Frequently Asked Questions

PointOak serves two primary groups: individuals and families seeking private wealth management and financial planning, and businesses responsible for employer-sponsored retirement plans.

PointOak is headquartered in McLean, Virginia and serves clients throughout the DC Metro area and nationwide, subject to applicable regulatory requirements.

Yes. The initial consultation is complimentary and is an opportunity to discuss your goals, questions, and whether our services may be a good fit.

Wealth management brings investment management and financial planning together across investments, retirement, income needs, taxes, workplace benefits, Social Security and pensions, estate considerations, and other major financial decisions.

PointOak’s wealth-management relationships vary based on the services needed, portfolio size, complexity, and overall circumstances. The complimentary initial consultation is an opportunity to discuss your goals and determine whether our services are a good fit.

PointOak is fee-only. Ongoing investment management is generally charged as an asset-based advisory fee that varies by account size and scope. Comprehensive financial planning may be included or provided through a separate engagement. Specific fees are discussed before engagement.

It depends. Depending on the plan and your circumstances, your options may include leaving assets in your former employer’s plan, moving eligible assets to a new employer’s plan, rolling assets to an IRA, or taking a distribution. Fees, investment options, services, withdrawal rules, creditor protections, tax considerations, and your broader financial strategy should all be considered before deciding.

A rollover generally moves assets between eligible retirement accounts or plans. A Roth conversion changes pre-tax retirement assets to Roth assets and generally creates taxable income in the year of conversion.

Potential opportunities can arise during lower-income years, before required minimum distributions begin, or when other planning circumstances make paying tax today worth evaluating. The analysis should also consider Medicare premiums, Social Security taxation, and other tax consequences.

A 3(21) investment fiduciary provides investment advice and recommendations, while the plan sponsor or committee retains final decision-making authority.

A 3(38) investment manager has discretionary authority over designated investment decisions within the delegated scope. The appointing fiduciary retains responsibility for prudently selecting and monitoring the manager.

3(21): PointOak recommends; the committee decides. 3(38): PointOak makes designated investment decisions under delegated authority.

Yes. PointOak can offer participants complimentary 30-minute individual consultations to discuss questions related to their retirement plan and broader retirement decisions. Depending on the engagement, topics may include contribution rates, investment allocation, pre-tax versus Roth contributions, beneficiaries, retirement readiness, and available options for eligible retirement assets. Any separate private-wealth or financial-planning relationship with PointOak is optional and subject to a separate engagement and applicable fees.

An appropriate claiming strategy depends on your income needs, health and longevity expectations, other retirement assets, household circumstances, and survivor-benefit considerations. There is no single claiming age that's right for everyone.

It depends on the terms of your pension and your broader financial circumstances. We consider income needs, survivor benefits, investment risk, liquidity, longevity, and estate objectives before evaluating the available options.

They should be considered together with the broader financial plan. Both can affect household cash flow, taxes, survivor income, and the amount needed from investments.

No. Estate attorneys prepare legal documents. PointOak coordinates financial accounts, beneficiary information, investments, and wealth-transfer considerations with your attorney and tax professionals.

Certain assets with valid beneficiary designations may pass according to those designations rather than under the terms of a will. Your attorney can advise how the applicable rules affect your situation.

Yes. We help executives evaluate equity compensation and deferred-compensation decisions within the context of taxes, diversification, investment strategy, and retirement timing.

Plan design includes eligibility, employer matching and other contributions, automatic enrollment, automatic escalation, vesting, and other provisions that determine how a plan operates.

PointOak generally recommends reviewing plan design annually and whenever significant organizational, workforce, regulatory, or plan changes occur. This is a recommended practice, not a universal legal deadline.

Yes. Available industry and peer-plan information can provide context around matching formulas, employer contributions, eligibility, vesting, and automatic features. Those comparisons inform recommendations rather than determining the design by themselves.

The Virtual Fiduciary File is a centralized way to organize documentation created through the retirement-plan governance process, including investment reviews, committee records, fee benchmarks, and provider evaluations.

No. The recordkeeper maintains participant and administrative records. The Virtual Fiduciary File focuses on the committee's governance and oversight documentation.

The record should show the information considered, alternatives evaluated, decisions made, rationale, and any follow-up responsibilities. Organized records support the process; they do not guarantee a particular regulatory or legal outcome.