Heard us on Dollars & Sense? This is the portfolio analysis the team has been offering live on the air - same team, same analysis, zero cost.
Free Investment Portfolio Review
Find Out Exactly What You're Paying in Fees - and Whether Your Portfolio Is More Concentrated Than You Think
Most investors assume they're well-diversified. The Morningstar X-Ray - a tool the Nelson Financial Planning team has used with clients for decades - often tells a very different story.
In a single analysis, the team will show you what's actually underneath your portfolio: the hidden fees eating into returns, the overlapping holdings creating quiet concentration risk, and whether investments are truly working as hard as they should be.
Fiduciary advisors - legally required to act in your best interest
Joel Garris, CFP - 25+ years retirement planning
Nelson Financial Planning - serving Central Florida since 1984
Dollars & Sense — Top 25 financial planning podcast
Four Things Most Investors Have Never Seen About Their Own Portfolio
The Morningstar X-Ray does not just look at account balances. It looks inside every fund, ETF, and index you own - and aggregates everything into a clear picture of what you're actually holding. Here's what the analysis shows.
01
Your True Sector Concentration
Most investors own several funds they believe provide diversification. But the Morningstar X-Ray often reveals that two, three, or five different funds are all holding the same underlying stocks — particularly in the technology sector. A portfolio can look well-distributed across account types and still be 40% or more weighted in a single sector without the investor ever realizing it.
DATA POINT
The S&P 500's top 10 holdings now represent approximately 37% of the entire index — compared to a historical average closer to 25%. Index funds sold as diversification may be delivering something very different.
02
Your Top 10 Holdings in Aggregate
Across all funds, ETFs, and retirement accounts, what are the top 10 individual stocks actually held? If that group represents more than 15% of the total portfolio, the concentration is higher than most investors expect. The Nelson team regularly sees portfolios where the top 10 holdings account for 30%, 40%, or more of the total - which means any significant move in a handful of companies can have an outsized impact on everything.
DATA POINT
Portfolio concentration above 15% in the top 10 holdings creates elevated sensitivity to market volatility in those specific companies - regardless of how many funds are held overall.
03
Your All-In-Fees
There are typically two layers of fees in any investment portfolio: the cost paid to an advisor or broker, and the underlying expense ratio charged inside each fund. Most investors only see one of those numbers. The Morningstar X-Ray surfaces both, combined into a true all-in cost. This matters because fees reduce returns on a dollar-for-dollar basis, compounded over decades.
DATA POINT
Morningstar's Mind the Gap 2024 study found that the average investor captures only about 77 cents for every dollar their fund earns. The gap is caused primarily by behavior - but fees accelerate it.
04
Performance vs. Benchmark
How has the portfolio actually performed compared to what it should have returned? The S&P 500 gained 24% in a recent year. The average IRA was up only 14% in the same period. Larger IRA accounts averaged just 6% - the opposite of what most people expect. The Morningstar X-Ray provides real performance data against relevant benchmarks, giving investors an honest baseline for evaluating whether their strategy is actually working.
DATA POINT
S&P 500 up 24%. Average IRA up 14%. Large IRA accounts up just 6%. This gap - discussed frequently on the Dollars & Sense podcast - is one of the reasons the team runs this analysis before any planning conversation.
$0.77
Average investor earnings per $1 their fund returns
Morningstar Mind the Gap 2024
37%
S&P 500 top 10 holdings share vs. ~25% historically
S&P Global - Dollars & Sense podcast
40+
Years serving Central Florida families - since Jack Nelson founded the firm in 1984
Nelson Financial Planning - Founded 1984
The Concentration Problem Most Investors Don't Know They Have
On Dollars & Sense, the Nelson team has covered this topic at length - because it shows up in client portfolios every single week.
The issue is not that investors are careless. It is that the financial industry has moved heavily toward ETFs and index funds - products sold as diversification - without clearly explaining that the market itself has become far more concentrated than it used to be. The result: portfolios that look diversified on paper but behave like concentrated bets when volatility arrives.
Morningstar's Mind the Gap 2024 study documented another layer of this problem: the average investor captures only about 77 cents of every dollar their fund earns. That gap is not caused by bad fund selection. It is caused by behavior — trading too often, reacting to headlines, moving to cash at the wrong moment. It is a pattern the Nelson team has observed in client conversations for more than 40 years, which is why this analysis starts with facts about the specific portfolio rather than general recommendations.
