Why CHoose Mayport?

Learn How Mayport is Reinventing Financial Advice.

Emphasis on Planning

Emphasis on Planning

Financial planning as the bedrock of every client relationship

At Mayport, we start every relationship by building a long-term financial plan around your individual goals.

And, at Mayport, a financial plan isn’t just the starting point for our relationship; it’s the foundation for all future discussions. You’ll be able to access your plan through our client portal, and we will update and discuss it regularly. In contrast, many investment firms see themselves simply as “money managers” operating without any specific knowledge of their clients’ goals.

Straightforward, Fair fees

Straightforward, fair fees

No percentage-of-asset fees

Most other advisors’ fees are based on a percentage of a client’s account value—typically 1% per year. This can result in very high fees. In addition, these traditional percentage-of-asset fees have a tendency to increase over time because of the stock market’s historical upward trend. In contrast, Mayport charges a straightforward flat fee for its Wealth Management service.

Fee-only

Traditional brokers and financial salespeople who charge commissions for each trade have an incentive to make more frequent changes to your account, and these trades may incur higher costs and taxes. In contrast, Mayport is a fee-only advisor. This means that our sole source of compensation is directly from our clients. While no relationship can be completely free of potential conflicts of interest, it is Mayport's view that a fee-only arrangement greatly reduces this potential.

Completely transparent fees

Many other advisors have “soft dollar” arrangements with brokers. This means that they benefit from a portion of the brokerage commissions that you pay. Another common practice among advisors is to collect payments from fund companies as compensation for selling particular funds to clients. These fees are known as “12b-1” or “distribution fees” and are completely invisible to you, the client. Mayport believes opaque payments like this are fundamentally unfair to clients and, as a result, has no such arrangements.

Billed in arrears

Most other advisors bill their clients a quarter in advance. In contrast, Mayport bills clients after we have provided the service.

Flexible payment options

Most other advisors deduct fees directly from client accounts, making it harder to appreciate the scale of what you are paying them. While Mayport offers this as an option, it is just an option. You also have the option of paying by check or credit card. That is because we believe you should not be in the dark about the fees that you are paying.

Fiduciary

Fiduciary

Fiduciary standard

Brokers and other financial salespeople are not required to adhere to what is known as the “fiduciary standard.” This means that they are legally permitted to put their own interests ahead of yours—choosing to sell you a particular investment product, for example, because it provides them with a bigger commission. Indeed, many brokers have for years been fighting the government’s effort to impose even a partial fiduciary standard on their business. In contrast, Mayport adheres to the fiduciary standard, as defined by the CFP Board—with all clients at all times. In fact, as a Registered Investment Advisor, Mayport is required to adhere to this standard.

Emphasis on education

committed to Education

At Mayport, one of our primary objectives is to educate clients

For that reason, we regularly add new articles to our blog and email clients with weekly commentary and advice. We believe that a good understanding of how investments work, and of market history, will serve you especially well during periods of market turmoil, when you may be unsure what to do.

Evidence-based investment strategy

Evidence-based investment strategy

At Mayport, our approach to investing is informed by academic research

This evidence is very clear about the factors that drive positive investment performance. Among them are: minimizing costs and taxes by keeping turnover low; choosing investments that are simple and straightforward with measurable intrinsic value; diversifying across and within a sensible set of asset classes; avoiding a reliance on predictions of the future; avoiding market-timing; and including small-cap and value investments in a stock portfolio. In contrast, many investment firms employ highly-paid analysts and economists to engage in extensive forecasting and analysis that, in Mayport’s opinion, does not contribute any value. For that reason, we have eliminated these roles and pass the significant cost savings on to you, the client.

Sensitivity to taxes

Sensitivity to taxes

Mayport recognizes that taxes matter, and that your true investment return is what you keep after taxes

Mayport structures portfolios with an eye toward minimizing taxes. We accomplish this via careful asset allocation, asset location and security selection. In addition, we avoid market timing and active trading—practices that both can contribute to higher taxes (as well as errors in forecasting, higher fees and higher commissions).

Online access

Online access

Mayport clients benefit from a web portal and mobile app

These allow you to monitor your accounts, check your financial plan and store important financial documents in an online vault.