Woodley Farra Manion

Woodley Farra Manion, Rated #1 in CNBC’s 2022 list of top-rated financial advisory firms, is not a traditional financial planning firm in that it does not charge a fee to create a comprehensive financial plan for its clients. Rather, they are a research-based fiduciary focused exclusively on using individual securities to implement their investment philosophy through their internal independent research and decision-making process.

They utilize four different modes of analysis (Fundamental, Technical, Quantitative, and Economic) and are heavily focused on constructing portfolios with downside protection. Accordingly, they often work with clients approaching retirement to allocate a portion of their portfolio to high-quality, fixed income securities.

Their strategy seeks to provide clients with a portfolio based on competitive total return and downside risk protection. As value investors, the firm’s general philosophy is centered on identifying strong companies that are trading at prices below what the firm believes are their full, intrinsic values. This approach focuses on companies that have a strong emphasis on paying cash dividends to their owners.

Woodley Farra Manion are long-term investors and consistently have low portfolio turnover. This reduces commission expenses and provides clients with the advantages of lower tax rates for long-term capital gains.

Woodley Farra Manion charges a quarterly Assets Under Management (AUM) fee based solely on the assets they are directly managing on the client’s behalf. They do not earn commissions for selling other products or earn referral fees for introducing clients to other professionals such as accountants or lawyers. They have experience working with members of other professional organizations on an individual basis.

Woodley Farra Manion takes a hands-on, goal-oriented approach to financial planning. Through their collaborative process, they work with clients to create a plan for long-term success. By providing ongoing coaching and portfolio management, they help to ensure that clients stay on course to achieve those goals.

For ACS members, they offer a flat 0.6% AUM based fee.