Washington DC – Rebalance, a leading pro-consumer investment firm dedicated to helping everyday Americans do a better job of managing their retirement investment, today is offering a simple, efficient and proven solution to a long-standing problem. Too often, retirement savers are not given straight-forward facts from their financial advisors about their retirement investments and the associated fees. That is why, as a public service, Rebalance offers this exclusive “Dear Advisor” letter to all Americans, empowering individuals with the tool that they need to make better-informed investment decisions.

On an annual basis, the financial industry generates over $17 billion in excessive investment fees and commissions from Americans saving for retirement. For the average individual, this could mean losing anywhere from 30% to 50% of their total retirement nest egg – an unfathomable figure.

The “Dear Advisor” letter was crafted by Rebalance, and tested extensively over the past year, to arm consumers, in writing, with the necessary questions to ask their financial advisor. There is no fee or consultation required to download the “Dear Advisor,” letter. Simply visit the website, send this letter to your financial advisor, and find out if the trust that you have placed with your advisor is valid. A short, explanatory video also is available to guide consumers through this simple and effect process.

“All-too-common hidden retirement investment fees represent a corrosive and unfair form of taxation to the consumer that, over time, eats away at their retirement savings” said Scott Puritz, Managing Director at Rebalance. ”Every American has the right to become an informed consumer, discover hidden fees, and get all of the information that they need in plain English. This “Dear Advisor” letter makes it easy for anyone to diplomatically ask their financial advisor how much they are actually paying for their retirement.”

The “Dear Advisor” letter is a fully-vetted consumer tool designed to determine if the financial advisor is held to a fiduciary standard; the total percentage of fees that the advisor is charging to manage a portfolio; and if the advisor has any potential conflicts of interest. The “Dear Advisor,” letter is simple and cordial in nature, and – when distributed via printed letter or e-mail – has proven to consistently solicit comprehensive answers and fully informed retirement savers.

About Rebalance
Rebalance is one of America’s leading investment firms that is at the forefront of providing consumers with a fundamentally different and better set of retirement investment options: lower costs, “endowment-quality” globally-diversified retirement investment portfolios, and systematic rebalancing. This investment approach is combined with a team of sophisticated and highly credentialed finance professionals who provide advice that is unbiased and focuses on the client’s long-term retirement investment goals.

The Firm’s Investment Committee is anchored by three of the most respected experts in the finance world: Princeton Economics Professor Burton Malkiel, author of the classic investment book, A Random Walk Down Wall Street; Dr. Charles Ellis, the former longtime chairman of the Yale University Endowment; and Jay Vivian, the former Managing Director of IBM’s $100+ billion in retirement investment funds for more than 300,000 employees worldwide.

Rebalance‘s innovative, pro-consumer approach to retirement investing has garnered high profile coverage. The Firm, and its leadership, regularly have been featured in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Fox, PBS, Forbes, USA Today, CNBC, Nightly Business Review, CBS, The Washington Post, The Economist, and a wide range of other national and local media. Managing Directors Scott Puritz and Mitchell Tuchman are acknowledged industry thought leaders, and Mr. Puritz recently testified before a U.S. Senate Committee evaluating the U.S. Department of Labor’s new fiduciary rule.

Rebalance is headquartered in Palo Alto, CA. and Bethesda, MD., and currently manages more than $440 million of client assets.