Fiduciary Investment Management
Portfolios are not the plan. They are how the plan gets funded. Crystal Oak Wealth Management builds diversified portfolios around your goals and objectives with taxes and fees in mind. We hold your hand when markets make it hard to look. We serve Rogers, Bentonville, and the surrounding cities in person. Beyond the Northwest Arkansas metro area, we work with clients virtually.
What It Means to Have a Fiduciary Manage Your Investments
A fiduciary is held to a standard that requires putting your interests ahead of the firm’s own. Crystal Oak Wealth Management acts as a fiduciary when providing investment advisory services. In portfolio management specifically, that standard has teeth: no commissions on the investments we recommend, no revenue sharing that would favor one fund over another, and no separate portfolio manager fee layered on top of what you already pay.
Paul Schuder is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional. CFP Board requires certificate holders to commit to acting as a fiduciary, meaning acting in the client’s best interests at all times when providing financial advice. Paul is also separately licensed to sell insurance through his personal name and may receive commissions on insurance products, which is disclosed in the firm’s Form ADV. That is why we describe the firm as fee-based rather than fee-only.
One fee, disclosed up front
A single management fee as a percentage of assets, stepping down as assets grow. Fund expense ratios are charged by fund companies rather than by us, and we walk through your expected all in cost before you decide anything.
No product incentives
Nothing in the portfolio pays us to be there. Investment selection is driven by the allocation your situation calls for, not by what carries a payout.
Planning stays optional
Investment management is available on its own. You are not required to buy a financial plan to have your portfolio managed here, though the decisions do get easier when we have the full picture.
Plant well. Tend patiently.
Our investment philosophy is an extension of the same foundations that shape the planning work: disciplined, transparent, and built for the long run. We would rather plant well and tend patiently than chase what is hot.
“Far more money has been lost by investors preparing for corrections, or trying to anticipate corrections, than has been lost in corrections themselves.”
Stay invested
Time in the market beats timing the market. Short term movements are unpredictable, and our approach is built around time in the market rather than attempts to anticipate it.
Diversified and resilient
Portfolios built across asset classes to weather different markets, not concentrated bets on one outcome. Diversification manages risk exposure. It does not guarantee a profit or protect against a loss.
Tax and fee aware
What you keep matters more than what you earn. Asset location, fee awareness, and capital gains planning are part of the construction rather than an afterthought.
Simple and transparent
No black boxes. You should be able to explain your own portfolio, and if a strategy cannot be described plainly, it usually is not worth the complexity it adds.
Quote provided by Wit & Wisdom of Wall Street, compiled and edited by Bob Thomas, © 2011 by Bascom-Hall Publishing Co. For informational and educational purposes only. All investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
What we actually do for you.
Six responsibilities, in the order they happen.
Understand goals and needs
What is money the for, and when do you expect to need it.
Determine risk tolerance
Time horizon, capacity, and willingness, considered separately.
Identify target allocation
A mix of stocks and bonds matched to your objectives and risk tolerance. Reviewed, explained, and confirmed at your investment strategy meeting.
Develop recommendations
Specific holdings allocated to the target allocation.
Provide portfolio reviews
Positioning, drift, and progress, reviewed at every quarterly strategy meeting alongside a market update.
Be a sounding board
Answering questions you have and confronting blind spots you may have not realized. Recommending portfolio changes when your situation calls for them rather than when headlines do.
Investment recommendations are made based on the information available at the time and are subject to change based on new information.
Three questions, asked separately.
Most risk conversations collapse into one question. We separate them because the answers often disagree, and the disagreement can be the useful.
Time horizon
- Next 12 months
- Over 1 to 5 years
- Between 5 to 10 years
- 10+ years
Risk capacity
- Minimum
- Conservative
- Moderate
- Significant
Risk willingness
- Minimum
- Conservative
- Moderate
- Significant
No risk assessment can accurately predict an investor’s ability to withstand all market conditions. For informational and educational purposes only.
