Questions we hear most
FAQs
Short answers to the questions we hear most. The long answers are a conversation.
About the firm
Independent, and built around one singular focus: the success of our clients.
Why did you leave a large firm to start an independent one?
After thirty years working side by side at large firms, we wanted one singular focus: the success of our clients. As an independent firm, we have the flexibility to evaluate solutions from across the industry and recommend strategies tailored to our clients’ needs and goals.
What does independence mean for me day to day?
A broader marketplace, because we can bring you products and services, including banking and lending, from many resource partners. Planning software that shows your complete financial picture in one place, including assets held elsewhere, with a secure vault for important documents. And a team whose only agenda is your individual service needs.
How do you manage portfolios?
Our founding partner and chief investment officer directs the investing for our clients, from fixed income and equities to structured products and private strategies, tailored to each client's risk parameters, timeline and long-term objectives. Clients speak directly with the person managing their portfolio.
Your assets and access
Questar advises. Charles Schwab holds the assets.
How are my assets protected?
Client assets are custodied at Charles Schwab, one of the largest custodians in the country, with fifty years of experience and more than $8 trillion in client assets. We selected Schwab after a rigorous due-diligence process for its infrastructure, technology, service and the measures it takes to protect client assets.
Can you help with banking and lending?
Yes. As an independent team we can go to the marketplace on your behalf and compare options from local, regional and national banks: mortgages, lines of credit and other specialized lending, arranged around your wider plan.
How do I see my accounts?
Through the client login on this site and the Schwab app: your holdings, activity and statements, plus everyday services such as depositing checks.
For business owners
The sale of a business is the largest financial event in most owners' lives. These are the first questions.
What is your approach to a business owner's exit?
We compare every option honestly: private equity, a strategic buyer and an ESOP. Where an ESOP fits, we structure the transaction, assemble the investment bank, counsel and trustee, and coordinate the estate and tax plan around it. Where it does not fit, we say so.
Do I have to sell 100% of the company to an ESOP?
No. Owners commonly sell anywhere from 30% to 100%. A partial sale can be a first step, with further sales later, and you remain in control of the timing.
Do I lose control of the company?
Not necessarily. The ESOP trust owns the shares it buys but does not run the company: the board and management stay in place, and owners frequently remain as chief executive through and after the transition.
Do you only work with business owners?
No. Questar is a private wealth firm first. We advise families and individuals with significant wealth on planning, portfolio management and estate strategy; the business owner practice grew out of that work, and most owners become private wealth clients after the sale.
A question we have not answered?
Ask it directly, and a member of the team will answer.