“It was a hard thing to do, but it was the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done,” said John Frisch, president of Alliant Wealth Advisors, based in Prince William, Virginia.

Frisch is speaking of his work with 13 local families whose loved ones were victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He helped family members file claims with the September 11 Victims Compensation Fund (VCF) by appearing with them in front of the VCF board to state each case and justify why a victim was worth a particular amount of compensation. “It was gut-wrenching – you are trying to put a value on somebody’s life,” he reflected.

When the Financial Planning Association learned of Frisch’s pro bono work, they asked him to educate other association members who wanted to help victims’ families in New York, which he gladly did.

Frisch has also been helping families find financial peace of mind in other ways since 1995, through Alliant Wealth Advisors' wealth management services. Generally, their clients have assets of $1,000,000 or more that can be safely invested. “If it is a simple family situation, our model might be overkill for them,” said Frisch, explaining that typical clients are business owners, rental property owners or families with complex estate plans.

The firm serves corporate America, too, by delivering The Alliant Wealth Advisors 401(k) Solution. “Just like we do on the family wealth side, we offer a very high level of service to our corporate clients. We want to make sure that they are utilizing 401(k) plan best practices, and that they are offering solutions to help their employees reach a comfortable retirement – while also mitigating their risk as a fiduciary to the plan participants,” said Frisch.

Many plan sponsors are not familiar with 401(k) rules, regulations and fee structures. Alliant Wealth Advisors helps them to understand the current status and what changes are necessary for compliance. They also help to optimize plans to benefit employees.

When Frisch, who is a CPA and a Certified Financial Planner®, first started in the industry, it was unusual for a client to ask about fees. He noted that today, it is very common for prospective customers to ask how he is paid. “There has been an education process, mainly through the media, and most families know that they should be aware of what the fees are and how their advisor is compensated,” said Frisch.

Corporations are insisting on additional transparency, too. “Plan sponsors are starting to become aware that there are a lot of hidden fees in the retirement plans that their advisors are managing,” said Frisch. “That was driven by rule changes implemented by the Department of Labor in 2012 requiring service providers to disclose what the fees were. For the most part, the sponsors didn’t know – and it was a real eye opener for them.”  

Honorable service to others is still never far from his mind. Frisch has served continuously as a docent at the National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in Arlington since 2009, when the program began.

For more information, visit: www.alliantwealthadvisors.com