Taxable, tax deferred, and tax free accounts.
Allocation is what you own. Location is which account you own it in. Two people can hold identical investments and keep different amounts after tax.
Brokerage accounts
- Funded with after tax dollars
- Earnings are generally taxed annually
- Tax efficiency is a focus, and capital gains planning matters
Traditional retirement accounts
- Funded with pre tax dollars
- Earnings grow tax deferred
- Qualified withdrawals taxed at ordinary income rates
- Distributions before age 59½ may face an early withdrawal penalty
Roth retirement accounts
- Funded with after tax dollars
- Earnings grow tax deferred
- Qualified withdrawals are tax free
- Earnings distributed before age 59½ may face tax and penalty
Please consult IRS.gov for the rules and exceptions that apply to distributions from tax advantaged accounts before age 59½. Tax related information is provided for educational purposes only and should not be considered tax advice.
Tiered by assets. No minimum.
Our management fee is charged as a percentage of assets under management and steps down as assets grow.
| Assets under management | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| Under $1M | 0.80% |
| $1M to $2.5M | 0.70% |
| $2.5M to $10M | 0.60% |
| $10M and above | 0.50% |
There is no separate portfolio manager fee. Funds held in the portfolio carry their own expense ratios, charged by the fund company rather than by us, which are in addition to the management fee above. We will walk through your expected all in cost before you decide anything.
Fees are based on current schedules and are subject to change. Fund expense ratios are set by fund companies and may change without the knowledge or consent of Crystal Oak Wealth Management.
From first meeting to an ongoing rhythm.
Two stages. Moving at your pace in stage 1. Settling into our quarterly cadence in stage 2.
Introductory Consultation
About 45 minutes. Understanding your situation, exploring the solutions we offer, and creating the framework for how an engagement here would work.
Onboarding
Client agreements and custodian account paperwork, fund transfers, your client portal established, and a working understanding of your goals and values.
Investment Strategy Meeting
A restatement of your goals, liquidity needs, and risk tolerance across our three questions. All leading to a target allocation. Your strategy is set and implemented here.
Check in Call
Confirming everything landed the way we planned. Answering any questions you have once you see it live.
Quarterly Strategy Meetings
The ongoing rhythm, anchored to your working document.
You do not have to wait for the next one. Reach out any time with questions or situation updates.
Your working document
Every quarterly strategy meeting is anchored to a single page we build together and revisit each time. Nothing gets rebuilt from scratch, and nothing quietly falls off the list.
- Roles. Your circle of trusted advisors. Estate attorney, CPA, insurance, and who does what.
- Values. Identified through our values worksheet. The tiebreaker when two reasonable options compete.
- Goals. Short term, intermediate, and long term. Each one tracked rather than assumed.
- Three year picture. A written description of what you envision three years from now, in plain language.
- Crystal Oak Rings. One for each year of the relationship, tracked on the document itself.
A standing agenda
My role in these meetings is to be a sounding board for whatever you are weighing. Raise questions about the things you may not be looking at. Facilitate performance reviews of the portfolio. Recommend changes based on your situation and the opportunities within the market.
- Your questions, and follow up from last time
- Concerns I see in your broader financial situation
- Portfolio review and recommended changes as needed
- Market update
The Investment Policy Statement comes after year one
An Investment Policy Statement records your target allocation, your risk parameters, and the investment objectives. It exists to help remove the emotions from your investment decisions. A living document for us to reference when markets get volatile in either direction.
We deliberately wait about twelve months before writing yours. An initial strategy is built from a static snapshot: one moment of your situation, one reading of your risk tolerance, one market environment. A year of meetings, real market movement and watching how you respond, produces a far more accurate document than anything we could write on day one.
Strategy meetings are scheduled every three months, and we are available between them.
Frequently asked questions.
Are you a fiduciary investment advisor?
