Firm Info
Firm Size
Services Offered
- Financial Planning
- Portfolio Management for Individuals & Small Businesses
- Educational Seminars & Workshops
- Other
Types of Clients
- Individuals (Not High Net Worth)
-
Individuals High Net Worth
*>=750k in Investable Assets or >=1.5m of Estimated Total Net Worth
- Charitable Organizations
Available Fee Structures
- Percentage of Assets Under Management (AUM)
- Fixed Fees (Other than subscription)
- Other
Straightline Overview
Straightline is a fee-only investment advisory firm that provides comprehensive financial planning, portfolio management, and educational seminars for both individual and small business clients. Established in 2004, Straightline is headquartered in Troy, MI and has been in business for over 16 years. The firm is a registered investment advisory firm that offers insurance brokerage services, making it a one-stop-shop for investment advice and financial planning. As a fee-only advisory firm, Straightline does not receive commissions from any financial products or services it recommends. This guarantees that their advice is not influenced by any third-party incentives, ensuring that clients receive only objective recommendations. Straightline's portfolio management services are personalized to meet clients' individual investment needs and goals. In addition to their investment services, Straightline also offers educational seminars and workshops, providing valuable insights into personal finance, retirement planning, and investment strategies. The firm also offers consultation services, ensuring that clients receive expert advice on a variety of financial topics. Overall, Straightline is a trusted investment advisory firm that provides fee-only financial planning, portfolio management, and educational services to clients in Michigan and beyond. With over 16 years of experience, Straightline offers a wealth of knowledge and expertise to help clients achieve their financial goals.
STRAIGHTLINE serves a diverse array of clients, ranging from individual investors to high net worth individuals and charitable organizations. With a reputation for delivering personalized financial advice and superior investment performance, their clients can rely on them to help achieve their specific financial goals. STRAIGHTLINE believes firmly in tailoring their services to the unique needs of their clients, taking into account individual risk preferences, financial goals, and more to provide the most effective investment management possible. When it comes to fee structures, STRAIGHTLINE offers great flexibility to their clients. Depending on the specific service provided, clients have access to a variety of fee options, such as a percentage of assets under management (AUM), fixed fees, or other customized fee arrangements. This allows clients to choose the fee structure that best suits their needs and ensures that they receive appropriate value for the services provided. STRAIGHTLINE prides themselves on transparency in their fee structures, making sure that clients fully understand what fees they are paying and what they are receiving in return. Overall, with STRAIGHTLINE, clients can rest assured that they are getting personalized financial advice and superior investment performance at a fair and transparent price.
Typical Clients, Fee Structures & Investment Minimum
According to the note in their Part 2 Brochure, the investment minimum for STRAIGHTLINE is not mentioned as they stated that "We do not have a minimum account size." Therefore, clients can invest with the firm without any restrictions on the size of their investment.
How This Office Can Help Troy, MI Residents
StraightLine is a financial services firm that offers a wide range of services to clients in Troy, MI. With years of experience in the field, the firm is uniquely equipped to assist clients with various financial situations. One of the primary ways that the company helps clients in Troy is by offering personalized financial planning services. Clients can receive customized advice on managing their money, including investment strategies, debt reduction, and retirement planning. Other services offered by StraightLine include tax preparation, bookkeeping, and payroll services. For individuals and businesses in Troy, these services can be incredibly valuable, as they can help to simplify and streamline important financial processes. For example, those facing high levels of debt or a complex tax situation may benefit from working with a professional to develop a comprehensive repayment or tax management plan. Overall, StraightLine is an excellent resource for anyone in Troy looking to improve their financial health and achieve greater financial stability.
Services Offered by Straightline
Core Advisor Services
Financial Planning
Financial planning services encompass the process of devising strategies for your future financial well-being, including preparing for events such as retirement, funding your child's college education, or planning for the transfer of assets.
Portfolio Management for Individuals & Small Businesses
Portfolio management entails the careful selection and strategic management of investment combinations tailored to meet the needs of individuals and small businesses.
Market Timing Services
Market timing services involve the endeavor to generate short-term profits from investments by capitalizing on opportunities to buy at low prices and sell at high prices.
Other Services
Selection of Other Advisors
The firm provides support in selecting and engaging other advisors who possess specialized expertise to complement your financial needs.
Publication of Periodicals or Newsletters
The firm engages in the dissemination of diverse financial educational materials through the publication of periodicals.
