Straight Talk. Real Plans.
A fee-only fiduciary firm built around one retirement system, with its sourcing visible.
An independent firm
Benowitz Wealth Management is an independent firm: no parent company, no broker-dealer behind us, and no products of our own to sell you. It is a trade name of Joy Financial Group LLC, a fee-only investment adviser registered with the State of Florida, CRD 331545. Derrick Johnson is its Chief Executive Officer.
We also run a second trade name, Ducat Private Wealth, for a different group of clients. Same registration, same compliance program, same duty to put you first.
Your money is held at Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., not by us. You open the account. You can see it any time.
How we begin
Every plan starts with one question: what does your retirement actually need to do? Not what is typical, not what worked for someone else: what it needs to do for your household, your FRS benefit and your timeline.
So we begin by listening. A first meeting is not a product menu and not a pitch. It is time spent on where you are, the decisions coming at you, and what you are trying to work out.
Education stays free and separate. Seminars and webinars cost nothing, sell nothing, and put you under no obligation.
What you can expect
Plain English. We explain your options before we recommend anything. You will understand what you are deciding and why.
Real answers. Questions get answered, not routed into a voicemail loop.
The FRS, in depth. One retirement system studied closely, rather than generic planning applied to a pension.
Facts you can check. What we tell you about the FRS traces back to the statute, the rule, or the Division of Retirement form it came from.
No fear and no rankings. We will not sell you on pension solvency, and we will not tell you one DROP date or payout option beats another without knowing your household.
How we are paid
Our only compensation is the fee our clients pay us directly. Nothing from anyone else: no commissions, no revenue sharing, no referral fees, no finder's fees. Not from a fund company, not from a custodian, not from an insurance carrier, not from anyone who sends us a client.
That is what fee-only means. It is a description of where the money comes from, not a description of how we feel about clients.
It also means there is no product we earn more by recommending, because there is no product. The fee schedule and every conflict of interest we have are in our Form ADV Part 2A. Read it before you talk to us, not after.
A careful process by design.
We’re deliberately slow at the start. Most relationships begin with a conversation about what you already have and what you actually want, not a presentation about us.
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Introduction
A short conversation to see whether we’re a fit and what you’re hoping to figure out.
What to expect- A phone or video call, whichever you prefer
- Your questions first; ours second
- No paperwork, no account details
The first conversation is always free. It commits to nothing. It just starts with listening.
Schedule the first conversation -
Discovery
We look at your FRS benefit statement, your accounts, and your real questions, together.
Good to have on hand- Your most recent FRS benefit information
- Statements for any 457(b), 403(b), IRA, or Roth accounts
- Your spouse, if the decisions affect you both
Do I need to bring a giant folder to our first meeting? Probably not.
See what to bring -
Review
A clear written summary of what you have, what your options look like, and what we’d suggest exploring next.
What you receive- What you have, in one place
- The options actually on the table, side by side
- What we’d suggest exploring next, and why
We don’t have a preferred answer. We model both and let the numbers make the case.
How we work -
Ongoing
If we work together, we revisit the plan as your career, family, and the FRS rules evolve.
How it continues- Quarterly check-ins, more often when a deadline is near
- Revisited as your career, family, and the FRS rules change
- Leaving something exactly where it is, when that is the right call
Sometimes good advice means leaving something exactly where it is.
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