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Buckingham Strategic Wealth 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.

One thing that sets Buckingham Strategic Wealth apart is its big advisor team. This fee-only financial advisor firm employs hundreds of financial advisors. These advisors work out of the firm’s offices located across the U.S. Headquartered in St. Louis, the firm is on SmartAsset's top financial advisor lists for St. LouisMissouri and the United States.

Buckingham serves mostly individual investors. Buckingham’s premier service, Practice Integrated Wealth Management, provides holistic financial planning services alongside the firm’s other advisory services.

Buckingham Strategic Wealth Background

Buckingham Strategic Wealth was established in 1994. The firm is solely owned by financial services holding company, Focus Financial Partners, LLC. Focus Financial is a massive, publicly traded company that owns many advisory firms like Buckingham throughout the country. 

Buckingham’s staff of financial advisors has a number of different certifications. The firm’s team includes certified financial planners (CFPs), certified public accountants (CPAs), chartered financial analysts (CFAs) and chartered alternative investment analysts (CAIAs).

Buckingham Strategic Wealth Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

Buckingham Strategic Wealth works with thousands of individual investors, both with and without a high net worth. The rest of the firm’s client base consists of businesses, pension plans, profit-sharing plans and charitable organizations.

Buckingham Strategic Wealth does not have a minimum account size requirement, though there is a $3,000 minimum annual fee for wealth management services. Clients with less and $300,000 in asset face a minimum monthly fee of $250.

Services Offered by Buckingham Strategic Wealth

Buckingham Strategic Wealth offers a complete set of advisory services, including:

  • Net worth development
  • Retirement planning
  • Estate and trust planning
  • Investment planning
  • Businness owner planning
  • Tax planning
  • Education planning
  • Chartiable giving
  • Health and insurance planning

Buckingham Strategic Wealth Investment Philosophy

Buckingham Strategic Wealth utilizes a long-term, evidence-based investment approach that is founded on past and current market research. It firmly believes that attempting to beat the market is difficult and costly. Therefore, Buckingham largely avoids short-term investing, which tries to take advantage of quick shifts in the market.

Buckingham primarily uses mutual funds, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and bonds in client portfolios. While bonds are individual investments, mutual funds and ETFs combine multiple investments into a single, inherently diversified fund. Buckingham typically selects mutual funds and ETFs that include fixed income securities, commodity futures, real estate investment trusts (REITs) and alternative investments.

Fees Under Buckingham Strategic Wealth

Unlike some financial advisor firms, Buckingham Strategic Wealth has multiple fee schedules, depending on which service you use. The firm charges fees in three distinct ways: annually, monthly and hourly. Annual fees, which are based on a percentage of assets under management, are charged in advance and are divided into four equal fees charged each quarter. Monthly fixed fees and hourly fees are charged in advance every month.

Fees at Buckingham Strategic Wealth
Service Type Fee Rates
General advisory services 0.35% - 1.25% annual fee
Practice Integrated Wealth Management/Financial planning $150 - $825 monthly fee
Employee benefit retirement plan services 0.20% - 1.00% annual fee
Tax planning and related services $200 - $350 hourly fee

You can pay the above fees either through a direct withdrawal from your account, or you can choose to receive monthly fee statements. If you want to take the direct withdrawal route, you must provide written authorization.

What to Watch Out For

Buckingham Strategic Wealth reported no disclosures of legal or regulatory action in its latest Form ADV.

Opening an Account With Buckingham Strategic Wealth

On Buckingham Strategic Wealth’s website, you’ll find an interactive map that allows you to virtually visit each branch of the firm. There you’ll get an overview of the branch’s specialties and team members, as well as the office’s contact information. If you aren’t sure where to start, though, feel free to email or call the firm at (314) 725-0455.

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

Tips to Plan for Your Retirement

  • It's been said that a goal without a plan is only a dream. For help making a concrete plan so you can achieve your retirement goal, consider consulting a financial advisorSmartAsset's free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
  • The best way to figure out how much you’ll need to save for retirement is to determine what your income requirements may be when you reach your golden years. Our retirement calculator can help you do this.

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