It is common sense that your financial professional should always act in your best interest. Take comfort in the fact that Sunrise Advisors always has and always will. As a ‘fee-only’ Registered Investment Advisor, we have a fiduciary duty -- a legal and ethical responsibility -- to act in your best interest. By refusing to accept commissions or compensation from anyone except our clients, we can place our independence and objectivity beyond question. As a ‘fee-only’ Registered Investment Advisor, our only incentive is to help you succeed financially.

Informed investors make wiser decisions. These informed investors recognize the advantages of working with an independent, "fee-only" Registered Investment Advisor. We believe these advantages are the key to successful investing, the achievement of financial goals, and prosperous, long-term relationships.

• Fee-Only – The fee-only Registered Investment Advisor is compensated only by the client. This is the most transparent, flexible, and client-friendly compensation arrangement. (Always a fiduciary by law)
• Fee-Based – The professional can be compensated by fees AND commissions (the 'double dip'). In this case, what you do not see (the load, commission, spread), may limit your investment options and increase the largest cost of investing - opportunity cost. (Not always a fiduciary by law)
• Commission-based – The professional's compensation is solely determined by the kind of investment product that you are sold and number of times you buy and sell these products. Often, the incentive of the professional may not fully align with yours. (Not always a fiduciary by law)

• Agents and Brokers sell. Advisors advise. Generally, agents and brokers are not well trained nor well suited for the role of an advisor. The commission-based or fee-based investment professional works in a completely different (sales) culture.
• Product-centered salespeople ask, "How can I sell these products?"
• We, as client-centered advisors, ask, "How can I help these people?"

Commission-based or fee-based salesmen have a bias towards proprietary products. Proprietary products are usually more expensive, and, therefore, more profitable for the brokerage firm, bank, or trust company. Independent advisors have the flexibility to search a wider market for the most appropriate, lowest-cost investment product for their clients.


We, as advisors, work only for your predetermined fee. We are paid no other compensation. Individual agents or brokers have to decide how to work with clients – agent or principal, commissions or fees, or both. Who will be paying and how much will be paid to the broker? It is questionable whether the broker is the right agent to make such an important pricing decision when the customer is unaware of any conflict of interest that may be present.


Fee-only advisors attempt to use the lowest-cost, most appropriate investments. This includes using no-load or no transaction-fee investments. Unfortunately, most commission-based investments have front-end or rear-end charges that can make it costly to maneuver your assets. When economic conditions change and your portfolio needs to be re-allocated, it is advantageous to be able to do so at little or no cost.


The "fee-only" structure of our firm and the advisory nature of the interactions with our investors help to foster the development of stronger relationships and better communication. We have learned that this enables us to do a better job for you.