Yes. Crystal Oak Wealth Management acts as a fiduciary when providing investment advisory services, which means putting your interests ahead of the firm’s own. There are no commissions on the investments we recommend and no separate portfolio manager fee. Paul Schuder is also separately licensed to sell insurance through his personal name and may receive commissions on insurance products, which is why we describe the firm as fee-based rather than fee-only. Conflicts of interest may exist and are disclosed in our Form ADV.
Do I need a financial plan to have you manage investments?
No. Investment management is available on its own. Many people start there and add planning later, and some never do. That said, the portfolio decisions get easier when we understand your full picture, which is what a plan provides.
Is there an account minimum?
No. The fee schedule starts at 0.80% for assets under $1M and steps down from there. Portfolio construction varies with account size and your situation, and we will walk through what that looks like for you before you decide anything.
What is an Investment Policy Statement, and when do I get one?
It is a written document recording your target allocation, your risk parameters, and the reasoning behind both. It exists to help remove the emotions from investment decisions.
Your investment strategy is established at the first meeting, but the Investment Policy Statement comes after about twelve months. The reason is that an initial strategy is built from a static snapshot, and a year of real meetings and real market movement produces a document that reflects how you actually behave rather than how you expected to.
How is asset location different from asset allocation?
Allocation is what you own. Location is which account you own it in. Two people can hold identical investments and keep different amounts after tax, depending on whether those holdings sit in taxable, tax deferred, or tax free accounts.
What happens if markets drop sharply?
Once you have an Investment Policy Statement, that is the first thing we return to. Before then, we return to the strategy and the reasoning behind it. Our approach is built around staying invested rather than attempting to time entries and exits. If your situation has genuinely changed, that is a reason to revisit. A difficult market by itself usually is not. You do not have to wait for the next quarterly meeting to talk it through.
What does it cost, all in?
Two components. Our management fee, from the table above, and the expense ratios of the funds held in your portfolio, which are charged by the fund companies rather than by us. There is no separate portfolio manager fee. We walk through your expected all in cost before you decide anything.
Do you work with clients outside Northwest Arkansas?
Yes. We serve the Rogers and Bentonville area in person and work with clients elsewhere virtually. State registration requirements apply based on where clients reside, and we will confirm what applies to your situation during the introductory consultation.
Ready to talk through your portfolio?
The introductory consultation runs about 45 minutes. We review the process, identify which service fits, and decide together what comes next.
This page is educational and is not investment, tax, or legal advice, a projection of performance, or an indication of future results. Any scenario shown is hypothetical and is not a recommendation. All investing involves risk, including possible loss of principal, and diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss. Crystal Oak does not draft legal documents, prepare valuations, or file tax returns. Fees shown are current and subject to change, ranges reflect scope, and the applicable fee is set in writing before an engagement begins. Any process or timing described is illustrative. Always consult a qualified professional about your situation before taking action.
Any discussion of investment strategy, asset allocation, or past market performance is illustrative and does not guarantee future results. Target allocations are guidelines based on stated objectives, and actual allocations may differ with market movement, cash flows, or tactical positioning. Forward looking statements rest on assumptions and may differ materially from outcomes. Fund expense ratios are set by fund companies and may change without our knowledge or consent.
Opinions are those of Crystal Oak Wealth Management, LLC. Information comes from sources believed reliable but is not guaranteed for accuracy or completeness. Discuss any idea with your adviser before acting on it.
Advisory services are offered through Crystal Oak Wealth Management, LLC, an Investment Advisor in the State of Arkansas. Registration does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Crystal Oak is a fee-based fiduciary. Insurance is offered separately through Paul E. Schuder, Jr., Sole Proprietor, an affiliated company that may earn commissions, a conflict disclosed in Form ADV Part 2A, available on request or at adviserinfo.sec.gov. This is not an offer to sell advisory services outside the States of Arkansas and Texas, or where not legally permitted.
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards Center for Financial Planning, Inc. owns and licenses the certification marks CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER®, and CFP® (with plaque design) in the United States to Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc., which authorizes individuals who successfully complete CFP Board’s initial and ongoing certification requirements to use the certification marks.