A Word About Fees

A Word About Fees

A Word About Fees and the Value of a Fee Only Financial Planner & Tax Planner

While good advice may not be cheap, bad advice always costs you dearly no matter how little you pay for it.

— Larry Swedrow, Investment Author 

Many people hesitate to call a professional, fee only financial planner because they are concerned about cost. This is certainly understandable given the many financial obligations we all have. But a better question might be this: what will it cost you to go without professional advice? It’s not uncommon for people to throw away tens (or even hundreds) of thousands of dollars over their lifetime by making poor financial decisions on their own.

True Fee-Only Financial Planning & Tax Planning

As a fee-only (as opposed to fee-based or commission-based) firm, we do not make any money from recommending, selling, or trading financial or insurance products and services. Somebody does have to pay us, and to minimize conflicts of interest, we believe it should only be the people we’re advising — not the companies, products, individuals or investments we might be recommending. True, fee only financial planning ensures that you will receive effective financial planning, tax planning, college planning and more at a fair and reasonable rate.

Our fixed-fee approach and fixed-asset management options are generally well under the typical 1%+ asset management fee that other peers may charge. We are generally at least 30% less than firms that charge by assets managed. And we generally provide more services - especially in the areas of estate administration, tax planning, and financial planning. 

Value-Based Fee Structure

Our fees are based on three key components: your net worth, your annual income, and the overall complexity of your situation. All fees are based on the complexity of your financial circumstances, goals and composition of income and assets as well as the value that we provide from our guidance and fee only planning strategies recommended.

You may choose to pay Hourly Rates, Flat Rate Project-Based Fees or as a Percentage or Fixed-Fee of Assets Managed.

Our goal is always to provide value that is greater than the fee we charge. While we generally recommend a comprehensive approach to fee only financial planning, you may also choose a more limited-scope project tailored to your immediate needs. You may later choose to extend and expand your project to cover more topic areas or questions.

Our financial planning services are not free though we strive to make them accessible and affordable to clients of varying means. We offer flat rate project-based, fee only financial planning programs for single-topic or more broad planning covering multiple topics.  For cost effective financial planning, tax planning, estate planning, college planning and more, Contact us today.