Each portfolio follows an investment strategy that is decided in advance and is outlined in a written document. You are hiring Questis to manage your accounts day-to-day according to this plan. As such, you will not be hassled by calls seeking permission to do routine transactions or other portfolio maintenance. If you have questions about something that occurred in your account, simply contact us by phone or email.

Charles Schwab will notify you by mail or email each time Questis makes a trade in your account. All trades are conducted in accordance with your written Investment Policy Statement. You do not need to contact anyone when you see a trade has been made. Please contact us if you have a question about a trade.

We have spent many years studying and selecting asset-class funds, index funds and ETFs that are used in all portfolios. However, the percentage allocated to each fund may differ from client to client depending on the needs of each client. In addition, taxes may affect which investments are selected for taxable accounts. Some asset classes are not suitable for investors who are in a high tax bracket.

No two funds are created equal and no two asset-class funds, index funds or ETFs are managed in exactly the same way. We analyze the underlying structure and range of each fund to find the ones that best represent each asset class in a portfolio. Costs are important, however the funds we select are not always the lowest cost funds. Rather, they best cover a particular area of the market. For example, in a couple of niche investment styles we use DFA funds that are higher cost than index funds. 

We compare all portfolio allocations to their fixed strategic targets on an ongoing basis. Portfolios are looked at for possible rebalancing when their asset allocation is out of sync with target by a predetermined range. A decision to rebalance will depend on the dollar amount to be reallocated, known expected future contributions or withdraws, and the potential tax consequence in a taxable portfolio.

Taxes are an investing expense and we use several techniques to help control taxable events. First, the fixed income securities selected for a high tax bracket Client may consist of tax-free bonds rather than taxable bonds. Second, there maybe no REIT funds in a taxable account because they distribute a large amount of ordinary income each year. Third, we practice tax-loss harvesting through tax-swapping. This practice generates tax losses that can be used to offset gains and other income.

Clients that are in a high federal income tax bracket generally should substitute tax-free municipal bonds for taxable bonds in their taxable portfolio. That will result in the highest after-tax income with the least amount of risk. We use either low-cost municipal bond mutual funds or individual municipal bonds depending on the client's state of residence and the amount to be invested. Bonds that are subject to AMT are not used.

As fiduciaries, we adhere to the strictest performance reporting standards. Each client receives a personal quarterly performance report benchmarked to their investment policy. While we do calculate composite performance information on all portfolio strategies, we do not publish this data in the public domain because these composite results have not been verified by an independent third party.

Yes. Schwab Institutional is the institutional investment arm of Charles Schwab & Co. They act as a custodian of all our Clients' assets, which means they hold securities and cash and facilitate trading activities. Questis has selected Schwab Institutional as custodian because of their commitment to client service, low trading cost, and a dedication to operational efficiency. Our management fees are kept low because of the operational efficiency created by having only one custodian.

No. Questis is not affiliated with Charles Schwab Institutional or their parent company, nor are we compensated by that company in any way through fees, commissions, or incentives. In the spirit of full disclosure, our firm is supplied a necessary software data link that allows our in-house portfolio management system to work efficiently and cleanly with Schwab's back-office operations and trading desks. This software is available to all investment advisors.

Charles Schwab will notify you by mail or email each time Questis makes a trade in your account. All trades are conducted in accordance with your written Investment Policy Statement. You do not need to contact anyone when you see a trade has been made. Please contact us if you have a question about a trade.

Yes. Free Internet access is available to Clients through a special Schwab website 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. The website also is the source for immediate information on account activity and provides you with many reports including year-end tax information.

Charles Schwab sends monthly statements to all clients for all accounts. These statements show account balances, trades, cash flows, and unrealized gains. Statements are available in paper as well as through email. In addition, Questis will provide a detailed performance report each quarter that compare your portfolio's performance to a series of relevant market indexes.

At the end of each year, Charles Schwab will send 1099's to each client that has a taxable account. In addition, a realized gain/loss statement is available on-line from Schwab, as well as Questis. We suggest that Clients use our realized gain and loss reports because we report sales by tax-lot, which is the most tax efficient accounting method.

No, either party can terminate the Agreement at any time and for any reason. There are no termination charges. A final invoice will be drafted based on the number of days during the current quarter that the account was under management.

No one at Questis has access to the money in your account. We have limited power of attorney to do three things in a Client account; 1) trade securities with discretion, 2) request that Schwab send a check to a Client directly or to a Client's bank, and 3) be paid a quarterly management fee from the account based on the contract rate. We have no other access or authority.

All accounts are insured on multiple levels. Charles Schwab Institutional coverage is extensive and is explained in a public brochure that is available to all investors.

Questis complies with all privacy laws affecting financial institutions. Each year our clients receive a Privacy Statement that outlines this responsibility in detail. Those standards are reviewed regularly to ensure they cover all forms of communication. Briefly, we will not release any information to any person who is not directly named on your account unless we have your permission to do so, with the exception of legal and regulatory authorities.

Questis Advisor Partners, LLC is a state registered advisory firm. All professional investment management companies are required to register with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and/or the State(s) in which the firm conducts business activities. That registration is called an ADV, and it is available in two parts. ADV Part I is basic information about the advisory business and ADV Part II explains our services and fees.  

RIAs are in the investment management business and we are regulated by the Investment Advisors Act of 1940. In contrast, brokerage firms are primarily in the financial product sales and distribution business and they are regulated by the Securities Act of 1933 as well as other laws. As an RIA under the 1940s Act, we have a higher level of fiduciary responsibility than brokerage firms. We are required by law to work in our client's best interest. Our fee is based on assets under management (AUM) rather than the brokerage model that is tied to the sale and distribution of financial products. 

Investors may contact us directly by email or phone.. For direct contact, go to the Contact section and request to learn more or call our number at 843-376-1320. Some clients come to us through other fee-only financial planners. Our fee structure is the same for all clients whether they come to us directly or are referred by a financial planner.

We are more than happy to write an investment proposal for qualified investors who have general knowledge of low-cost passive investing principles and are seriously considering hiring a portfolio manager. We reserve the right not to write a proposal, and to withdraw a proposal if we believe a person is either not financially qualified, not interested in a long-term relationship with our company, or not a good personality fit for our firm.

There is no obligation to receive an investment proposal. We prefer a person think long and hard about hiring our firm because it is a long-term relationship that allows the strategy to work and keeps our management fees low.

Questis investment management services are recommended for clients with total portfolio assets in excess of $50,000. A total portfolio value below $50,000 is subject to a $125 minimum quarterly fee in lieu of the standard annual fee schedule.

We always advise and manage assets that are set aside in specific Schwab accounts and placed under our care. However, we regularly consult on financial assets a Client holds outside their managed accounts as well. For example, our advisory services often times extend to 401k and 403b plans, corporate stock purchase and stock option plans, 529 college savings plans, variable and fixed annuities, other types of insurance, and closely held private investments and real estate.

We will accept securities into an account but most securities will not be retained unless they are the same securities that we used in your investment proposal. Our responsibility is to manage your portfolio to the best of our ability. That includes selecting and monitoring all securities held in your account.

Typically any investment that you currently own and want to keep will be placed in a separate self-managed account. We can help you set up a self-managed Charles Schwab account and track the investment performance on that account; however we will not take responsibility for the account or oversee the day-to-day management of the assets in the account.