Eckel Financial Advisors

Eckel Financial Advisors provides discretionary portfolio management primarily to individual investors, their individual trusts, pension plans, and family investment entities, tailoring advice to each client’s age, income, net worth, risk tolerance, and stated objectives. The firm manages taxable and tax‑deferred accounts and discloses that it will accept some client restrictions and specific security recommendations when agreed in writing.

The firm sets strategic allocations among equities, fixed income, commodities, and cash using fundamental, economic, and technical analysis, and seeks to limit individual security risk through position sizing and use of diversified ETFs. It describes specific risk‑management techniques—tax‑aware management of taxable accounts, limiting bond maturities, holding floating‑rate securities, and minimizing turnover to control transaction costs and tax consequences.

A distinctive operational feature is that EFA permits borrowing activity in client accounts, including margin transactions and option writing, and explains the attendant risks to clients in its brochure. The firm also discloses a formal solicitor/referral arrangement and receipt of economic benefits from its custodian (Fidelity’s institutional services), which it identifies as potential conflicts of interest; together with a small client base and two advisors managing about $27.8 million, this creates an atypical combination of personalized service, custody economics, and willingness to use leverage.