"
Know what you own. Know what sectors you own and what percentage of your portfolio is in those sectors. And look at your top 10 holdings in aggregate — because if that is 30% or 40% of your portfolio, you are going to feel market volatility in a way that is disproportionate to what a truly diversified investor feels.
- Joel Garris, CFP, Certified Financial Fiduciary
Dollars & Sense podcast
Ready to see what's actually in your portfolio?
Free analysis. No obligation. Real team. No automated reports.
THE PROCESS
Here's Exactly What Happens When You Request a Review
There are no surprises. This is a four-step process built for people who are serious about understanding their portfolio — not for people who want to be sold to.
Submit the short form (or call directly)
The form takes about two minutes. A phone number is required because this review involves a real conversation with a real advisor — not an automated report or downloadable PDF. A member of the Nelson team will respond within one business day.
The team runs your portfolio through the Morningstar X-Ray
Account login credentials are not required. A recent brokerage or retirement account statement is sufficient. The Nelson team enters holdings into Morningstar's analysis platform and generates the full X-Ray report before the call — so the conversation is focused on insights, not intake.
Prepared in advance so your time is used well.
Walk through the results together - 30-45 minutes
This is a real conversation, by phone or in person, with a Certified Financial Fiduciary. The team goes through exactly what the analysis found: sector allocation, top holdings in aggregate, all-in fees, and performance versus benchmark. No jargon. No pressure. No sales script.
Clarity about your portfolio, guaranteed - regardless of what you decide next.
You decide what, if anything, comes next
There is no obligation to become a client. Some people walk away wanting a full retirement plan. Some just needed clarity about what they own. Either is fine. Nelson Financial Planning has been doing this since 1984 because an educated person makes better financial decisions - and that builds long-term relationships rather than forced ones.
Every visitor receives a complimentary copy of NextGen Dollars & Sense.
A Real Team. Credentials You Can Verify. A Standard You Can Hold Us To.
The most common concern among investors considering a new advisor is the same: being taken advantage of by someone who has their own interests in mind. Here is how Nelson Financial Planning is different — not as a marketing claim, but as a verifiable legal standard.
Joel Garris
CFP | CERTIFIED FINANCIAL FIDUCIARY
25+ years in retirement planning. Host of Dollars & Sense — one of Central Florida's longest-running financial radio programs, now ranked a Top 25 financial planning podcast nationally with over 50,000 downloads. Author of NextGen Dollars & Sense. Son-in-law of Jack Nelson, who founded this firm in 1984.
Christina Lamb
IRS ENROLLED AGENT | CERTIFIED FINANCIAL FIDUCIARY
Federally licensed by the IRS to represent taxpayers before the Internal Revenue Service. One of the only IRS Enrolled Agents working inside a fiduciary financial planning firm in Central Florida. Most firms disclaim tax advice in the fine print — Nelson Financial Planning has tax expertise built directly into the planning process. Christina co-hosts the tax-focused episodes of Dollars & Sense with Kristin Kalley.
Kristin Kalley
CPA | CFP | CERTIFIED FINANCIAL FIDUCIARY
A Certified Public Accountant and CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER who co-hosts the tax-focused episodes of Dollars & Sense alongside Christina Lamb. Kristin brings a rare combination of accounting precision and financial planning expertise to every client situation — the kind of tax-integrated planning most firms do not offer in-house. As Kristin says on the show: it is not one-size-fits-all. Every situation is different depending on income, goals, tax situation, and long-term plan.
Rob Field
NATIONAL SOCIAL SECURITY ADVISOR (NSSA) | IRMAA CERTIFIED PLANNING | CERTIFIED FINANCIAL FIDUCIARY
The only advisor within 50 miles of Winter Park to hold both the National Social Security Advisor (NSSA) certification and the IRMAA Certified Planning designation. Social Security timing and Medicare premium planning are among the most consequential — and least reversible — decisions in retirement. Rob brings the specialized depth that both require.
Zach Keister
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL FIDUCIARY | CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELOR
A Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor and Certified Financial Fiduciary. Zach regularly co-hosts Dollars & Sense and brings the same evidence-based, client-first approach to every planning conversation.
Chet Cowart
CHARTERED RETIREMENT PLANNING COUNSELOR | CERTIFIED FINANCIAL FIDUCIARY
A Certified Financial Fiduciary committed to the same standard every Nelson advisor is held to: legally required to act in your best interest, always.
No Account Minimums.
