Meet Josh Zorger, CFP®
Josh Zorger, a Certified Financial Planner™, founded Fortitude Private Wealth, which is an independent, fee-only registered investment advisor. Practicing under a fiduciary standard of care, Fortitude Private Wealth provides a comprehensive, personalized wealth management process addressing the primary financial concerns and challenges of our clients. Fortitude Private Wealth receives no commissions and does not sell any products. Josh and his wife also raise four children and are active in their church and community.
What Prospective Clients Often Ask
Are you a Fiduciary?
Yes, Fortitude Private Wealth has a fiduciary obligation to always put the best interest of our clients first.
Has anyone at Fortitude Private Wealth ever received a complaint from a customer or been disciplined by the state of Indiana, the SEC, FINRA or the CFP Board?
No. We recommend verifying that a financial advisor has no complaints or disciplinary history before hiring them. We also recommend reading the regulatory filings for any firm that you decide to hire. Below are several good resources for verifying this information:
- FINRA Broker Check
- SEC Investment Advisor Public Disclosure
- Verify an Individual’s CFP® Certification and Background
Can we receive a copy of Fortitude Private Wealth’s regulatory filing ADV Part 2 Disclosure Brochure and a copy of your Privacy Policy?
Do you have any conflicts of interest? Are you an independent company?
Fortitude Private Wealth does not have any conflicts of interest and is a 100% independent company. Fortitude Private Wealth does not sell any products or receive any commissions.
Are you Fee-Only or Fee-Based?
Fortitude Private Wealth is Fee-Only. This means that no one affiliated with Fortitude Private Wealth holds an insurance license or brokerage license held through FINRA. The term Fee-Based means that a Financial Advisor may receive compensation in the form of fees, but they may also sell products and earn a commission on a product sale.
Do you provide Comprehensive Wealth Management?
Fortitude Private Wealth provides Comprehensive Wealth Management, which aims to advise clients on all aspects of their financial life. Every client has specific circumstances and needs. Learning about these needs and analyzing the big picture helps us identify what solutions and options may help our clients obtain their financial goals.
What services does Fortitude Private Wealth provide?
Comprehensive Wealth ManagementDiscretionary Investment Management
Small Business Retirement and Cash Flow Planning
Retirement Income and Required Minimum Distribution Planning
Social Security Planning
Tax Planning
Fortitude Private Wealth is not a large company. Why wouldn’t I hire a large company instead?
Larger firms will often use their size as a reason to hire them. We find that Fortitude Private Wealth’s clients are looking for personalized attention and a direct relationship with the main decision-maker of a firm. Having unlimited and real-time access to market research and information today levels the playing field and diminishes the advantages for larger firms. Fortitude Private Wealth utilizes many outside research resources and has direct contact with large institutional money managers for obtaining information.
How will I know how well my investment account is performing and monitor my progress towards my financial goals?
Each client receives a detailed quarterly performance report tracking the progress of their investment portfolio. Depending on the needs of the client, we follow a communication schedule that allows us to monitor and make updates to their investment portfolio or financial plan on a regular basis.
What are your fees and how do you get paid?
Fortitude Private Wealth earns compensation through investment advisory fees. These investment advisory fees are paid directly by a client to the firm on a quarterly basis. Please see below for the Fee Schedule for Investment Advisory Services. Fortitude Private Wealth may also earn compensation paid directly by a client to the firm for Financial Planning services. The fees for Financial Planning services may be based on an hourly fee or a flat fee depending on what is in the best interest of the client.
Assets Under Management
$500,000 - $749,999
Annual Fee 1.15%
$750,000 - $999,999
Annual Fee 1.00%
$1,000,000 - $2,999,999
Annual Fee .90%
$3,000,000 - $4,999,999
Annual Fee .80%
$5,000,000 - $9,999,999
Annual Fee .65%
$10,000,000 +
Annual Fee .50%
During our research for a Fiduciary, we noticed that many financial planners are charging a monthly or quarterly retainer fee for Financial Planning services. Does Fortitude Private Wealth charge an ongoing retainer fee for financial planning?
No, Fortitude Private Wealth does not charge ongoing monthly or quarterly retainer fees for financial planning.
Who are your clients?
The clients of Fortitude Private Wealth value having a long-term relationship with an independent advisor who will look out for their best interest and be a financial advocate for them. Our clients are small business owners, working professionals preparing for retirement, retirees, and high net worth families.
Do you have a minimum asset size for becoming an Investment Advisory client?
Yes, Fortitude Private Wealth does have a minimum asset size for becoming an Investment Advisory client. The minimum asset size is $500,000.
I own a small business but do not meet the asset minimum requirements. Would I qualify for your services?
Yes, there is no asset minimum for Financial Planning services. Generally, we find that our small business owner clients have an income level of around $250,000 or greater and are looking for strategies to save more income for retirement and lower taxes. For this service, we would charge an hourly fee or a flat fee depending on what is in the best interest of the client.
I have most of my assets held in my company 401(k) plan. Would I qualify for your services?
Starting in 2021, we now offer Investment Advisory Services on assets held at an outside custodian. These types of accounts are most commonly held with a company 401(k) Plan, 403(b) Plan or a Non-Qualified Deferred Compensation Plan. Our program for held away assets allows us to provide investment management and performance reporting. In full transparency, the fee schedule for this program defers from the fee schedule outlined above. There is an additional fee of 0.25% charged, which covers the technology cost charged to Fortitude Private Wealth for providing this program. To learn more, please click here to read our recent blog post.
For Investment Advisory services where would my investment accounts be held?
Fortitude Private Wealth is an independent firm and can work with multiple custodians. Fortitude Private Wealth has selected Charles Schwab & Co., as primary custodian for our clients’ accounts. Schwab Advisor Services serves independent investment advisory firms like ours and includes the custody, trading and support services of Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.
How much control do you have over my investment account and do you have access to my funds?
When someone becomes a client of Fortitude Private Wealth, they open an account through one of our custodians. This account will be titled in the client’s name and the client will give Fortitude Private Wealth authorization to direct trades and deduct management fees from their account. It is important to understand that Fortitude Private Wealth will never have custody of client funds. This means that Fortitude Private Wealth does not have the authority to initiate third-party withdrawals or gain direct access to client funds.
What is the first step for becoming a client?
The first step to becoming a client is to complete the Schedule A Call section on our website. We will then contact you and request that you complete a detailed fact finder that will help us gather information about you and learn about your primary financial objectives and priorities. After we receive this information, we will reach out to you to schedule a 30-minute introductory phone call.
GET IN TOUCH
You are invited to have a phone call with Josh by filling out our form.
