Client educationThe truth about fee-only financial advisors: what clients should know
10 Sept 2026
Financial investments & portfolio management
A simple strategy, implemented efficiently.
We combine a clearly defined investment strategy with low-cost implementation and active support. Your portfolio is held in your own name at a bank of your choice; we manage it, we never hold it. You always know what you own, what it costs and why it is in your portfolio.
Because Helfenstein Group receives no retrocessions, the only fee you pay is the one agreed with us.
What we do for you
Asset management mandates
Discretionary management from a broadly diversified index core.
Index investments
Ongoing charges a fraction of those of actively managed funds.
Portfolio analysis
A written second opinion on the portfolio you hold today.
Your assets stay at your bank
Helfenstein Group never holds client assets. Custody remains with the bank you choose, in your name and under your control.
Regulatory challenges
Cost drag
Fees and retrocessions quietly compound against long-term returns.
Unclear strategy
Portfolios often accumulate products without a written risk budget.
FinSA suitability
Advice must match your knowledge, goals and capacity for loss.
How we help
Index-led core
Low-cost implementation with a clear strategic asset allocation.
Fee transparency
One agreed fee, paid by you. Any third-party payment we cannot avoid is credited to you in full.
Ongoing review
Active support without an incentive to churn.
Your preferred banks
Clients can hold assets at major European banks — including leading German, Dutch and Nordic institutions:
Deutsche Bank AG
Frankfurt · Germany
Commerzbank AG
Frankfurt · Germany
DZ BANK AG
Frankfurt · Germany
UniCredit Bank GmbH
München · Germany
Landesbank Baden-Württemberg
Stuttgart · Germany
ING Bank N.V.
Amsterdam · Netherlands
ABN AMRO Bank N.V.
Amsterdam · Netherlands
Coöperatieve Rabobank U.A.
Utrecht · Netherlands
Nordea Bank Abp
Helsinki · Nordics
Danske Bank A/S
Copenhagen · Nordics
Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB
Stockholm · Nordics
Swedbank AB
Stockholm · Nordics
DNB Bank ASA
Oslo · Nordics
Svenska Handelsbanken AB
Stockholm · Nordics
Assets stay in the client’s name at the chosen bank, segregated from our operating accounts. No commingling of funds.
The custodian is chosen with you; not every mandate uses every bank. Custody and transaction fees are charged by the bank, never by us. Helfenstein Asset Management AG does not hold client assets.
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General information only. Nothing on this page constitutes personalised investment, tax or legal advice. Helfenstein Group does not hold client assets; all custody stays with the bank you choose, under your control. Decisions should be based on your own circumstances and, where appropriate, on a written analysis from a qualified adviser.
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