Common Questions

NarStar LLC is a state-registered investment adviser, CRD #337496, registered in Utah and conditionally registered in Texas. You can verify the registration yourself on IARD (opens in new tab) (search by firm name or CRD number to confirm current status, registration history, and any disciplinary record). Our background, fees, and all conflicts of interest are documented in Form ADV, filed with state regulators.

Nothing changes for your existing accounts. You open a new account at Interactive Brokers (opens in new tab) and fund it with whatever amount you want managed. We only have authority over the IBKR account you specifically set up with Narstar. We cannot access, move, or trade anything held elsewhere.

Individual and joint taxable accounts, IRAs (Traditional, Roth, Rollover, SEP), trusts, custodial accounts (UGMA/UTMA), and entity accounts. All accounts must be at Interactive Brokers. Your active 401(k) at a current employer stays with the plan. A rollover IRA funded from a previous 401(k) and held at IBKR is managed normally. See the 401(k) rollover guide for the full process.

$100. That is the minimum account value at Interactive Brokers to open a managed account with Narstar. There is no minimum for subsequent contributions. The $100 floor is low by design. Most portfolios are more meaningful at larger balances, but there is no artificial barrier to getting started.

Yes. Narstar works exclusively through Interactive Brokers. You open an account at IBKR, fund it with whatever amount you want managed, and grant Narstar limited trading authority over that account. Your existing accounts at other brokerages stay exactly where they are. We have no access to them. IBKR is a publicly traded, SIPC-member brokerage with $500,000 in standard SIPC coverage plus $30 million in excess coverage. Account setup takes about 15 minutes online.

Robo-advisors build portfolios from index funds, usually based on a short questionnaire. Narstar selects individual stocks for each portfolio based on specific criteria: cash flow for Income, durable competitive advantages for Growth, and a small number of smaller-company picks for Speculative. You get a human investment adviser with fiduciary duty, not an automated system built to track the whole market. The tradeoff is cost. Robo-advisors typically charge less. Our fees are higher because the portfolios are actively managed, not indexed. See the full comparison in Robo-Advisor vs. Fee-Only Adviser.

NarStar LLC is a sole-owner, single-adviser firm. If I am incapacitated or die, trading activity stops. The succession plan documented in Form ADV covers wind-down procedures: clients are notified, advisory agreements terminate, and you retain full control of your account at Interactive Brokers. Your assets stay in your account. Nothing is automatically liquidated. You would need to choose a new adviser or manage the account yourself.

Narstar earns revenue from one source only: your advisory fee. No commissions, no product referrals, no payments from third parties. Many advisers are compensated by the products they sell or recommend. We cannot earn that way, and we do not. This removes the biggest structural conflict in financial advice. Remaining conflicts are disclosed in Form ADV.

0.60%/yr for Income, 1.20%/yr for Growth, 1.60%/yr for Speculative. Deducted quarterly directly from your account. The minimum to start is $100. No signup fee, no exit fee, no hidden charges. Interactive Brokers charges its own brokerage fees separately. Those go to them, not to us. Use the fee calculator on the homepage to see exactly what you'd pay at any balance.

No. Narstar is an investment adviser, not a tax adviser. We do not provide tax planning, prepare returns, or advise on tax strategy. When managing taxable accounts, we are mindful of the tax implications of trading decisions, but that is not the same as tax advice. For tax questions, consult a CPA or tax attorney.

The advisory fee is calculated as a percentage of your average daily net liquidation value for the quarter, as determined by Interactive Brokers. Each quarter we bill one-fourth of the annual rate. For the Growth Portfolio at 1.20% per year, that is 0.30% per quarter. On a $50,000 average daily balance, the quarterly fee is $150. The fee is debited directly from your IBKR account. You do not send a check or make a payment separately. Use the fee calculator on the homepage to see your exact cost at any balance.

Yes. Interactive Brokers charges its own commissions and fees on trades placed in your account. These go directly to IBKR, not to us. IBKR's commissions are low relative to most brokerages. We have no financial incentive to trade frequently. Our advisory fee is based on account value, not transaction volume, so there is no reason for us to churn your account.

