Frequently Asked Questions

Please click the questions below to discover the answers.

What is the Winston Paul Difference?

Your Dreams
Our DEFEND & Deploy_® investment strategy
Proactive Tax Planning
Fee-Based Advisor
Fiduciary Commitment
Your Living The Dream® Financial Plan
Independence & Transparency
Personal & Private Client Service

What's all of this dream stuff?

At Winston Paul, we believe happiness is attained through the fulfillment of personal, inspirational, and motivational dreams. Numbers are cold and forgettable, but turning a dream into reality – now that’s something you’ll remember and treasure. And that’s what this dream stuff is all about

What does being a Fiduciary mean?

To be a Fiduciary the Financial Advisor must keep the Client’s interests above their own interests at all times; this is known as their “fiduciary duty.” Why is a fiduciary duty important to you? A Registered Investment Advisor, unlike an Agent or many Brokers, is a Fiduciary and has a LEGAL obligation to carry out their fiduciary duty. While Agents and Brokers are paid commissions by a third-party to sell financial products, Registered Investment Advisors are hired by the client specifically for investment advice, which can be given in the form of insurance recommendations, financial planning, or investment management. Rather than commissions, which always pits the Client’s interests against the interests of the Financial Advisor, the Registered Investment Advisor charges a fee for advice. Obviously, Registered Investment Advisors want long term relationships with their clients; therefore, it is in the Registered Investment Advisor’s best interest to provide advice that is in the client’s best interest. As a Fiduciary, this fee arrangement permits both Client and Advisor interests to be naturally, not just legally, aligned.

What is a Fee-Only Financial Advisor?

There are two terms regarding fees, Fee-Based and Fee-Only. As the term implies, a Fee-Only Financial Advisor, will only charge a fee for their advice and services. A Fee-Based Financial Advisor will charge a fee for their advice and services plus they have the ability to collect commissions on insurance and/or investment products. Why are these definitions significant to you? A “Financial Advisor” can be a Registered Investment Advisor, a licensed Broker, and a licensed insurance Agent, all at the same time. While Agents and Brokers are paid commissions by third-parties to sell financial products, Registered Investment Advisors are hired by you directly. Rather than commissions, a Registered Investment Advisor charges a fee for advice because commissions can cause conflicts of interest, even if the Agent and/or Broker is also a Registered Investment Advisor. By charging only a fee, the client’s interests are put ahead of the advisor’s interests. If your Advisor is a Registered Investment Advisor and also an Agent and/or Broker, then hopefully they will keep your interests paramount even when commissions are involved.

We have elected to be a Fee-Based Advisor because Winston Paul Capital Management gives clients the option of selecting their Advisor to also be their insurance agent. This creates one point of contact. Having one point of contact may appear to pose potential conflicts of interest; however, once in our process we believe you will witness a high level of integrity, honesty, and ethics. We take our responsibility seriously.

Why Consider Us

Relationships

Realizing we cannot be all things to all people, we strive to be something very special to just a select number by establishing fit first. Fit first means both of us have to be comfortable and committed to each other for the long haul. We establish and maintain relationships where we trust you to share all financial aspects with us and you trust our strategies, management, and fiduciary commitment. Our relationships go well beyond mere investment returns.

Independence

We choose to be independent.
Independence permits us to have clarity about what is in your best interest.

We are free from:

Investment Commissions
Sales Incentives
Product Biases
The need to support brokerage house recommendations
The pressure of quotas
Brokerage house inventories

Unbeholden to a parent company or a majority shareholder, our independence underscores that we work for you and only for your best interest.

Transparency

Our relationships are built on clear communication, especially regarding Trading, Performance, and Fees. All trades, returns, and expenses are available for your review and verification. With nothing to hide, we have regular performance reviews. If something fantastic or dramatic occurs, you will be informed timely. We are open and honest, even if performance or products fail to meet our standards. Transparency benefits everyone. You can trust and verify us.

Fiduciary

A Fiduciary is a person to whom the law requires act solely and honestly on behalf of the person represented. Keeping the Client’s interests above their own at all times is known as a “fiduciary duty.” A few examples are Executors, Guardians, and Trustees. A Registered Investment Advisor, unlike an Agent or many Brokers, is also a Fiduciary and has a LEGAL obligation to carry out their fiduciary duty. While Agents and Brokers are paid commissions by a third-party to sell financial products, Registered Investment Advisors are hired directly by the client for investment advice, which can be given in the form of insurance recommendations, financial planning, or investment management. Rather than commissions, which can create conflicts of interest, the Registered Investment Advisor charges a fee for advice. As a Fiduciary, our Registered Investment Advisory fee arrangement naturally and legally aligns both our interests.

Fee-Based

There are two terms regarding fees, Fee-Based and Fee-Only. As the term implies, a Fee-Only Financial Advisor, will only charge a fee for their advice and services. A Fee-Based Financial Advisor will charge a fee for their advice and services plus they have the ability to collect commissions on insurance and/or investment products. Why are these definitions significant to you? A “Financial Advisor” can be a Registered Investment Advisor, a licensed Broker, and a licensed insurance Agent, all at the same time. While Agents and Brokers are paid commissions by third-parties to sell financial products, Registered Investment Advisors are hired by you directly. Rather than commissions, a Registered Investment Advisor charges a fee for advice because commissions can cause conflicts of interest, even if the Agent and/or Broker is also a Registered Investment Advisor. By charging only a fee, the client’s interests are put ahead of the advisor’s interests. If your Advisor is a Registered Investment Advisor and also an Agent and/or Broker, then hopefully they will keep your interests paramount even when commissions are involved.

We have elected to be a Fee-Based Advisor because Winston Paul Capital Management gives clients the option of selecting their advisor to also be their insurance agent. This creates one point of contact. Having one point of contact may appear to pose potential conflicts of interest; however, once in our process we believe you will witness a high level of integrity, honesty and ethics. We take our fiduciary responsibility seriously.

Expertise

J Thomas Knight is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ^TM and a CERTIFIED PUBLIC ACCOUNTANT (CPA) with over 25 years of industry experience. Mr. Knight’s education & certificates, years of experience, and constant study enable this firm to specialize in Wealth Management which includes Portfolio Management, Financial Planning, Tax Planning, and Estate Planning. Our holistic and macro-economic foundation combined with risk management and investment management expertise make this firm and J Thomas Knight well suited to implement your dreams.

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