Wilhelm Financial Services, PLLC (WFS) is a wealth management company that
provides investment advisory services as part of the wealth management process.
WFS has been in business since November 22, 2000, and is an investment adviser
registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The principal
owner of WFS is Bret Wilhelm. (see information about Bret Wilhelm below).
WFS provides three main services to its clients: portfolio management, financial
planning, and asset tracking services.
WFS’s investment advisory services are limited to nondiscretionary asset
management, creating asset allocations, helping clients evaluate and choose mutual
funds and other publicly traded securities to implement their asset allocations,
assisting them in making reasonable rate of return assumptions to use in the financial
planning process, and monitoring the performance of their asset allocations.
WFS tailors its advice to each client’s individual needs. The client may impose
restrictions on investing in certain securities or types of securities.
WFS is willing to accept a limited power to trade securities with prior consent. This
allows WFS to place trades for the client after receiving written or verbal instruction.
The client has the option of not giving WFS the limited power to trade with prior
consent. Under this circumstance, WFS will have the client verify the trade verbally
during a conference call with the custodian.
Client assets are invested primarily in mutual funds. Occasionally, WFS will directly
assist its clients in analyzing, purchasing or selling individual securities such as
stocks and bonds. The client is responsible for all final investment decisions. WFS is
solely responsible for providing its clients with advice which it feels is in their best
interest.
All clients for whom WFS manages money directly will receive quarterly reports
related to their directly managed accounts. For clients that pay an annual investment
management fee of at least $23,500, WFS offers to track the performance of all of
their financial assets with a portfolio accounting system and provide them with
quarterly net worth reports, at no additional charge.
Where WFS provides financial planning services to its clients, the plans are generally
comprehensive in nature but may be limited to specific issues. The areas covered
during this process can include but are not limited to the following: 1) cash flow
planning, 2) tax planning, 3) retirement planning, 4) college planning, 5) estate
planning, and 6) insurance benefit planning. WFS believes that it is essential that its
clients understand their financial situations to the highest degree possible. To this
end WFS is committed to educating its clients by explaining how different choices can
affect their financial lives. WFS believes that a comprehensive financial plan is the
best way to make financial decisions because it provides a context within which a
client can see how a decision affects the other areas of the client’s financial life.
WFS does not participate in any wrap fee programs.
Assets Under Management
WFS managed client assets on a non-discretionary basis of $141,741,140 as of
March 30, 2024. WFS does not have any discretionary assets under management.
Bret Wilhelm
Year of Birth: 1970
Formal Education:
• BA in Finance and Entrepreneurship from Seattle Pacific University
• Master’s in taxation from Golden Gate University Business Background:
• November 2000 – Present; Wilhelm Financial Services, PLLC;
Manager/Owner Professional Designation(s):
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM (CFP®)
Bret Wilhelm is certified for financial planning services in the United States by
Certified Financial Planner Board of Standards, Inc. (“CFP Board”). Therefore, he
may refer to himself as a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional or a
CFP® professional, and he may use these and CFP Board’s other certification marks
(the “CFP Board Certification Marks”). The CFP® certification is voluntary. No federal
or state law or regulation requires financial planners to hold the CFP® certification.
You may find more information about the CFP® certification at
www.cfp.net. CFP®
professionals have met CFP Board’s high standards for education,
examination, experience, and ethics. To become a CFP® professional, an individual
must fulfill the following requirements:
• Education – Earn a bachelor’s degree or higher from an accredited college or
university and complete CFP Board-approved coursework at a college or
university through a CFP Board Registered Program. The coursework covers
the financial planning subject areas CFP Board has determined are necessary
for the competent and professional delivery of financial planning services, as
well as a comprehensive financial plan development capstone course. A
candidate may satisfy some of the coursework requirements through other
qualifying credentials.
• Examination – Pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Examination. The
examination is designed to assess an individual’s ability to integrate and apply
a broad base of financial planning knowledge in the context of real-life financial
planning situations.
• Experience – Complete 6,000 hours of professional experience related to the
personal financial planning process, or 4,000 hours of apprenticeship
experience that meets additional requirements.
• Ethics – Satisfy the Fitness Standards for Candidates for CFP® Certification
and Former CFP® Professionals Seeking Reinstatement and agree to be
bound by CFP Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct (“Code and
Standards”), which sets forth the ethical and practice standards for CFP®
professionals.
Individuals who become certified must complete the following ongoing education and
ethics requirements to remain certified and maintain the right to continue to use the
CFP Board Certification Marks:
• Ethics – Commit to complying with CFP Board’s Code and Standards. This
includes a commitment to the CFP Board, as part of the certification, to act as
a fiduciary, and therefore, act in the best interests of the client, at all times
when providing financial advice and financial planning. CFP Board may
sanction a CFP® professional who does not abide by this commitment, but
CFP Board does not guarantee a CFP® professional's services. A client who
seeks a similar commitment should obtain a written engagement that includes
a fiduciary obligation to the client.
• Continuing Education – Complete 30 hours of continuing education every two
years to maintain competence, demonstrate specified levels of knowledge,
skills, and abilities, and keep up with developments in financial planning. Two
of the hours must address the Code and Standards.