Educating You on the
Way to a Tax-Smart
RetirementGet Started
Older man and woman in shorts and button-down shirts strolling along a beach with a large cliff in the background.Educating You on
the Way to a Tax-
Smart RetirementGet Started

Why Choose Scholar Financial?

You deserve a financial advisor who is legally obligated to put your interests first, has the academic understanding to back every recommendation, and has decades of real-world experience doing it.

At Scholar Financial, that’s exactly what you get. Ron Rhoades, JD, CFP® and Chris Brown, PhD, CFP® are both practicing university finance professors and seasoned CFP® professionals — bringing 40+ years of combined expertise to your tax-efficient, evidence-based retirement plan. And as a Fee-Only, fiduciary firm, we never earn commissions. Our focus is solely on you and your goals – always.

Fiduciary, Fee-Only Approach

We are committed to acting in your best interest at all times. We do not receive commissions and minimize conflicts of interest at all times.

Unparalleled
Expertise

As professors of finance and CFP® professionals, we bring a deep understanding of financial planning and investment management.

Personalized
Service

We take the time to get to know you and your unique circumstances. We develop customized plans tailored to your specific needs and goals.

Long-Term
Partnership

We are committed to building long-lasting relationships with our clients based on trust, transparency, and mutual respect.

Investing Based on Evidence, Not Emotion

At Scholar Financial, we believe that successful investing isn’t about speculation or chasing fleeting trends. It’s about making informed decisions based on decades of rigorous academic research and empirical evidence. We adhere to an evidence-based investing (EBI) philosophy, a disciplined approach that focuses on maximizing returns while managing risk effectively.

What is Evidence-Based Investing?

Evidence-based investing (EBI) is a departure from traditional investment approaches that rely on intuition, market timing, or individual stock picking. Instead, we leverage the vast body of knowledge from peer-reviewed academic research to guide our investment strategies. This means:

We identify and invest in factors that have been shown, through extensive research, to consistently outperform over the long term. These factors may include value, size, profitability, and momentum.

We build broadly diversified portfolios across asset classes to reduce risk and enhance returns. We don’t put all our eggs in one basket.

We determine the optimal mix of stocks, bonds, and other asset classes based on your individual risk tolerance, financial goals, and time horizon.

We regularly rebalance your portfolio to maintain your target asset allocation, ensuring that your investments stay aligned with your long-term plan and goals.

We incorporate tax considerations into every investment decision to minimize your tax burden and maximize your after-tax returns.

We recognize that emotions can lead to poor investment decisions. We help you stay disciplined and avoid common behavioral pitfalls.

Why Choose an Evidence-Based Approach?

  • Higher Expected Returns:

    By focusing on proven factors and avoiding costly mistakes, we aim to enhance your long-term returns.

  • Reduced Risk:

    Diversification and strategic asset allocation help to mitigate risk and protect your portfolio from market volatility.

  • Greater Confidence:

    Knowing that our investment due diligence is based on solid principles and strong academic evidence can give you greater peace of mind.

  • Personalized Approach:

    We tailor our investment strategies to your specific needs and goals.

Modern Portfolio Theory as a Foundation

We utilize Modern Portfolio Theory (MPT), a Nobel Prize-winning framework, as a cornerstone of our investment approach. MPT emphasizes the importance of diversification and asset allocation in constructing optimal portfolios that balance risk and return.

Let’s Discuss Your Investment Goals:

We believe that everyone deserves access to sophisticated and evidence-based investment management. We’d be happy to discuss your unique circumstances and how our investment philosophy can help you achieve your financial aspirations.

“From our very first meeting, we felt that Ron and Cathy’s priority was to provide us personalized advice based on our goals. They did this by giving us all the time we needed to talk, listening to our needs and understanding what mattered most to us. Moreover, they offered services well beyond investing, such as help with retirement planning, tax planning, estate planning, long-term health care and charitable giving. We are more than satisfied with their services.”

Dom and Donna

“As generational clients of Scholar Financial, my husband and I are very impressed with the professional service and advice given to us.   Ron has tailored this specifically to suit our situation and future needs.  He takes care to keep our future goals in mind and work to protect our finances to be able to meet our goals.”

Karen and John

“Working with Ron and Cathy has been an absolute pleasure. Their professionalism, expertise, and dedication to our financial success has been truly impressive. They took the time to understand our goals, provided clear and thoughtful guidance, and helped us create a solid financial plan for the future. We always feel confident knowing our finances are in capable hands. We highly recommend Ron and Cathy to anyone looking for a knowledgeable and trustworthy financial advisor.”

Mike and Stephanie

“We are extremely fortunate to have found Scholar Financial. Ron Rhoades is more than our financial advisor. He is a true fiduciary with integrity. Ron helped us consolidate investments with tax considerations and advised us on topics including Social Security, insurance, and life choices. He created our personal financial plan/strategy and employs proven methodologies while actively managing our investments and retirement accounts. Scholar Financial with Ron and Cathy at the helm make a great team in promoting communications. They are professional and genuinely nice people!”

Bob and Dawn

“Entering retirement, we were looking for guidance on things like tax optimization, Roth conversions, Social Security benefits, Medicare premiums and ACA subsidies, as well as an overall investment approach. We had a lot of related issues and needed a plan. Working with Chris over a 2-3 month period, typically talking on a weekly basis, was a great experience. He listened, made clear and specific recommendations, explained why, and presented options when appropriate. He was able to get into the details without too much financial-speak, and we greatly appreciated his easy-going, comfortable style.”

Rich and Allison

“The report and recommendations Chris made were thorough and, although we weren’t seeking help with tax advice specifically, he did make us aware of potential tax penalties and tax benefits related to our plan. I am fairly certain we will need more advice from Chris in the future, but he gave us a plan we felt comfortable pursuing on our own, and feel like we have a process in place that will take us safely into our retirement. If there comes a time when we decide we need more help to manage our funds, we would be very comfortable trusting Chris to manage all of our investments.”

Lynda and Dan

“I first worked with a CFP a number of years ago following my husband’s death.   That planner was great, and I learned a lot from her but when she retired, I faced having to find a new financial planner. After some searching, I found Chris Brown. I had new things to learn as I was just entering full retirement. Chris reviewed my financial status, made solid recommendations and walked me through a financial transaction that was new to me.  He’s definitely contributed to my financial peace of mind, and I plan to engage in his services on a yearly basis.”

Judy

“We were excited to find a financial advisor who was interested in educating his clients so they could make intelligent decisions about their financial future, rather than giving total control over to a firm that might not have our best interests at heart! In addition to his southern charm, Chris is reliable, razor-sharp, intensely knowledgeable and clearly cares about his clients. We would highly recommend him.”

Allan and Jo

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