Regulatory
Sharkey, Howes & Javer is a RIA (Registered Investment Advisory) firm which is registered with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission). As a RIA, SHJ cannot accept commissions for products sold unlike some other financial planners that may represent a broker dealer and are paid commissions for products sold to clients.
Sharkey, Howes & Javer has seven CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM professionals on staff that are professionally trained and dedicated to providing clients with objective and unbiased advice. Many people assume that all financial planners are "certified," but this isn’t true. Anyone can call himself or herself a "financial planner." Only those who have fulfilled the certification and renewal requirements of CFP Board can display the CFP® certification marks. The planners at Sharkey, Howes and Javer have earned their CFP® certification so you may feel confident that the SHJ planner you work with is competent and ethical.
CFP®, CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM and 
are certification marks owned by CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM Board of Standards Inc. (CFP Board), which can help you identify financial planners who are committed to competent and ethical behavior when providing financial planning. Individuals certified by CFP® Board have taken the extra step to demonstrate their professionalism by voluntarily submitting to the rigorous CFP® certification process that includes demanding education, examination, experience and ethical requirements. These standards are called “the four Es,” and they are four important reasons why the financial planning practitioner you select should display the CFP® certification marks.
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Sharkey, Howes and Javer CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERTM and member of NAPFA (National Association of Professional Financial Advisors). NAPFA-Registered Financial Advisors have demonstrated their ability to provide sophisticated, comprehensive financial planning services. Specific requirements include:
- Fee-only compensation with all clients
- Advanced broad-based financial planning education
- Significant professional experience
- Peer review of a comprehensive plan
- Compliance with Registered Investment Advisor regulations
- Extensive continuing education requirements
The greater the advisor’s dependence on commission income, the greater the conflict. NAPFA believes there is significant conflict of interest if an advisor stands to gain financially from any recommendations you may follow.
Examples of conflicts of interest between a planner and a client include:
- Commissioned-based individuals working for broker/dealers and insurance agencies.
- Planners compensated by commissions on products that they recommend or sell.
- Fee-based of Fee-offset arrangements that allow a planner to earn both fees and commissions.
Fee-Only planners are compensated solely from fees paid by their clients and do not accept commissions or compensation from other sources. NAPFA members are independent and have their own methods of determining fees including:
- Flat fee or retainer
- An hourly fee
- A percentage of assets under management
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Fee Schedule
Fee Schedule - Sharkey, Howes & Javer charges a fee based on the client’s assets under management.
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Brochure (ADV)
Brocure (ADV) - Sharkey, Howes & Javer is required by the SEC to provide all prospective clients with a form ADVII which clearly defines the services, the fees charged for the services and the investment strategy that the firm follows.
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As a firm and as individual financial advisors, Sharkey, Howes & Javer has a stellar record of adherence to all rules, regulations and codes of ethics imposed on our profession by the CFP Board, NAPFA, SEC and the NASD.
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The confidentiality of our clients, past and present, is of paramount concern to us and is one of the hallmarks of our firm. Like all providers of personal financial services, we are now required by law to inform our clients of our policies regarding privacy of client information. We have been, and continue to be, bound by professional standards of confidentiality that are even more stringent than those required by law. Therefore, we have always protected your right to privacy.
We request personal information from our clients in order to perform our duties as CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERSTM and Investment Managers, to make recommendations and decisions that are in the best interest of our clients.
For current and former clients, we do not disclose any non-public personal information obtained in the course of business, except as required or permitted by law. Permitted disclosures include, for instance, providing information to our employees and, in limited situations, to unrelated third parties who need to know that information to assist in providing services to you. In all such situations, we stress the confidential nature of the information being shared.
We frequently recommend that a client contact an attorney, CPA, or financial institution. At the request of our clients, we may provide relevant information to these entities.
We utilize an Independent Custodian for maintenance of our clients’ investment management accounts. We assist our clients in opening Institutional accounts in their names, with Sharkey, Howes & Javer, receiving duplicate statements or other information. Each custodian has its own privacy policy, which they will disclose to you in a separate notice.
We retain records relating to professional services that we provide so that we are better able to assist you with your professional needs and, in some cases, to comply with professional guidelines. In order to guard your non-public personal information we maintain physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards that comply with our professional standards.
Our internet email is not encrypted, and therefore, not secure.
All employees and those providing services to our firm pledge to respect our clients’ privacy and maintain the confidentiality of our clients’ information. This is a requirement of our code of ethics and is a mission we always have and will continue to take very seriously.
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The confidentiality of our clients and visitors to our web site is of paramount concern to us and is one of the hallmarks of our firm. We have been, and continue to be, bound by professional standards of confidentiality that are even more stringent than those required by law.
Information Collection, Use, and Sharing
SHJ is the sole owners and users of any information that might be collected on this site. We only have access to information that you voluntarily give us via email or other direct contact from you. We will not sell or rent or transmit this information to anyone for any reason. We do not partner with or have special relationships with any ad server, marketing or any other individual or organization. We will use your information to respond to you, regarding the reason you contacted us only. We will not share your information with any third party.
Your Access to and Control Over Information
We may at some point contact you via e-mail to announce changes to this privacy policy or to announce information that we believe may be useful to you and useful in improving our service to you. You may opt out of any future contacts from us at any time. You can do the following at any time by contacting (link to contact page for link to e-mail, address and phone number).
We invite you, at anytime, to:
- See what data we have about you, if any.
- Change/correct any data we have about you, if any.
- Have us delete any data we have about you.
- Express any concern you have about our use of your data.
Email Security
Our internet e-mail is not encrypted, and therefore, not secure. Please do not e-mail your non-public private information to us because it could be compromised.
Cookies
SHJ may use “cookies” on our web site. Cookies are small pieces of information a website stores on a visitor’s web browser to remind the site about the user the next time the site is visited. We do not store confidential or sensitive information through the use of cookies. Our use of cookies will strictly be for improving navigation and the experience of visits to our web site.
Third Party Sites Disclosure
By selecting links to third party sites, you will leave SHJ’s web site and enter a web site hosted by an organization separate from SHJ. We encourage you to read and evaluate the privacy policy of any site you visit when you enter the site. While we strive to only link you to companies and organizations that we feel offer useful information, SHJ does not support nor guarantee claims made by these sites. If you are dissatisfied with a link to a third party site, please contact SHJ.
Calculators, Articles, and Newsletters
The Calculators, Articles and Newsletters sections are intended only as informational and educational material and should not be regarded as financial or tax advice. SHJ makes no warranties whatsoever in relation to the content and users rely upon it at their own risk.
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If you feel that we are not abiding by this privacy policy, contact us immediately.