Menu burger Close thin Facebook Twitter Google plus Linked in Reddit Email arrow-right-sm arrow-right
Loading
Tap on the profile icon to edit
your financial details.

McAdam Review

Your Details Done
by Updated

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.

McAdam, LLC is a Philadelphia-based financial advisor firm. In fact, it's on SmartAsset's lists of the top financial advisors in Philadelphia and top financial advisors in Pennsylvania. In addition, Inc. 5000 named the firm as one of its fastest-growing companies in the U.S. for 2020.

In total, this financial advisor firm has hundreds of millions in client assets under management (AUM) and offers a variety of advisory services, which include financial planning, consulting and investment management services.

It is a fee-based firm that works with non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals, as well as retirement plans, charities and businesses.

McAdam Background

Michael McAdam founded McAdam in 2014 after spending several years as an advisor and field vice president at Ameriprise Financial. The firm started out as a traditional broker-dealer, and it acquired registered investment advisor (RIA) status later on. It is wholly owned by Michael McAdam, who's still the firm's CEO.

The senior leadership at McAdam includes two certified financial planners (CFPs). Some members of its advisory team also hold certifications, including certified financial planners (CFPs), chartered financial analysts (CFAs) and chartered retirement planning counselors (CRPCs).

McAdam Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

McAdam works with a range of individuals without a high net worth, high-net-worth individuals, pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, and corporations and other business entities.

McAdam doesn’t impose a minimum account value or a minimum fee. However, if the firm decides that some portion of your assets should be invested with an independent investment manager, these managers may call for a minimum.

Services Offered by McAdam

McAdam offers financial planning services covering a wide range of topics, in addition to standard consulting and investment management services. Services include, but are not limited to:

  • Investment management services
  • Consulting services
  • Financial planning services
    • Business planning
    • Cash flow forecasting
    • Trust and estate planning
    • Retirement planning
    • Risk management
    • Insurance planning
    • Charitable giving planning
    • Tax planning

McAdam Investment Philosophy

When it comes to investment advice, McAdam tailors its services to the specific needs of each client. Advisors consult with clients at the outset of their relationship to gain an understanding of risk tolerance, time horizon and other factors that may impact the clients’ investment needs. As your investment characteristics change over time, your advisor will re-evaluate your portfolio's construction.

The firm invests primarily in a blend of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), as well as some limited investments in individual stocks and bonds.

When analyzing securities, the firm will typically arrive at a valuation through fundamental analysis, which involves looking at a company's balance sheets and key financial metrics, as well as management and past performance.

Fees Under McAdam

The investment management services at McAdam come with a negotiable fee schedule. These fees are charged in advance, based on the market value of the assets being managed by McAdam on the last day of the previous billing period. However, specific fees range up to 2.50% and are determined by individual factors such as total AUM, the scope of services and future earning capacity.

For financial planning and consulting clients, McAdam generally charges a fixed fee or a fee based upon the net worth or assets held by the client (even if not managed by McAdam). These fees are negotiable and could change from client to client depending upon the scope and complexity of the services. Fixed-fee rates range from $500 to $25,000, while net worth and asset-based fees could be up to 2.00%.

What to Watch Out For

McAdam has no legal or regulatory disclosures listed on its SEC-filed Form ADV.

As a fee-based firm, certain advisors at McAdam are also registered broker-dealers or insurance agents. In turn, they can earn commissions via certain security and insurance product transactions. This could potentially cause a conflict of interest. However, all McAdam advisors are obligated to act in their clients’ best interests at all times, as they are legally bound by fiduciary duty.

Opening an Account With McAdam

If you're interested in working with McAdam, you can get in touch in a number of ways. You can either call the firm's headquarters at (888) 614-5323, or you can email consultation@mcadamfa.com. If you prefer to do things in person, you can also stop by one of the firm’s offices.

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

Tips for Finding a Financial Advisor

  • Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’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.
  • It can be tough to know how much to save for retirement without knowing what your future expenses might be. Our retirement calculator can help you determine how much you’ll need to save depending on where you want to retire when you want to retire and other important factors.

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