Fee-based management programs are quickly catching on as the most effective way to serve the client's long-term interests. Fee-based management differs from commission-based management in that clients don't pay an up-front fee to the managers for the investments purchased on their behalf. Instead clients are charged a small percentage each quarter based on the value of the assets held under management.

Warranted or not the perception is that traditional commission-based management programs utilize investments that provide the managers with the highest commissions, and not necessarily the best products for the client. Fee-based management programs, on the other hand, have a reputation for ensuring that clients receive the best products available without regard to an initial up-front payout.

NorthBrook is a fee-based management firm. The portfolios it develops on behalf of its clients are comprised of investments that do not generate commissions. Our managers are compensated each quarter based on a fee schedule that assesses the value and complexity of each account. Those fees act as a true incentive and help promote the value added relationship that underscores NorthBrook's commitment to the achievement of client objectives.