Frequently asked questions

Who is The Shaeffer Wealth Advisory Group and what are your credentials?

We're a team of seven financial professionals based in Bel Air, MD with over 40 years of history serving clients nationwide. Members of our team hold various credentials including the Certified Financial Planner®, Certified Plan Financial Advisor (CPFA), and MBA degrees. Our leadership has over 30 years of experience together, supported by a team of financial planning and dedicated client service professionals.

For more details about our team, experience, and approach, visit our About Us page.

How is The Shaeffer Wealth Advisory Group different?

We operate with a team approach—each client works with a lead advisor and supporting advisor, backed by our dedicated client support team. Our experience in multigenerational wealth planning, successful wealth transfers, and decades-long client relationships sets us apart. We focus on understanding your family's values and long-term vision, not just your financial situation.

What financial services do you offer?

We provide wealth management services including wealth planning, estate planning services, retirement planning, risk management, cash flow planning, tax considerations, and more. For a complete overview of our services, visit Our Solutions page.

Do you offer proprietary products?

No, we do not offer proprietary products. We focus on providing personalized wealth management advice and strategies tailored to each client's individual financial situation, goals, and objectives.

Who do you serve?

We serve high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, families and business owners who are seeking a comprehensive approach to wealth management planning services.

What is your minimum investment to become a client?

We typically work with clients who have at least $2.5 million in investable assets. We also welcome the opportunity to work with existing clients' family members—including children and grandchildren—to provide wealth planning education and help them build a strong financial foundation.

Where is The Shaeffer Wealth Advisory Group located?

We are based in the heart of downtown Bel Air, Maryland. While we maintain a physical office location, we serve clients nationwide.

How do you get paid for wealth management services?

We prefer to operate on an advisory relationship model. This means we're compensated based on the assets we manage for you, which aligns our interests directly with yours. Our cost structure is transparent and discussed with you upfront as part of our advisory relationship. There are certain circumstances where our clients and our team may choose the more traditional transaction-fee model.

Do you act as a Fiduciary?

Yes. As investment advisors, we have a fiduciary duty to our clients. This means we are committed to acting in your best interest at all times. More broadly, an investment advisor has an affirmative duty of care, loyalty, honesty and good faith to act in the best interest of their clients. By putting your interests first, we work to make sure that we have a reasonable basis for investment advice, seek the best execution of securities transactions where applicable, make decisions consistent with the mutually agreed upon objectives, make full and fair disclosure of material facts - particularly regarding conflicts of interest we may have - and treat your information confidentially. 

What can I expect at our first meeting?

We’ll dive deep into understanding your goals: what do you want to help achieve with your wealth? What are your family’s priorities? What do you envision for your legacy and estate planning? This conversation forms the foundation of our relationship and guides your ongoing planning. During follow-up meetings we'll refine and present a wealth plan tailored to your specific goals and circumstances, helping to give you a clear understanding of your financial future.

I want to move forward, what happens next?

Your lead advisor introduces you to Melissa, to coordinate your onboarding. Melissa guides you through gathering remaining information, opening accounts, and setting up online access. She handles all administrative details and coordinates the transfer of your assets, keeping you informed throughout the process.

Once your accounts are established, your advisor reconnects with you to discuss investment strategy, immediate cash flow needs, and next steps.

How often do we meet?

We conduct at least one comprehensive annual review with each client, during which we assess your overall financial plan, portfolio changes, and any changes in your circumstances or goals. However, this cadence is flexible and customized to your specific needs – if your situation is more complex or requires more frequent touchpoints, we adjust accordingly.

What happens if there are changes to your team?

We understand that continuity and stability are essential to a long-term advisory relationship, which is why we’ve built our team with succession planning at its core. We’ve successfully transitioned the retirement of our founding advisor, Pete, while maintaining the same level of service our clients expect.

Our team structure is designed to help maintain continuity regardless of any changes. We have a multigenerational team where our next-generation advisors are deeply involved in client planning from day one. Your relationship is built on a strong foundation of experienced professionals working together, so your wealth plan is backed by a team—not a single person.