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Valeo Financial Advisors Review

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This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

Ranked by SmartAsset as one of the top financial advisors in Indiana, Valeo Financial Advisors is a large fee-only advisory firm with billions in assets under management (AUM). The firm offers services such as financial planning and portfolio managment. 

Based in Carmel, Indiana, Valeo also has offices in Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota and Virginia. 

Valeo Financial Background

Valeo Financial was founded in 2003 and has been registered with the SEC since March 2006. The company is owned and managed by its members: John C. Trott, John T. Wortman, P. Richard Evans, Timothy A. Ginn and Gregory A. Fulk, who also serves as Valeo's chief compliance officer (CCO).

Valeo Financial Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

Valeo Financial advises the following types of clients:

  • Individuals
  • High-net-worth individuals
  • Estates
  • Pooled investment vehicles
  • Charitable organizations
  • Other corporations or business entities

The firm does not have a set minimum account size. 

Services Offered by Valeo Financial

Offerings from Valeo Financial include personal advisory services and institutional advisory services. The firm manages assets on both a discretionary as well as a non-discretionary basis.

In terms of personal advisory services, the firm provides individuals and their families with independent, comprehensive financial planning and investment advice (usually related to a client's business, cash flow, charitable giving, education funding, estate planning, liabilities, insurance investments, retirement and taxes). Recommendations vary from client to client.

In terms of institutional advisory services, the firm provides these to trusts, estates, charitable organizations, corporations and other business entities. Institutional advisory services are mostly related to investment management consulting, and involve helping clients with managing their investment decisions and selecting specific service providers. 

The firm may provide financial planning and related consulting services if a client requests them. Additionally, it offers pro-bono planning and investment advice services to local and regional nonprofits and their clients. 

Valeo Financial does not participate in a wrap fee program

Valeo Financial Investment Philosophy

Valeo Financial derives information for its investment reseach from various third-party sources, including but not limited to Litman/Gregory, Fidelity and Morningstar. Other sources the firm uses include financial newspapers and magazines, research materials prepared by others, corporate rating services, annual reports, prospectuses, SEC filings and company press releases. The methods by which the firm analyzes securities may include charting, fundamental, technical and cyclical. 

The main investment strategy the firm uses for client portfolios is a strategic asset allocation with tactical adjustments based on asset-class, meaning that Valeo may recommend a tactical allocation when it believes that there is opportunity to overweight or underweight a particular asset class.

Furthermore, Valeo may use one or more of the following strategies for managing assets: 

Fees Under Valeo Financial

Valeo is a fee-only financial advisor, meaning that it is compensated only through fees paid directly by clients. The firm calculates fees once a year and then bills quarterly installments in advance. All fees are negotiable, including minimum fees, when a client faces unique circumstances. With clients' consent, the firm typically deducts fees from an account of the clients' choosing. Clients may also pay by check. 

Personal Advisory Services

Personal advisory services involve a one-time setup fee equal to one full quarterly fee, plus an annual fee that is based on the client's net worth and adheres to the following fee schedule:

Net Worth Annual Fee
First $7.5MM 0.40%
Next $7.5MM 0.20%
Next $15MM 0.10%
More than $30MM 0.20%

The minimum annual fee is $7,500. The firm may offer an "Emerging Client" program to clients who have a manageable investment portfolio of less than $350,000 or other unique financial situation. This arrangement also involves a one-time project fee and no quarterly fee, among other parameters.

Here is the estimated dollar amount you'd pay in personal advisory fees based on the size of your account:

*Estimated investment management fees do not include brokerage, custodial, third-party manager or other fees, which can vary in amount.
Estimated Investment Management Fees For Personal Advisory Services at Valeo Financial Advisors*
Your Assets Valeo Financial Advisors Fee Amounts
$500K Doesn't meet the minimum fee
$1MM Doesn't meet the minimum fee
$5MM $20,000
$10MM $35,000

Institutional Advisory Services

Institutional advisory service fees also have a minimum annual amount of $7,500. More specifically, they involve a one-time setup fee equal to one full quarterly fee, plus a fee schedule based on a percentage of the investment portfolio as follows: 

Portfolio Annual Fee
First $7.5MM 0.40%
Next $7.5MM 0.20%
Next $15MM 0.10%
More than $30MM 0.20%

Here is the estimated dollar amount you'd pay in institutional advisory service fees based on the size of your account:

*Estimated investment management fees do not include brokerage, custodial, third-party manager or other fees, which can vary in amount.
Estimated Investment Management Fees For Institutional Advisory Services at Valeo Financial Advisors*
Your Assets Valeo Financial Advisors Fee Amounts
$500K Doesn't meet the minimum fee
$1MM Doesn't meet the minimum fee
$5MM $20,000
$10MM $35,000

The firm does not charge any performance-based fees.

Learn more about advisors' typical costs here.

What to Watch Out For

Within the past 10 years, Valeo Financial has not undergone any disciplinary or legal action deemed material to a client’s evaluation of its business integrity. You can view its latest Form ADV on the official website of the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). As an SEC-registered investment advisor, the firm is legally obligated to uphold its fiduciary duty and work in clients’ best interests at all times.

Opening an Account With Valeo Financial

To open an account with Valeo Financial, you can visit the firm's website or call (317) 218-6000.

All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.

Tips for Finding a Financial Advisor 

  • Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
  • Ask candidates whether they adhere to the fiduciary standard of putting clients’ interests first. Yes is the ideal answer, of course. But they may follow a lower standard of providing only suitable recommendations.

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
Most
Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research