Dear Clients,
This is one of the more exciting newsletters I've written. Below you'll find the biggest announcement in the history of our firm, an early look at the book I've spent a long time writing, invitations to two launch parties I'd love to see you at, and the results of the client survey we've been running since the spring. It's a lot of good news in one place, and all of it traces back to the same thing: the trust you've placed in us.
Here's what's ahead:
- A new era for Scheeler Financial Group - click the photo to watch the video
- Purposeful Wealth - the book I've been writing - join one of our book launch events on August 27th at the Queen City Club at 5:30pm or August 29th at Four Bridges Country Club at 4:00pm. More details to come on those.
- Loyalty Loop Survey Results - what you have told us over the past 4 months
- Brain Teaser Answers from last newsletter - find the answers if you were stuck
A New Era
The short version: we're becoming our own RIA - a registered investment advisor, regulated directly by the SEC. Structurally it's a small change. What it makes possible is not.
Three important housekeeping notes:
- As part of this transition, we'll reach out individually to have you sign a few new documents via DocuSign starting on July 31st. It will arrive as a separate email sent directly from DocuSign—so when you see it, you'll know it's expected and from us. If you haven't received a DocuSign by 8/3, reach out to our office so we can resend. We ask that you return them promptly and call or email if you have any questions. You will receive the following documents: For signature: Investment Advisory Agreement (IAA). For record only: Customer Relationship Summary (CRS), ADV2A, ADV2B and our Privacy Policy.
- A note on timing: We need your Investment Advisory Agreements returned ASAP to update our advisory relationship with you. Your assets stay put, on Schwab, in your name, accessible as usual; only our access is updated from Private Advisor Group. That's why we're asking you to sign promptly when the DocuSign from Schwab/Scheeler Financial arrives July 31st.
- A note on mail: Schwab will automatically generate the "your account has been updated" letter (via email or snail mail based on your existing preferences) for EACH of your accounts. 3 accounts = 3 emails/letters. Additionally, each ACH authorization on an account will also receive an email/letter. So, if you have 2 banks, with standing instructions, plus 1 bank with monthly contributions - you will receive 3 emails/letters.
For several years I've been rethinking how financial advice should actually work - not just investing, but how every piece of your financial life comes together to support the life you want. This move lets us build that: asset management, financial planning, tax strategy, and estate planning working in concert, the way a family office does. The goal is peace of mind and less complexity in an increasingly chaotic world.
Two important things this new foundation makes possible:
1. Purposeful Wealth. A book I've written - a roadmap to peace of mind and to getting the most out of what you have. More on that soon. Watch for details on my book launch parties on August 27 at the Queen City Club at 5:30pm and August 29 at Four Bridges in Mason at 4:00pm. I would love to have you join us at one of these events and feel free to bring a friend or colleague who may benefit from the conversation.
2. Institutionalizing our investment strategy. Over the last seven years we've developed an approach for clients approaching or in retirement, designed to pursue equity-like growth while managing downside risk. We're adding institutional-grade trading and research through our work with Advyzon Investment Management (AIM) to support it. I've talked to many of you already but we'll talk about how it fits your specific plan in the conversations ahead.
What isn't changing is your accounts, our planning software, our address, email, website address, phone number or the team.
None of this is possible without the trust you've placed in us, and I don't take that lightly. As always, let me know what questions you have. We're always building toward something better.
Thank you for your feedback
Thank you to everyone who completed our Loyalty Loop survey over the past four months. Your feedback matters to us, and I'm happy to share what came back.
We're grateful for the candid and thoughtful responses. A common thread was a desire for greater transparency into portfolio performance - a clear picture of returns from inception to today, alongside a closer look at how current strategy is holding up in a volatile market. Several of you also expressed interest in stronger tax strategy and planning support, including guidance on topics like retirement tax impacts, and many of you valued our regular touch points and asked us to keep them coming, ideally with helpful pre-reads ahead of our meetings. We've heard you, and we're already working on ways to deliver clearer reporting, deepen our tax and planning capabilities, and make every conversation more productive. Thank you for helping us serve you better.
Haven't taken the survey yet? After your next meeting with me, you'll automatically receive a short survey by email from Loyalty Loop. If you'd rather not wait, just reach out to Michelle and she'll send you a confidential link or click the link below.
Everything in this newsletter - the new RIA, my book, the survey results - points in the same direction. We're building something we believe your family deserves: advice that fits together, delivered by people who know your name. The structure is changing; the way we take care of you is not.
Thank you for reading, and for the confidence you've shown us. As always, I'd rather answer a question than have you sit with it - so call, email, or grab a time on the calendar link above.
Warm Regards, Rick
Rick Scheeler, CFP®, CKA
MSFS, ChFC, CLU, CLTC, CASL, RICP, ChSNC, AEP, CAP