they represent meaningfully different services.
Tax advice involves guidance from a licensed tax professional, typically a CPA, on specific tax matters such as deductions, credits, filing positions, or compliance. As a financial planning firm, we are not licensed to provide tax advice and defer those questions to qualified tax counsel.
Tax planning is a different discipline entirely, and it sits at the core of what we do. It is a proactive, year-round process of structuring and coordinating financial decisions to optimize tax outcomes over time. This includes strategies such as Roth conversions, tax loss harvesting, asset location, RSU planning, and the long-term implications of contribution decisions. Rather than reacting to individual tax events, our goal is to build a comprehensive strategy that reduces tax liability and improves financial efficiency across your full financial picture.
Where tax advice is needed, we are happy to refer you to a CPA and, where appropriate, coordinate directly with them on your behalf.
Can I access the software your team uses for planning?
The software we use is only one component of the planning process.
Behind the scenes, we combine professional planning tools with proprietary models and spreadsheets developed by our team. These allow us to analyze complex financial situations, test planning scenarios, and integrate tax, investment, and long-term planning decisions.
More importantly, financial planning software cannot interpret your goals, priorities, and the full context of your financial life. Our advisors bring academic training, research experience, and years of advising high-income professionals and business owners to help translate those analyses into clear, actionable recommendations.
You are not hiring software — you are hiring experienced advisors to help you make better decisions.
Flat-fee Financial Planning
Who is the “typical” client for flat-fee financial planning?
Clients who choose independent financial advice typically want comprehensive financial planning without delegating investment management or paying asset-based fees. They are often looking for an advisor to organize their financial picture, develop a strategy, and provide guidance as new financial decisions arise.
Can we meet for one hour to answer a few of my questions?
We do not offer standalone one-off consultations outside of an established client relationship. Effective advice requires a full understanding of your financial situation before recommendations can be made.
That said, we do offer flexibility depending on your service path. Clients engaged in a one-time or annual review engagement have access to hourly advisory support for questions that arise throughout the year outside of their scheduled planning work.
Clients in the Signature Coaching Program have on-demand advisory support included, with direct access to their advisor for questions as they come up throughout the year.
If you are unsure which path fits your situation, we’re happy to have an introductory conversation to find out.
How long will it take for my plan to be created?
Our goal is to complete most financial plans within 30–45 days. This timeline depends on both the client providing requested information and our advisory team completing the planning analysis.
What does my comprehensive plan include?
Your plan begins with a dedicated Financial Advisor supported by an Associate Advisor or Financial Advising Analyst. Together they guide the onboarding process, review documents, and develop a full understanding of your financial goals. Deliverables include a plan presentation, written recommendations, net worth statement, retirement simulations, a planning dashboard used during the meeting, and guidance on implementation if needed.
Do you assist with implementation of the plan if I need help?
Yes. We are available to provide guidance as you begin implementing your financial plan. For clients working under our flat-fee planning structure, hands-on implementation support may be provided at our hourly rate within 12 months of their plan presentation.
Will I be billed for follow-up questions after the presentation meeting?
Clarification questions related to your plan are always welcome. If additional planning work or one-off questions are raised outside of the original scope, that work may be billed at our hourly advisory rate for clients with a plan presented within the past 12 months.
How far into the future will the plan be for and how many hours are expected for reviews? Is an annual review required?
Financial plans typically serve as a strategic roadmap for about the next year while modeling long-term outcomes such as retirement projections. Annual renewals are optional but recommended and typically range between 70–80% of the initial planning fee, depending on complexity.
Ongoing Advisory Relationship
Who is the “typical” client for an ongoing advisory relationship?
Clients who choose our ongoing advisory relationship typically want a long-term financial partner who can provide proactive guidance as their financial situation evolves. Like all clients at Scholar Financial Advising, they begin with a comprehensive financial plan that organizes their financial picture and establishes a clear strategy.
After the plan presentation, these clients continue working with us through an ongoing advisory structure that includes scheduled strategy meetings, regular check-ins, and continuous access to our advisory team throughout the year.
This relationship is often a good fit for individuals and families whose financial lives involve ongoing decisions across taxes, investments, and long-term planning. Rather than revisiting their plan only periodically, they prefer structured guidance and proactive support as new opportunities, risks, and financial decisions arise.
What does the ongoing advisory relationship include?
Clients in this relationship receive:
- Comprehensive Annual Review of the Financial Plan
- Semi-Annual Strategy Meeting
- Quarterly Check-Ins to Stay on Track Between Major Meetings
- Access to Our Advisory Team for Planning Questions and Financial Decisions
- Coordination with CPAs, Attorneys, and Other Professional Advisors When Needed
The financial plan becomes a living framework that we refine and update as your financial situation evolve, rather than a static plan that requires you to reach out to us proactively between separately priced annual renewals.
Do you work with our CPA or attorney?
Yes. Many of the individuals and families we work with already have relationships with CPAs, attorneys, or other professional advisors. A key part of our role as your wealth partner is helping coordinate financial decisions across those relationships so that tax planning, investment strategy, and long-term planning work together effectively.
As financial situations grow more complex, this coordination often becomes one of the most valuable parts of the ongoing advisory relationship. We can meet with you and your CPA or attorney, whether to align on a specific decision, provide context on the broader financial plan, or ensure that recommendations across your professional team are fully coordinated.
Is implementation support included?
Yes. Clients in our ongoing advisory relationship receive implementation guidance and ongoing advisory support as part of their monthly advisory fee. This includes practical meetings to guide you through the process of making account changes or walking you through specific trades. How is this different from flat-fee financial planning alone?
Flat-fee financial planning provides a comprehensive plan and allows clients to engage us for additional work on an hourly basis when new planning needs arise, along with separately priced annual renewals.
The ongoing advisory relationship is designed for clients who prefer a structured, long-term partnership with regular meetings, proactive planning guidance, and continuous access to our advisory team throughout the year, for a one-time initial planning fee, followed by a simple ongoing monthly fee.
What’s Next?
We provide financial planning and advice. All new client relationships begin with a comprehensive initial plan. Fill out our online form below to receive a complimentary personalized proposal within two to three business days.