For most individual investors in taxable accounts, investment advisory fees are not deductible under current federal tax law. The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 suspended this deduction starting in 2018, and the suspension has not been reversed as of 2026. Fees paid inside a retirement account (such as an IRA) are handled differently. Tax rules change. Consult a CPA or tax adviser for guidance specific to your situation and filing year.

Fee-only means the adviser earns compensation from client fees only. No commissions, no product payments, no referral fees. Fee-based means the adviser can earn fees from clients and also earn commissions from product sales. The difference matters because a fee-based adviser may have a financial incentive to recommend products that pay them a commission. Narstar is fee-only. See the full breakdown in fee-only vs. fee-based adviser.

At Interactive Brokers (opens in new tab), in an account in your name. IBKR is a SIPC member with $500,000 in standard coverage plus $30 million excess coverage. You can verify SIPC coverage on IBKR's site (opens in new tab). SIPC protects against brokerage failure, not market losses. Your money is invested in equities and can go up or down. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.

No. We have limited trading authority only. We can buy and sell securities inside your account, but we cannot withdraw funds or transfer them anywhere. You are the only person who can move money out of your account. This is a structural safeguard built into the custodial arrangement at Interactive Brokers, not a policy we could waive.

Yes, with no lock-up period and no exit fee. Send an email and we remove trading authority from your account. Your holdings stay at Interactive Brokers. You choose whether to keep them, liquidate, or transfer to another broker. If you leave mid-quarter, the advisory fee is prorated to your exit date.

Log in to your Interactive Brokers account directly. IBKR provides real-time positions, transaction history, and account statements. Narstar does not have a separate client portal. Your account at IBKR is yours, and all activity is visible there. You can set up email or push notifications in IBKR for any account activity.

You can request a withdrawal from your Interactive Brokers account at any time. We have no ability to block or delay it. Most withdrawals process within one to three business days depending on the method. If you need the full balance, you would typically sell holdings first, wait for settlement (usually two business days for equities), then withdraw. Contact us to terminate the advisory agreement and the fee is prorated to your exit date.

Dividends paid by stocks in your account are deposited directly into your IBKR account by the paying company. We do not automatically reinvest them. Dividends accumulate as cash until the next portfolio review, at which point they are invested in positions below their target size or held if no suitable opportunity exists. For the Income Portfolio, regular dividend deposits are a key part of how the portfolio is designed to operate. Dividend amounts are set by each company and can be reduced or eliminated at any time.

Yes. You can fund your Interactive Brokers account at any time. New cash is invested in the model portfolio at the next portfolio review, directed toward positions below their target size or new ideas. There is no minimum for subsequent contributions and no maximum. Adding funds does not change your portfolio assignment or advisory agreement.

Reach out via the contact form below, email, or phone and we'll help figure out the right fit. Generally: Income is for investors who want stocks selected for cash flow and are comfortable with equity risk. Growth is for long-term investors who won't need the money for at least five years. Speculative is for a small portion of capital you can genuinely afford to lose, not retirement savings and not money you need soon. Each portfolio page goes deeper on who it is built for and what the risks are.

Yes. All three portfolios hold stocks, which means account values can fall as well as rise. Income and Growth carry normal stock market risk. The Speculative Portfolio is more concentrated in smaller companies and can decline sharply, including 30%, 40%, or more. Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal.

Income and Growth tend to have low turnover. We buy positions we intend to hold, not trade frequently. The Speculative Portfolio may see more activity when positions are entered or exited based on changing conditions. We do not churn accounts. Our advisory fees are based on account value, not transaction volume, so there is no financial incentive to trade more than necessary.

Yes. Some clients hold multiple accounts at Interactive Brokers, each managed under a different portfolio. For example, a taxable account in Growth and an IRA in Income. Each account has its own advisory agreement and is billed separately at the applicable rate. Reach out via the contact form below to discuss how to structure multiple accounts.

