FAQs

 

How do you charge and what are your fees?

For clients seeking both financial planning and investment management—a service we call Wealth Management—we charge a flat fee of $12,875 per year for couples or $11,330 per year for individuals. This fee is paid quarterly and debited directly from your investment accounts.

For clients who prefer help only with creating their financial plan—a service we call Financial Planning—our fees range from $7,200 to $9,000 per year, depending on the complexity of the plan. These fees are paid in monthly installments.

For more on our levels of service and the wide range of topics we cover with our clients, please see our Services page.

 

What type of clients benefit most from your services?

As a flat-fee financial advisor, our services provide the most cost benefit to those with investable assets over $1 million compared to traditional percentage-based fees. For more details, see our post about working with a flat-fee financial advisor.

Beyond fees, our expertise in creating tax-efficient retirement plans is especially valuable for individuals near retirement who have investments spread across multiple account types (401(k), IRA, Roth, brokerage, etc.).

Lastly, clients who value guidance on a broad range of financial topics benefit the most from our services. While we cover investments, we also focus on areas like insurance, estate planning, cash flow, Medicare, and Social Security. For an overview of these topics, visit our blog.

 

What does being a fee-only advisor mean?

Fee-only means we do not receive compensation through commissions or kickbacks from any of our recommendations.

Many advisors are “fee-based” or entirely commission-based, which often leads to a sales-driven approach. These advisors must sell insurance policies or specific investments to earn a commission.

We are different. The only way we are compensated is through the fees our clients pay us. We do not make additional money from products we recommend. Our firm has operated as a fee-only advisor since it was established in 2001.

 

Are there any asset minimum requirements to work with you?

We do not have asset minimums, though our flat fee may be higher than the fees charged by advisors who base their pricing on the value of your accounts. It’s entirely up to you whether you feel comfortable with our fee structure.

Our flat fee allows us to work with households that may not meet the high asset minimums of traditional advisors. For example, clients with significant pension or annuity income may not have high investable assets but still require extensive financial planning. Our fee structure enables us to serve anyone, regardless of their asset levels.

 

Where are my assets held?

For our wealth management clients, your assets will be held at Charles Schwab. As part of the onboarding process, we assist in transferring assets to Charles Schwab. The process is tax-free and most investments are transferred as-is.

Charles Schwab holds over $7 trillion in assets and works with more than 16,000 financial advisors. As your custodian, Schwab provides security for your investments. We have limited access to perform trades and transfer funds to your bank account when needed. We operate independently of Schwab and are not compensated by them.

 

How do I keep track of everything?

Clients receive monthly and quarterly account statements from Charles Schwab for the investment accounts we manage.

We also use eMoney, a financial planning software owned by Fidelity, to provide clients with an online dashboard. This dashboard allows you to view updated values for all your accounts anytime.

Additionally, we offer clients free access to Wealth.com for creating, updating, and securely storing estate documents.

 

What can I expect in our first meeting?

Our first meeting is a Getting Organized Meeting. Before the meeting, we will request a list of documents and input your information into our financial planning software.

During the meeting, we will review this information with you, ask follow-up questions about your situation, and establish an agenda for future meetings.

 

How often will we meet?

In the first year, we typically meet 4–6 times. After the first year, we typically meet twice annually.

However, there is no limit to the number of meetings we can have. We are available to assist you anytime.

 

Do you offer a free initial consultation?

Yes! We offer a free 30-minute consultation to answer any questions you may have about working with a financial planner.

After this introductory meeting, we will provide examples of how we have helped clients in similar situations.

You can find a time on our calendar for your free consultation here.