IEA Wealth Management, LLC, was founded in 2005 by four financial professionals, who, combined, have over 60 years of experience in financial services.  We formed IEA Wealth Management because we feel strongly that the "old way" of doing business has become antiquated and no longer is the most beneficial to the consumer.

Technological Advances

Over the last several years, there have been major technological advances which have greatly improved cost efficiencies and scale.  We believe these advances, if utilized correctly, can significantly lower the "cost of doing business" for both the advisor and the client.

Technology has also spawned new product innovations, many of which have eliminated the need for a "middle man," thus reducing overall costs.  Furthermore, advisors and consumers today have access to products and solutions that, in the past, only the largest institutions could afford to utilize.

We strive to implement the latest technologies to help minimize costs and to offer our clients the most comprehensive, leading edge solutions in the marketplace today.  We are constantly on the lookout for new products and solutions to keep IEA Wealth Management and our clients in the forefront—not only now, but into the future.

Compensation Methods

We believe the "old method" of compensation, in many instances, may not put the clients’ interests first.  Under this "old method," advisors generally receive high, up-front or initial compensation on the products being sold, and very little, if any, compensation going forward.

This method tends to lead to poor or inadequate future service, as well as potentially poor accountability for the clients’ accounts, since the advisor will generally have a larger incentive to focus on "new" business that pays "new," up-front compensation, versus servicing their "current business," that pays them little or no compensation. 

To reverse this trend, whenever possible, we prefer to be compensated on a "pay as you go" method.  Rather than receiving large, up-front compensation, we receive much smaller, but ongoing, compensation for each year we service your account. 

With this method, we have just as much incentive to service our "current clients" as we do to find "new clients."   We believe this provides greater accountability for our recommendations and keeps our clients’ interests first.

Liquidity / Flexibility

In the majority of cases, we believe the “old traditional lines” of financial products that contain large surrender charge penalties and long surrender charge periods do not serve the best interest of the client. Often is the case, the larger the surrender charge and surrender period, the larger the up-front compensation to the advisor.  We feel this may create a conflict of interest regarding the suitability of the product for the client.

Furthermore, purchasing products with long surrender charge periods can take away the liquidity and flexibility of the client’s portfolio.  Surrender charges can force a client into staying with an investment that is sub-par or possibly no longer meets their objectives over time.

Whenever possible, we strive to offer only those products and solutions with the shortest or non-existent surrender charge schedules.  We believe this puts the clients’ interests first and foremost and offers the client the highest level of accountability.  Because of this practice, our clients are not "forced" to stay with us, due to long surrender charge schedules.  If we don't deliver on performance or adequately service their accounts, they have the freedom and choice to leave our firm. 

Independence

One of our highest priorities when forming IEA Wealth Management was to be totally independent.  Under the antiquated "old structure," advisors often work for firms that offer their own “proprietary” product lines.  Be it higher compensation or free trips, extra incentives are often in place for the advisor to sell or utilize their own firm's products.  This may result in unsuitable or sub-par products being recommended to the client.

By being independent, no conflicts of interest are imposed by the constraints of any company’s proprietary products, investment banking relationships, or other activities that may be inconsistent with our clients’ goals and objectives. We have the ability and responsibility to select only those investments which are best suited to each client’s unique financial situation.

We are confident that our strong commitment to our business philosophy, the unique expertise that each founder brings to the table, and our independent affiliations allows us to successfully offer truly unbiased advice, with full accountability in everything that we do for each client. 

We invite you to contact us for a free, initial consultation.  We are committed to working with you and your accountant and/or attorney to help you develop comprehensive strategies and solutions to meet your financial goals.