Educational Seminars & Workshops
The firm organizes and conducts seminars or workshops aimed at enlightening investors on various financial concepts.
Fee Structures
Financial advisory fees usually are based on the services provided. Fee types charged by Straightline most likely consist of the following fee types: asset-based, hourly or fixed. Wrap fee programs, or the practice of bundling services for a single fee, are not offered by the firm.
Available
Percentage of Assets Under Management (AUM)
This fee structure charges a percentage of the assets under management by the firm. Fee structures are often tiered based on the amount of assets managed, with higher AUM often charged a lower rate.
Between 0.50% and 2.00% of assets under management (annually), often lower for a robo advisor. Fees are typically charged quarterly by the firm and will show on your investment statement. View typical advisor costs here.
~96% of registered firms offer this fee structure.
If you have $1 million managed by a firm at a 1% management fee, you would be charged $10,000/year to manage your assets (or $2,500 per quarter). This would be automatically deducted from your investment portfolio.
Fixed Fees (Other than subscription)
Fixed fees are a one-time, lump-sum payment rendered for a specific service, such as creating a financial plan without ongoing management or implementation. This option is beneficial if you solely require guidance for a particular objective rather than a long-term consultancy or asset management.
Fixed fees for creating a financial plan often range from $1,000 to $3,000.
~49% of registered firms offer this fee structure.
If you did not want a firm to manage your assets but needed to create a retirement plan, life transition plan such as divorce or loss of a spouse, estate transition plan, business financial plan, or any other financial planning, you could consult with an RIA firm to help you with the creation of that plan.
Other
Firms occasionally offer unconventional fee structures when charging clients. For more detailed information about a firm’s specific fee structures, please refer to their Form ADV and Part 2 Brochure.
Unavailable
Hourly
Similar to an attorney, a financial consultant might charge fees based on hourly rates. This fee structure can be advantageous when seeking specific or ad hoc advice.
Charges generally span from $150 to $400 per hour, depending on the extent of the services required.
~33% of registered firms offer this fee structure.
If you needed hourly consulting to sell a business or transfer your estate to your children but did not want your assets managed by a firm, you could consult a firm at an hourly rate to answer any questions you may have.
Subscription (Newsletter or Periodical)
Commissions
Occasionally, advisors are compensated through commissions by selling certain financial products, such as mutual funds or life insurance policies, or as a broker-dealer by facilitating the buying and selling of securities. Advisors who receive commissions may be incentivized to make specific suggestions to clients in order to secure a commission. Advisors who operate on a fee-only basis do not earn commissions, whereas fee-based advisors may do so.
Often 3% - 6% of the value of the security.
Only ~3% of registered firms say they offer this fee structure, but other advisors may receive “soft dollars”. Many mutual funds charge 12b-1 fees to cover the promoting and selling of the fund’s shares. While your advisor does not charge these fees, they may receive a kickback for recommending the investment.
An advisor selling their client on a life insurance policy and receiving a commission on the sale of that policy, or recommending a specific investment and receiving a kickback for that recommendation.
Performance-based Fees
Advisors typically obtain performance-based fees if a portfolio surpasses a predefined benchmark. This fee is determined through various methods, but is most commonly assessed as a percentage of investment gains. Performance-based fees may incentivize advisors to undertake riskier decisions in pursuit of generating higher returns.
“Two and Twenty” is common among hedge funds with a 2% management fee and a 20% incentive fee above the “hurdle rate,” or performance threshold the fund is compared against.
32% of registered firms offer this fee structure.
A hedge fund earns a 15% return with a 20% performance fee in above the performance of the S&P 500, which grew 7% that same year.
20% of fund growth in excess of S&P 500’s 7% growth for that year = 15% hedge fund growth - 7% S&P 500 growth = 8% difference x 20% = 2% performance fee (in addition to the management fee).
Types of Clients
*The Securities & Exchange Commission defines someone as “high net worth” if they have $750,000 or more in investable assets or $1.5M of estimated total net worth.
This Office Location
- Mon 9 AM–5 PM
- Tue 9 AM–5 PM
- Wed 9 AM–5 PM
- Thu 9 AM–5 PM
- Fri 9 AM–5 PM
- Sat Closed
- Sun Closed
Other Office Locations
This firm has no other locations.
State Registrations
Straightline is registered to service clients in the following states:
- Arizona
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Florida
- Georgia
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Missouri
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New York
- North Carolina
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Disciplinary History
Straightline does not have any disclosures. Please visit it's Form ADV for more details.