Most firms with this level of credentialing require $500,000 or more before they will speak with a prospective client. Nelson Financial Planning has never had account minimums — because Jack Nelson believed in 1984, and this team believes today, that every person deserves access to honest, expert financial guidance. Legally required to act in your best interest. Always.
40+ years. Every market cycle.
The dot-com crash. The 2008 financial crisis. The pandemic. Every market cycle since 1984 — Nelson Financial Planning has guided Central Florida families through all of it. Longevity in this business is not a marketing claim. It is a survival record. The team reviewing your portfolio has navigated conditions that advisors who started in the last decade have never encountered.
COMMON QUESTIONS
Questions People Ask Before Requesting the Review
Q Do I have to become a client to get this review?
No. The Morningstar X-Ray portfolio analysis and the follow-up conversation are completely free. There is no obligation to work with Nelson Financial Planning afterward. Many people who request the review are already working with another advisor and simply want a second opinion or more clarity about what they actually own. You will walk away with a clearer picture of your portfolio regardless of what you decide next.
Q What information do I need to provide?
Account login credentials are not required. A recent brokerage or retirement account statement is typically sufficient. Most people either bring a printed statement or pull one from their online account portal before the call. The analysis is conducted entirely from holdings data - personal information stays private.
Q What if I'm already working with another advisor?
That is one of the most common situations. This review is data, not a critique of a current advisor. The Morningstar X-Ray simply shows what is in the portfolio - sectors, holdings, fees, performance. You can take that information back to your current advisor if you choose, or use it to start a more informed conversation about what comes next. Either way, you are better informed than you were before.
Q How long does the review conversation take?
The conversation typically runs 30 to 45 minutes. The team prepares the X-Ray in advance, so the time is spent walking through what the analysis found — not on intake questions or background presentations. If your situation is more complex and you would like to go deeper, a follow-up can always be arranged.
Q Is there any cost at all?
None. The Morningstar X-Ray analysis is free. The consultation is free. Nelson Financial Planning has no account minimums. As Certified Financial Fiduciaries, every advisor is legally required to act in your best interest — which means the review is designed to give you clarity, not to sell you something. Every person who comes in also receives a complimentary copy of Joel Garris's book, NextGen Dollars & Sense.
Q Why does the form require a phone number?
Unlike a downloadable resource, this analysis involves a real conversation with a real advisor. There is no automated report. A phone number allows the team to reach out within one business day to schedule the review and confirm what to bring. The team confirms by email before calling, and contact information is never shared with third parties.
Request Your Free Portfolio Review
Fill out the form below and a member of the Nelson Financial Planning team will reach out within one business day to schedule the review and confirm what to bring. Or call directly: 407-307-3061.
Tell us a little about yourself
This is a personal, high-touch service — not an automated form that generates a report. A real member of the team will reach out to schedule the review. That is why a phone number is requested, and why this offer is worth two minutes to complete.
Not quite ready?
Start with Dollars & Sense.
This is the same team, the same research, the same plain-English approach — every week on Central Florida radio and everywhere you listen to podcasts. The Morningstar X-Ray, ETF vs. mutual fund research, Social Security timing, investor psychology, tax strategy — it is all there. Ranked Top 25 in financial planning nationally, with over 50,000 downloads.
Listen to Dollars & Sense → Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube
Joel J. Garris is President and CEO of Nelson Financial Planning, Inc. and a FINRA Registered Representative with Nelson Ivest Brokerage Services, Inc. Investment advisory services through Nelson Advisory Services, Inc., a State of Florida registered investment advisor. Content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute personalized investment, tax, or legal advice.
Joel Garris, CFP, Certified Financial Fiduciary | Christina Lamb, IRS Enrolled Agent, Certified Financial Fiduciary | Kristin Kalley, CPA, CFP, Certified Financial Fiduciary | Rob Field, NSSA, IRMAA Certified Planning, Certified Financial Fiduciary | Zach Keister, Certified Financial Fiduciary, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor | Chet Cowart, Certified Financial Fiduciary, Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor
www.NelsonFinancialPlanning.com | 407-307-3061 | Winter Park / Orlando, FL
Investment advice offered through Nelson Financial Planning. Past performance is not indicative of future results. The Morningstar X-Ray portfolio analysis is provided as an educational service and does not constitute investment advice or a solicitation. Nelson Financial Planning is a fiduciary firm — every advisor is a Certified Financial Fiduciary, legally required to act in the client's best interest. No account minimums.
