“The future is not set,
there is no fate but what we make for ourselves.”
-Irish Proverb
No Fate Wealth Management (aka “NFWM”) was created so I could faithfully honor the promises I made to clients over the last 20+ years. This “career commitment” is a pledge I made to faithfully serve them, and their loved ones, throughout my career. These clients can rest comfortably knowing they can always count on me to provide the highest standard of honest and professional care. NFWM provides me with the highest probability of best honoring that commitment…and offers us an exciting future ahead!
JOHN HETZEL | CFA, CFP®, AIFA®
Founding Principal – NFWM
I’m passionate about helping people build diversified portfolios that align with their personal financial planning goals so we can reduce unnecessary risks and costs. My goal? To safeguard the dreams you strived to achieve and the assets you have worked so hard to accumulate. I use proven investment strategies designed to meet your risk tolerance and hedge against market volatility.
I start by documenting your goals and then compare them to your current portfolio. I use customized model portfolios designed to meet your risk tolerance and stand up against market volatility. And you can count on unbiased recommendations and impartial guidance based directly upon your needs and goals.
My goal is to help people make smart choices with their money. And the more we get to know each other, the easier this becomes. That is because “smart” is unique to you. My job is to help you think differently about tomorrow, so you can act smarter today. When done well, this allows my clients to more comfortably enjoy the other areas of their lives.
Together, we can navigate whatever comes our way in a nimble and efficient manner. We are stronger together, and I am committed to making sure we can stay that way. At our firm, there is No Fate but what we make together.
Philosophy
PHILOSOPHY ON VALUE
We are intimate by design and believe the most valuable asset in any professional service industry is a trusted relationship between advisor and client. The value of this relationship increases with tenure, shared experiences, professional competency, and a host of other positive attributes. And with me, you are also getting an experienced professional, who enjoys the journey of continued learning about our RIA industry!
PHILOSOPHY ON PLANNING
Financial Planning is a very personalized process where a trusted professional can add significant value by providing healthy context that helps inform better decision making. Plus, an advisor’s ability to add value compounds over time as a client’s confidence in their guidance grows (HERE). This makes it increasingly easier for clients to do the right thing, just when they need to the most. Especially in those difficult times, which are often the most crucial and impactful to their long-term success. Vanguard, Morningstar, Canadian Financial Institutions, and many others have studied this and concluded that professional financial guidance added between 2% to 3% per year (see Vanguard’s “Advisor Alpha” HERE). It is also worth noting that the value does not accrue in a linear fashion, but instead, it is lumpy and heavily concentrated around extreme market conditions (excessive fear/greed). (For more information, click to view the "Value of Advice over Time” graph.) As said by Tom Hanks in A League of Their Own, “it’s supposed to be hard. If it wasn’t hard, then everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.” That is true for personal finance as well. Remember, it is the hard trade that “needs” your money, and emotions often cloud our judgment. Please click here to read Vanguard’s Advisor Alpha Whitepaper for more information.
PHILOSOPHY ON INVESTING
A confused mind says “No!”, and people fear what they don’t understand or control. This describes investing to a lot of people so my goal is to teach people what they need to know to rest comfortably with all things financial. We want to protect them from the natural emotions and complacency that unnecessarily erodes so much family wealth. We spend time exploring what variables they actually control, what they don’t, and how to spot the difference. The goal is to deliver just the right amount on information, exactly when it is needed, so clients can rest comfortably. We believe markets work over time and, at best, can “lean” in the direction of historically outperforming assets to increase return and/or lower volatility. This can be accomplished efficiently with a combination of market-weighted and evidence-based asset allocation ETFs. In certain client situations, we further diversify with various alternative asset classes that have a reliable and intuitive positive expected return. This methodology provides maximum transparency that allows us to harness the Wisdom of Crowds. We believe costs matter (taxes, fees, opportunity, etc…) and clients win in a healthy market of competition.
PHILOSOPHY ON ETHICS
As your trusted advisor we will always “shoot it straight," even if it means risking the relationship. We believe integrity means doing the right thing, always, regardless of our financial impact. We strive to earn “relational equity” and the heartfelt trust of every client the good “old fashioned way," by honoring our commitment one interaction at a time. This is where the true “equity” of any professional service firm resides and is what facilitates the additional return and value clients enjoy over time.
FEES & PRICING
NFWM charges a quarterly-retainer that is determined by the needs and size of one’s overall investment portfolio. There is also a 0.10% AUM-based fee on any dollars being monitored and managed on a daily basis. Those fees are overwhelmingly committed to delivering career-tested, and client approved, personnel whose value will increase alongside the tenure of their relationship. The unique value proposition is a combination of above average competency, tenured relationships, and a cost/fee structure in the bottom quartile of the industry. While this hybrid pricing model is still quite unique, it is a growing trend within our RIA industry.
“Life is like a river that provides a limitless set of life experiences. Most go through life casually watching it, and everything on it, float by year after year. Others have given thought to their futures and can easily spot the life-changing/enriching/fulfilling experiences as they “float” by. They act, enjoy, and experience. Our goal is to align your finances so you can act on those opportunities as they float by."
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a
Wealth Manager?
The answer is different for everyone, and even differs for the same person as they go through life. A good wealth manager will make sure that you are taking care of yourself and your loved ones by ensuring that your “financial house” is in order. They can also protect your wealth from emotions and/or absence.
Who are “Trusted Peers”?
These are the fellow professionals and friends I have worked alongside throughout my career. Similar to fellow shareholders at a larger firm, these are the professionals I would trust to serve my loved ones in my absence. And should you chose to use one of them, they would be able to pick up right where I left off. This provides clients with the same backup protection of larger RIAs, but without the constraints of having to stay within any one firm. Or worse, simply being reassigned to a new advisor within a firm.
What is NFWM’s Business Structure?
We believe people connect with people, not firms. NFWM fosters personal relationships between people in order to build a foundation of trust. John is the responsible professional for each client relationship. He delegates and coordinates with a robust network of individuals who support both client and firm needs behind the scenes. Many of these relationships are the same ones John has relied upon for years, if not decades in many cases. Our firm was built to support long-term relationships and operate in a way that allows them to age like fine wine!