Frequently Asked Questions

How do you approach financial planning?

Personalized, collaborative process

At Growtrust, financial planning isn’t just about numbers—it’s about you. We recognize that you are the expert in your own life, and this belief shapes everything we do.

We begin by taking time to understand your values, goals, and what matters most to you. Our comprehensive process is personalized, collaborative, and designed to help you move from financial anxiety to clarity and confidence.

We don’t claim to predict markets or chase trends; instead, we rely on time-tested investment strategies and focus our advice where it makes the most impact – helping you manage the things you can control while preparing for what you can’t. 

Independence 

We’re proud to be a locally owned, fully independent financial planning firm deeply rooted in our West Michigan community. We are not part of a big bank or national chain, which means we answer only to our clients, not to shareholders or proprietary product sales quotas.

At the same time, we’ve chosen to partner with LPL Financial, one of the nation’s leading providers of investment services, as the secure platform for holding client assets. Through LPL, we gain access to robust research and resources, advanced technology, and the scale and stability of a Fortune 500 company. Because we’re independent, LPL supports us—not the other way around— giving us the freedom to make decisions solely based on what best serves our clients.

It’s the best of both worlds: the heart of a local business, backed by the strength and resources of a national leader.

*No. 1 Independent Broker-Dealer in the U.S (Based on total revenues, Financial Planning magazine 1996-2025)

Who do you typically work with?

We partner with individuals, families, and business owners who want to align their financial decisions with their values. Many of our clients are navigating significant life transitions such as starting a family, changing careers, or preparing for retirement, and are looking for a valued guide to help simplify the process.

Whether you’re just beginning your financial journey or managing a legacy, we’re here to grow with you over time. We’re proud to have walked alongside some families for decades, serving parents, children, and even grandchildren.

Do you work with clients outside of Michigan?

Yes. We partner with clients across the country. Some were introduced by loved ones, others we’ve supported through career transitions or relocations.

Whether you’re in West Michigan or miles away, we’re always happy to meet virtually to fit your busy schedule.

Do I need a minimum amount of assets to work with you?

When considering new client relationships, we look beyond account balances to the bigger picture to ensure our services are a good fit for both parties. We evaluate this on a case-by-case basis, considering not just assets, but your ability to save, openness to guidance, and capacity to implement meaningful changes. We desire to form lifelong partnerships with those ready to engage in thoughtful planning and grow with us over time.

As there’s no cost for an introductory call, we welcome conversations with anyone exploring whether working with a professional financial planner is right for them.

What financial planning topics can you help me with?

If money’s involved, chances are we’ve helped someone through it. We want you to feel confident in your financial decisions, big and small – so we make ourselves available for all the ‘what should I do?’ moments.

While every client’s journey is unique, here are some of the most common areas where we offer support:

• Retirement Planning
• Education and generational planning
• Charitable and legacy planning
• Estate planning
• Investment management
• Expense and debt management 
• Tax planning in coordination with your CPA
• Risk management

And because money touches every part of life, our support often extends beyond the numbers. We’ve walked with clients through career changes, divorce, downsizing a home, welcoming a new child, and other seasons where money and meaning meet.

What does your financial planning process look like?

Our process is designed to meet you where you are:

• Introductory Call: Share your goals and learn how we can help.
• Planning Meetings: We dive deeper into your financial picture and create a personalized strategy.
• Action Meetings: Together, we put your plan into motion.
• Ongoing Reviews: Life changes, and so should your plan. We revisit regularly to keep you on track

Learn more 

How often will we meet throughout the financial planning process?

Initially, we meet as frequently as needed to build your financial plan and get key pieces in place. From there, we recommend at least one annual review, with additional meetings as life changes or questions arise.

Our team proactively reaches out to schedule these planning check-ins, and we ask that clients make themselves available. Staying engaged is essential to your growth -- because your plan only works if it evolves alongside your life.

How do you get paid?

We are a fee-based financial planning firm, and the cost of working together depends on how you choose to engage us and the complexity of your needs. Most of our clients choose to pay us an annual fee based on a percentage of the assets we help them manage – typically around the industry average of 1% per year, billed quarterly. This structure allows us to be your go-to partner on all things financial. Whether it’s your home, career, or family decisions, we’re here to help—without charging for every call or email.

Beyond our financial planning fee, the platform and investments themselves may have internal costs, often ranging from 0% to .50%.

If we feel it is in your best interest, we may occasionally recommend an investment or insurance solution that pays a commission. If so, we will talk you through it. We choose to offer these, rather than be ‘fee-only,’ because we feel that having a broader set of tools available allows us to serve you more strategically and effectively.

Regardless, our commitment is always to full transparency and to recommending what best supports your goals. We want our clients to understand the cost of their financial planning and feel confident that we’re providing value that far outweighs it.

Do I need a financial planner?

You may not need a financial planner -- many people are more than capable of understanding the technical pieces on their own. The real value comes from having a partner who helps you apply those concepts to your life, stay organized, avoid costly mistakes, and make confident decisions as your goals and responsibilities grow.

Most of our clients come to us, not because they can’t do it, but because they don’t want to do it alone.

By partnering with us, clients often tell us they:

• Gain clarity on where their money goes and confidence that it is aligned with their values and priorities
• Free up time and mental energy for the people and priorities that matter most
• Navigate financial conversations and decisions as a couple with more understanding and confidence (it’s not uncommon to hear comments like, “I didn’t know you thought that”)
• Feel relieved that, even when life gets busy, we stay on top of deadlines and next steps, so they don’t have to
• Financial planning isn’t rocket science, but it is a lot to manage. Tax laws, regulations, and best practices evolve constantly, and it’s easy to miss something important.

Our team has spent years earning degrees and designations, pursuing continuing education, and building experience so we can simplify the complex and help you make confident, well‑informed decisions. 

Learn more about our qualifications. 

Can you protect me from market uncertainty?

No one know what the financial market will do next – and we don’t pretend to. The good news is, research has shown that investor success depends far less on forecasting the future and far more on building a financial plan that can withstand it.

We help you navigate uncertainty by:

• Managing our emotional responses to economic changes
• Proactively preparing flexible plans that account for market variations
• Running projections that test your financial plan under various ‘what-if’ scenarios
• Staying diversified over chasing investment returns

So that you can stay grounded even when markets shift, headlines change, or there’s a new political party in office.

All investing involves risk including loss of principal. No strategy assures success or protects against loss. There is no guarantee that a diversified portfolio will enhance overall returns or outperform a non-diversified portfolio. Diversification does not protect against market risk.

What qualifications and credentials does the Growtrust team have?

Our strength comes from the collective expertise of our team. Together we bring:

• Years of professional experience – many of our Advisors and Client Services team members have been guiding people through financial complexities for decades
• Advanced education and degrees – both at the Bachelor’s and Master’s levels
• Professional designations, licenses, and certifications (such as CFP®, ChFC®, AEP®) – reflecting our commitment to lifelong learning

• • Learn more about the meaning behind the letters 
• Continuing education and training – staying current with evolving tax law, financial regulations, and planning strategies

We are fluent in finance, but we speak your language. Our goal is to make the complex simple and the stressful manageable, so you feel confident every step of the way.

How do you keep my financial information secure?

Protecting your privacy and data is a top priority for us. We use multiple layers of security, including encryption, firewalls, secure servers, and multi-factor authentication to safeguard your sensitive information. We also use secure systems for communication and document sharing, and we never share your information without your consent.

Learn more about how our partnership with LPL Financial further safeguards your information and about the LPL Cyber Fraud Guarantee.