The Income Portfolio holds dividend-paying stocks and preferred shares selected for cash flow. Dividends are deposited into your account when paid by the underlying companies. Fee: 0.60% per year. It carries normal stock market risk. Dividends can be cut and share prices can fall. It is not a fixed-income product and does not guarantee any level of income. See the Income Portfolio page for full details on what it holds and who it is built for.

The Growth Portfolio holds companies selected for durable competitive advantages, with the goal of long-term compounding. Positions are intended to be held for years. Fee: 1.20% per year. It is suited for investors who won't need the funds for at least five years and are comfortable with price swings, including extended periods of underperformance. See the Growth Portfolio page for full details.

The Speculative Portfolio holds a small number of positions in smaller companies. It carries significantly more risk than the other two portfolios and can decline sharply, including 30%, 40%, or more. Fee: 1.60% per year. It is not suitable for retirement savings or money you need access to. It is intended for a small portion of capital you can genuinely afford to lose. See the Speculative Portfolio page for full details.

No. These are fixed model portfolios. All clients assigned to a given portfolio hold the same positions. After you reach out, we send a short questionnaire about your goals, timeline, and how much loss you're comfortable with to find the right match, but the portfolio itself is not tailored to individual clients. Narstar does not build custom portfolios.

Individual stocks and preferred shares only. Narstar does not use index funds, ETFs, or mutual funds. Each portfolio holds companies chosen for specific reasons: cash flow for Income, durable competitive advantages for Growth, and a small number of smaller-company picks for Speculative. This is an active, opinionated approach. It costs more than an index fund portfolio and depends on whether our picks are right. If you want to buy the whole market at low cost, a robo-advisor or index fund account may be a better fit.

Narstar works well for people who want their money professionally managed and do not want to spend time on it themselves. Specifically: investors who want an actively managed equity portfolio, who understand that stocks go up and down and are not looking for guaranteed returns, and who want direct access to the person making investment decisions. If you are comfortable opening an account at Interactive Brokers and value a human making investment calls rather than an automated system, Narstar may be a fit. Use the contact form below, email, or phone to get in touch.

Narstar is probably not the right fit if you need comprehensive financial planning, budgeting help, debt advice, or insurance guidance. It is also not right if you want a portfolio built entirely around index funds (a robo-advisor would cost less), if you need your money back within the next one to two years, or if you are not comfortable with the possibility of losing principal. Being clear about fit saves time on both sides. If you are not sure, send a message and ask.

Investment management only. Narstar manages your portfolio at Interactive Brokers. We do not provide financial planning, budgeting advice, debt management, insurance analysis, estate planning, or tax planning. Those are separate disciplines. If you need a full financial plan first, a fee-only financial planner who charges by the hour and does not manage assets may be a better starting point.

Yes. Narstar is a one-person firm. I am the only investment adviser representative. There is no staff, no associates, no one to hand you off to. Every trading decision and every reply to your messages comes from me directly. This is a real difference from larger firms where your account may be managed by someone you have never spoken to. It also means the relationship depends on one person continuing to operate the business, which is disclosed as a risk in Form ADV.

Reach out using the contact form below, email, or phone. I'll send you our disclosures and a short questionnaire covering your goals, timeline, and how much loss you're comfortable with. I review your answers and reply within two business days with a recommended portfolio and any follow-up questions. If it looks like a fit, you open an account at Interactive Brokers (about 15 minutes online), fund it with whatever amount you want managed, and grant Narstar limited trading authority. We take it from there. No lock-up, no contract, stop anytime.

We do not try to time the market or shift to cash in anticipation of declines. Our approach is to hold positions through volatility unless the underlying business case for a company has changed. Selling in a panic is how investors lock in losses and miss recoveries. For the Income and Growth portfolios, short-term price drops do not change why we own a company. For the Speculative Portfolio, sharp declines are expected and should be planned for from the start. If market volatility causes you serious anxiety, that is worth discussing before you invest, not after.