Texarkana-Based Financial Advisor Answers: Should You Hire a Local or Virtual Financial Planner?

Carroll Advisory Group is proud to call Texarkana, Texas, our home. We’re tucked into a modest but welcoming office just off Richmond Road. Most folks drive by and assume it’s just the entrance to Sonic — but if you keep going a little farther, past the smell of onion rings and tater tots, you’ll spot our office on the right.

While our roots are firmly planted in Texarkana, the majority of our clients aren’t local. Today, we serve households in 29 states, and over two-thirds of our clients work with us virtually. The remaining one-third live right here in Texarkana, Texas, or in nearby communities like New Boston, Atlanta, Hope, and Ashdown.

Whether local or long-distance, many people who come to us are simply looking for a financial advisor they can trust — a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ who can help them make smart, informed decisions about retirement, taxes, and long-term planning. And while some still prefer the traditional, face-to-face approach, more and more people are discovering that working with a virtual financial planner can offer the same level of personal guidance with a lot more flexibility.

Why Geography No Longer Matters When Choosing a Financial Advisor

That shift in how people choose a financial advisor is worth exploring. Hiring a virtual advisor is not just a passing trend. It has become a highly effective model for retirees and pre-retirees who want personalized, high-touch service and are reasonably comfortable with technology. If you’ve ever wondered whether you need to work with someone in your own city, or whether a virtual relationship might actually work better for your life, you’re not alone.

The truth is, choosing a financial advisor no longer means settling for whoever happens to be nearby. Thanks to secure video calls, digital planning tools, and paperless communication, you are no longer limited to the nicest office in town. Instead, you can prioritize what really matters: finding someone who specializes in your specific financial needs and has a clear record of solving the kinds of retirement planning challenges you are facing.

Whether you want to optimize your Social Security strategy, build a tax-efficient withdrawal plan, or make your savings last through retirement, the right advisor for you may not be the one closest to your zip code. It may be the one who is best equipped to guide you through those decisions, even if they are located across the country. Many of our clients tell us they started by searching for a local financial advisor, whether in Texarkana or their own hometown, but soon realized what they truly needed was a specialist. They were looking for someone who understands the complexity of retirement income planning and has the tools and experience to help them do it right.

Why More Retirees Are Choosing to Work With A Virtual Financial Advisor

For many of the people we serve, the appeal of working with a virtual advisor comes down to three key things: convenience, clarity, and confidence.

Convenience is the obvious one. No need to fight traffic, rearrange your schedule, or sit in a waiting room. Our meetings happen over Zoom or on the phone, they start on time, and they’re designed to be focused and efficient while still giving you plenty of room to ask questions and feel heard.

But the deeper value comes from clarity. Because we work virtually, we’ve been intentional about designing a planning process that’s visual, interactive, and easy to follow. Whether we’re mapping out your Social Security timeline, your tax strategy, or your income plan, you’ll be able to see how each piece fits together. You won’t walk away from a meeting with a vague idea or a stack of charts, you’ll leave with a clear sense of what’s happening and why it matters.

And that leads to confidence. When your financial plan is tailored to your life, not just a generic template, and you actually understand how it works, you feel more in control. That’s what we want for every client, whether they live in Texarkana, Texas or ten states away.

Is a Virtual Financial Advisor Right for Everyone?

Not necessarily. And that’s okay.

Some people genuinely prefer sitting across the table from their advisor, shaking hands, and meeting in person a few times a year. There’s nothing wrong with that. If having face-to-face meetings is an essential part of how you build trust or stay engaged in the planning process, then a local advisor who offers in-office visits might be a better fit for you.

Others may feel hesitant about using Zoom or managing documents through a secure client portal. While we try to make the technology side as simple as possible — and we’re always happy to walk you through it — we know that not everyone is comfortable with virtual tools, and that’s an important consideration.

At Carroll Advisory Group, we’ve built a virtual experience that’s designed to feel high-touch, highly responsive, and deeply personal, even if we never sit in the same room. But we also know that virtual advising works best for people who are open to a tech-enabled relationship and who value expertise and clarity over geography.

If that sounds like you, you may find that working with a virtual financial advisor is not just convenient, it’s actually a better experience.

What It’s Like to Be a Carroll Advisory Client

Working with a virtual advisor shouldn’t feel distant or transactional, and at Carroll Advisory Group, it never does. Our service model is intentionally designed to be proactive, personal, and highly responsive to your changing life. Whether you live down the street from our Texarkana office or across the country, you’ll get the same level of clarity, communication, and care.

As a client, you’ll have unlimited access to our team via Zoom, phone, or email. If you have a question, want to walk through an idea, or just need to think something out loud, we’re here. You won’t be routed through layers of junior staff. You’ll talk directly with someone who knows your plan and understands your goals.

Each year begins with what we call the Carroll Advisory Annual Alignment™, a focused planning session where we clarify what matters most and set clear action steps for the months ahead. We follow that with a mid-year Retirement Roadmap™ update to account for life changes, market shifts, or new goals, and our proprietary Year-End Review™ to capture tax planning opportunities like RMDs, QCDs, or gain/loss harvesting before the calendar turns over. Behind the scenes, we’re constantly managing and adjusting your portfolio throughout the year. If needed, we’ll also coordinate with your CPA or attorney to make sure your financial life stays integrated and on track.

Our Flat Fee Pricing Model

Unlike many advisors, we don’t charge based on a percentage of your assets. Our fee is a flat annual amount ($10,609 for 2025) and it covers everything we do, from planning and investment management to meeting time and year-end strategy. The fee increases 3% annually and is billed directly from your accounts at Charles Schwab. If you're curious how that compares to what you're currently paying, we’ve built an Advisory Fee Comparison Calculator to help you run the numbers.

And if you’re still exploring whether we’re the right fit, we’ve created two simple tools to help: a curated FAQ library with real questions from prospective clients, and an AI-powered chatbot trained on our approach, available 24/7 to help you get clarity.

We know hiring a financial advisor is a big decision — and we’re here to make sure it’s an informed one. If you’re ready to explore what it’s like to work with a virtual financial advisor who’s based in Texarkana, Texas but built to serve nationwide, let’s talk. Schedule a free intro call here.