Frequently Asked Questions

Our personalized planning process is truly holistic, covering everything from tax-efficient investing and withdrawal strategies to estate planning, insurance reviews, and purposeful wealth transfer. We provide guidance on all your assets, even those we don’t directly manage—like your 401(k), stock options, or your kids’ accounts—so every part of your financial life is working together toward your goals.

First, you meet with an advisor to ensure it’s the right fit. Next, once your assets are transferred, we begin our Sequoia planning process—diving into everything from purpose and income to taxes and investments. In the first few months, we meet weekly or biweekly, then shift to ongoing support with at least two strategy check-ins per year, plus on-demand guidance whenever needed.

Once you start working with Root, you’ll have a kickoff meeting where we dive deep into your goals, values, and current financial picture. From there, we begin building a personalized plan through a series of focused meetings—covering income, investments, taxes, estate planning, and more—designed to help you live the life you want, not just the one you can get by on. Planning continues with ongoing support and regular check-ins to keep your strategy aligned as life evolves.

We work with people from all walks of life. That said, we are a business, and to remain viable, we must receive compensation. Our best-fit clients are those who have found some success and built a portfolio of at least $2 million. They’ve done an excellent job of saving but don’t want to be burdened with the responsibility of doing everything needed to get the most out of their money and their retirement planning.

If we can’t work with you, we’ll do our best to answer any questions you have and point you to someone who can. Please don’t hesitate to reach out today to see what’s possible with your financial planning.

We work with people from all walks of life. That said, we are a business, and to remain viable, we must receive compensation. Our best-fit clients are those who have found some success, built a portfolio of at least $1 million (excluding current 401(k)s if under age 59.5, real estate, and 529 plans), and no longer want to be burdened with the responsibility of doing everything needed to get the most out of their money.

If you’re eager to partner with Root before many of your assets become directly available for management, but want to ensure you’re planning properly, we offer the option to work together under a flat annual fee of $10,000—the same fee applied to a $1 million portfolio. We do operate under a holistic planning practice, so we don’t offer an option to exclusively do a flat fee. We do request to manage everything available for management to ensure we give the best advice.

If we can’t work with you, we’ll do our best to answer any questions you have and point you to someone who can. If you’re looking for a financial advisor for retirement, don’t hesitate to reach out today to see what’s possible.

Your money is typically held at Charles Schwab, an independent custodian—think of it like a secure grocery cart where you own everything inside. The accounts stay in your name, and we act as your advisor with limited authority to manage them on your behalf. We don’t work for Schwab or earn commissions, so every recommendation we make is in your best interest.

Transferring your investment accounts is simple and secure thanks to the ACAT system, which moves assets “in-kind”—meaning nothing is sold or changed during the transfer. Whether you’re moving an IRA or brokerage account, your investments stay exactly the same; the only difference is where you log in. We don’t make any changes to your portfolio until you approve a personalized plan built around your goals and tax strategy.

To give you the best advice, we typically manage all assets available for management—ensuring your strategy is cohesive and risk is properly aligned. That said, we’re flexible when it comes to small, personal holdings that don’t impact the broader plan. Our goal isn’t control—it’s clarity, so you don’t have to play financial quarterback on your own.

No long-term commitment is required—our services are billed monthly, and you can cancel at any time with just an email. We earn your trust by consistently adding value, not by locking you into a contract.

We often leverage Vise, a technology-based sub-advisor, to help manage client portfolios with added consistency, care, and tax awareness. We believe this is a huge benefit to clients that comes at no additional cost to you all. Vise supports our team by monitoring accounts daily, ensuring their alignment with your plan and identifying tax-loss harvesting opportunities along the way. This may help improve after-tax outcomes. While Vise handles the day-to-day implementation, Root always controls the investment strategy. That means you get the benefit of technology working behind the scenes (and rest assured, there is human oversight of every trade prior to execution), with our planning and guidance driving every decision.

You’ll be paired with a dedicated lead advisor who follows Root’s planning philosophy while bringing their own personality and perspective to the relationship. Behind them is a full support team, so you’re never left re-explaining your situation—and instead gain a partner who understands your life deeply, not just your finances.

Root advisors are among the best in the industry—not just for their technical expertise, but for their ability to guide real-life decisions with empathy and clarity. Every advisor completes “Root University,” our intensive internal training built by founder James Conole, ensuring they’re equipped to handle everything from complex tax strategies to helping couples align on retirement goals. It’s not just about numbers—it’s about understanding people.