FAQs

Fee-only means we are compensated exclusively by our clients - no commissions, no referral payments, no product incentives. This eliminates the conflict of interest common in commission-based models. When an advisor earns a commission, there is always a question of whether the recommendation is in your interest or theirs. With a fee-only structure, our interests and yours are aligned: we make more when you do well, not when you buy something.

A fiduciary is legally and professionally obligated to act in your best interest at all times - not just when convenient, not 'most of the time.' Many financial professionals operate under a suitability standard, which only requires that recommendations be 'suitable' - a much lower bar. As a registered investment advisory firm, Intellus Advisors operates under the fiduciary standard for all investment advisory services. Every recommendation we make is made because we believe it's the right choice for you.

Several things set us apart: We build custom portfolios for each client through a dedicated Investment Committee. We have a genuine multigenerational practice - many client families span two or three generations. We are selective about who we work with - not because of asset minimums, but because the best advisory relationships require mutual fit. And we are not sales-driven. We grew almost entirely through referrals, which reflects the experience we provide.

We do not publicly advertise a minimum. What we look for is the right fit - clients who are genuinely interested in a long-term planning relationship, who value transparency and education, and who want to work collaboratively toward their goals. We encourage you to reach out and start a personal conversation. If we're not the right firm for your situation, we'll tell you honestly and do our best to point you in the right direction.

We have offices in Sarasota and Naples, Florida. We work with clients across Florida and serve clients nationwide. Many long-standing client relationships have continued across state lines as families have moved. If geography has been a concern, it shouldn't be - we work effectively with clients in person and remotely.

We manage portfolios through our dedicated portfolio management team and Investment Committee. We do not place clients into packaged investment programs. This allows us to build and manage portfolios specifically designed for each client's situation, rather than fitting a client into a pre-fab model designed for the average person. Our clients consider this one of our most meaningful distinctions.

It begins with a conversation - not a sales presentation. We spend time understanding your current situation, your goals, and what you're hoping to accomplish. If there's a mutual fit, we move into a comprehensive financial planning process before making any investment recommendations. We gather information about your full financial picture, identify gaps and opportunities, and build a plan that reflects your actual life - not a generic template. Most clients describe onboarding as thorough, unhurried, and genuinely informative.

We hear this often. Most disappointment comes from feeling like a number rather than a client, receiving recommendations that felt like products rather than advice, or losing the relationship when an advisor changed firms. We're fee-only, so we have no financial incentive to recommend anything other than what's right for you. We're deeply relational - many clients have been with us 10, 15, even 20+ years. And we believe the service itself is the product, which means we invest heavily in the people and processes that deliver it.

The financial decisions made during a divorce - about asset division, retirement accounts, income structure, and taxes - will shape your financial life for years. Having a Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® (CDFA®) involved early can help you evaluate settlement options before they're finalized, understand their true long-term value, and avoid mistakes that are hard to undo. We work alongside your divorce attorney, CPA and forensic accountant, not in place of them. Our role is to make sure the financial analysis is sound so your legal team can negotiate from an informed position.

The only way to know is to do the work - a thorough retirement readiness analysis covering your assets, income sources, spending needs, tax situation, and life expectancy. Most people who come to us with this question have either never had that analysis done, or had it done with assumptions that no longer reflect their life. We build retirement projections that are specific, honest, and updated as your situation changes. Whether the answer is reassuring or sobering, it's always better to know.

The most important thing is not to rush. An inheritance often arrives alongside grief, family complexity, and significant pressure - none of which create a good environment for major financial decisions. We typically encourage new clients in this situation to hold the assets conservatively while we do the planning work: understanding your full financial picture, your goals, your tax situation, and what this inheritance means in the context of your life. Only then do we make thoughtful recommendations about how to deploy the assets in a way that serves you for the long term.

It is almost never too late to establish a retirement plan, and for most business owners, the tax benefits alone make it worth exploring. The type of plan that makes the most sense - a SEP-IRA, Solo 401(k), SIMPLE IRA, defined benefit plan, or traditional 401(k) - depends on your business structure, income, employees, and goals. We help business owners work through those trade-offs and design a plan that works for both the business and the owner's personal retirement strategy.

A few questions worth asking: Is your advisor a fiduciary - all the time, not just for certain services? Are they fee-only, or do they earn commissions? Do they have a transparent fee structure you fully understand? Do they proactively reach out to you? Do their recommendations feel designed for your specific situation? These aren't easy questions to ask, but they're the right ones. If you're uncertain about any of them, a second opinion is always worth having. We welcome those conversations.