What do you do?
DDO Advisory Services offers sophisticated Financial Planning, Investment Management, and Insurance Solutions (including Life, Disability, & Long-term Care Insurance).
How does it work?
Financial Plans can be comprehensive or focused on topics that are most important to you, whether it’s budgeting, retirement planning, or college funding. We charge an hourly rate for the plans.
The firm also offers Investment Management and Advisory Services for personal accounts, retirement accounts, and trusts. The accounts are fee-based, which means there are no up-front sales charges or commissions, and that the annual advisory fee is a percentage of the value of your account(s). The fees are assessed on a quarterly basis, which means that you pay only for the management you receive. We generally use institutional investment managers for your accounts, who typically utilize pooled investments (mutual funds, exchange traded funds) to implement your investment strategy.
Insurance Solutions include helping clients secure Life Insurance – to protect your family, Long-Term Disability Insurance – to protect your income, and Long-Term Care Insurance – to protect your assets, and to help defray the cost of long-term care expenses. Daniel D’Ordine is a licensed insurance broker (NY, NJ, CT, RI, IL), which allows him the flexibility to research, access, and compare multiple insurance companies when developing insurance solutions.
How do I hire you?
After our initial complimentary consultation, moving forward is quite simple.
For Financial Plans, we will agree on the scope and hourly rate of the engagement, all of which will be detailed in our Financial Planning Agreement.
For Investment Management and Advisory Services, we will determine the accounts to establish for you, as well as the manager, asset allocation, and fee structure, all of which will be detailed in our Investment Advisory Agreement.
For Insurance policies, Daniel D’Ordine would be the insurance broker on policies for which you choose to apply. He will help you determine what kind and how much you need, and is compensated by the insurance company only if you are approved for and accept the policy. There are no other fees associated with applying for insurance.
How do I schedule a free consultation?
Please contact Daniel D’Ordine at (646) 234-4881, or by clicking the email icon in the upper right corner of any page.
How do your fees work?
For Financial Plans, we charge an hourly rate for meetings and analysis. The total fee will depend upon the complexity of your situation. Before moving forward, you will receive an estimate of how many hours the project should take, which will be detailed in the Financial Planning Agreement. Billable hours include meetings (data gathering and delivery of findings), analysis, and preparation of findings. Typically, there are one or two data gathering meetings (two – three hours each), several hours of analysis (depending on the scope and complexity of your situation), and one or two meetings at which we deliver findings and recommendations (two – three hours each).
For Investment Management and Advisory Services, the firm receives an annual portfolio management and investment advisory fee. The accounts are fee-based, which means that there are no up-front sales charges or commissions. The annual advisory fee is a percentage of the value of your account(s). The fees are assessed on a quarterly basis, which means that you pay only for the management you receive. The annual fee varies slightly depending on the investment solution and manager, and is within the industry standard range for fee-based investment advisory accounts. When we establish your account, we will explain the account fees and expenses to you. In addition, the fees are detailed in our Investment Advisory Contract, as well as any vendor-specific account documentation.
For Insurance solutions, Daniel D’Ordine is compensated by the insurance company only if you are approved for and accept the policy. There are no other fees associated with applying for insurance.
Hourly financial planning and investment advisory fee schedules are detailed in the firm’s Form ADV Part 2-A, which is available upon request.
What are your licenses, certifications, and registrations?
The firm is a Registered Investment Advisor with New York State, and is registered in other states that require registration.
Daniel D’Ordine has been a CFP® practitioner since 2005, and holds the Life-Accident-Health Insurance License (NY, NJ, CT, RI, IL).
How long have you been advising clients?
Since 2004.
What is your investment philosophy?
In order for you to reach your goals, you need ever possible advantage. Because of that, we believe that it is in your best interest to have access to a wide range of investments, asset classes, portfolio managers, and management techniques (active, passive, absolute return, and alternative investments, among others).
Financial Planning, Insurance, and Investments – do I need all three?
It is quite possible. Having a financial plan enables you to understand your current financial circumstances, and identify areas that require attention. At every stage of your life, it is likely that you’ll need some combination of health, life, long-term disability, long-term care, homeowners, auto, and liability insurance. Insurance can protect you, your family, your belongings, and you assets, while you pursue your long-term goals, which is where ongoing investment management comes into play.
Shouldn’t I just invest as much money as possible?
Allocating all of your assets to investments is certainly an option. However, doing so at the expense of protecting yourself from an unexpected tragedy can derail even the most deliberate investment program. Without protecting your income with long-term disability insurance, how would you save and pay your bills if you were unable to work? If you have a family who depends on your earnings, and have debts (mortgage, personal loans, business debts) that would need to be paid in the event of your death, how would your family survive if you passed on?
Will I have online access to my accounts?
Yes. Currently, all of our investment vendors provide online account access.
Do I need a minimum amount of assets to hire you?
No. There is no minimum amount of assets you need in order for us to work together. You may be in a situation where you have very few assets or savings, but could certainly benefit from completing a financial plan, or pursuing insurance.
I don’t have any assets. Should I wait to start planning?
No. There is never a bad time to begin planning for your future.
How often should financial plans be updated?
Plans should be reviewed and revisited at least on an annual basis, or as needed when a life event occurs (job change, retirement, marriage, divorce, the birth of a child, etc.).