Vintage Financial Partners

Looking for a Financial Advisor?

Whether it's your first time hiring one or your first time doing it alone, the hardest part is knowing where to start. Start with a conversation.

Schedule a conversation → No cost. No obligation. About an hour.

Before we go any further

You don't need an impressive reason to be here.

Most people who reach out to us have been thinking about it for a while — months, sometimes years — before they actually do it. They worry the question they want to ask is too basic, or that they should already know the answer.

They shouldn't, and they don't have to. Nobody is born knowing this. Whatever brought you to this page is reason enough.

What brought you here

This may sound like you.

You've never hired an advisor before, and it's intimidating.

You've built something designed to protect, but the whole industry feels like it's speaking a language you were never taught. You're not sure what to ask, what's normal to pay, or how to tell a good advisor from a good salesperson. Asking those questions out loud feels like admitting you should already know.

You shouldn't already know. Bring the questions.

Someone else always handled it. Now it's you.

A spouse, a partner, a parent — they managed the money, and now, through loss, illness, or divorce, the responsibility has landed with you. On top of everything else you're carrying, you're being asked to make decisions you never made before, often on someone else's timeline.

We'll go at yours. No jargon, no rush, and no question is too small.

If you're facing this right now, start with our Survivor's Checklist.

Something changed, and the stakes got real.

Retirement is close enough to see. An inheritance arrived. The job changed. Your company stock is worth more than you ever imagined. Someone offered to buy your business for a number you didn't expect to hear.

What worked when the decisions were small doesn't feel safe now that they're not — and the cost of getting it wrong finally outweighs the discomfort of asking for help.

You've done it yourself, and you want a second set of eyes.

You've managed your own money for years and you've done well. But you'd like a real plan instead of a collection of accounts — and you've started to wonder what would happen to all of it if something happened to you.

How to choose

What to look for in an advisor — even if it isn't us.

If you only take one thing from this page, take this. These are the questions worth asking anyone you talk to.

Are they a CFP® professional?

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification requires coursework, examination, experience, and a commitment to ethical standards. It's a meaningful floor, and not everyone calling themselves an advisor clears it.

How are they paid?

Ask directly, and ask for it in writing. An advisor who is uncomfortable with that question has told you something important.

Will they act in your interest?

Ask whether they are held to a fiduciary standard of care in the advice they give you, and in what capacity.

Will you actually hear from them?

The single most common complaint we hear about a previous advisor is silence. Ask exactly how often you'll meet, who you call, and how fast they call back.

The CFP Board publishes a good list you can take into any meeting, including ours: 10 Questions to Ask Your Financial Advisor.

No surprises

How we work at Vintage.

We're a fee-based advisory firm. We'll walk you through exactly how we're compensated before you decide anything — in plain language, on paper.

If you want the plan first, you can buy just the plan. One-time financial planning engagements start at $2,500, with the fee depending on the complexity of your situation and your net worth. You are not required to move a single account to work with us on it.

You do not need to be wealthy to start. Many of the families we serve have $1 million or more invested with us, and some considerably more — but we also work with people who are still building, and we're glad to.

Our team

Who you'd be talking to.

You'd be sitting down with the people who would actually be working with you — not a screener who hands you off to someone new afterward. Every one of them is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professional.

Brian Oettinger, CFP, CIMA — Managing Partner and Financial Advisor at Vintage Financial Partners

Brian Oettinger, CFP®, CIMA® Managing Partner
Financial Advisor

Jordan Kraus, CFP, CEPA — Equity Partner and Financial Advisor at Vintage Financial Partners

Jordan Kraus, CFP®, CEPA® Equity Partner
Financial Advisor

Jason Cohen, CFP, CIMA — Equity Partner and Financial Advisor at Vintage Financial Partners

Jason Cohen, CFP®, CIMA® Equity Partner
Financial Advisor

Daniel Ronis, CFP® Financial Advisor

Jordan, Jason, and Brian first worked together in a community bank in the DC metro area in the early 2000s. Vintage has been their own firm since 2016.

What to expect

What the first conversation actually is.

1

About an hour, by Zoom or phone.

Easiest to schedule, and easiest to fit into a normal week. Prefer to meet in person in Ashburn or Rockville? Call us at 240-283-7879 and we'll set it up.

2

Mostly you talking.

What you have, what you're worried about, what you want the next chapter to look like. Bring statements if you have them handy. If you don't, come anyway.

3

No cost, and no obligation.

It's a conversation, not a pitch. At the end, we'll tell you honestly whether we think we can help — and if we're not the right fit, we'll say so.

Schedule a conversation →

Before you call

Questions people ask us first.

How do I know if I even have enough to need an advisor?

It's less about the balance than about the decisions in front of you. If you're weighing retirement timing, a windfall, a business sale, or simply whether you're on track, that's enough to have a conversation about.

What will it cost me?

The first conversation costs nothing. From there, we're a fee-based advisory firm, and one-time planning engagements start at $2,500 depending on complexity. You'll see the number before you commit to anything.

Do I have to move my accounts?

Not to talk to us, and not to have us build you a plan. Some people engage us for planning alone.

I'm embarrassed by how little I know about this. Is that a problem?

No. It is the single most common thing people tell us in a first meeting, and it has never once changed how we treat someone.

Where are you located?

We have offices in Ashburn, Virginia and Rockville, Maryland, and we serve families throughout the Mid-Atlantic. We also work with clients by video and phone.

Can we meet in person the first time?

Yes. First conversations are usually by Zoom or phone simply because they're easier to schedule — but if you'd rather sit down with us in Ashburn or Rockville, call the office at 240-283-7879 and we'll arrange it.

Get started

The hardest part is the first conversation. Let's get it behind you.

An hour, no cost, no pressure. You'll leave knowing more than you did — whether or not you ever work with us.

Schedule a conversation →

60 minutes · Zoom or phone · No cost
Prefer to meet in person in Ashburn or Rockville, or just want to talk to a human first? Call 240-283-7879.