Services & fees
What we offer
We provide easy-to-understand, life-based financial plans and investment advice to help you work through some of the biggest questions.
What you get
With our ongoing financial planning and investment management, we’re there to be your trusted partner, to help you make the necessary decisions along the way. The starting point of our ongoing service is the creation of your financial plan, which is the roadmap for future decision making.
Monthly account contribution recommendations
Household asset allocation recommendations to include existing employee sponsored retirement accounts
Setting up and maintaining an emergency fund
Annual portfolio withdrawal strategies (if appropriate)
Discussions around saving for a dependent’s college tuition via 529 accounts or other options
Discussions of Roth IRA conversions (if appropriate)
Establishing when to claim Social Security
Selecting pension payment types
Transferring and/or consolidating investment accounts
Reallocating investment portfolios for discretionary accounts
Typical areas in which we provide ongoing advice are:
Recommending a rebalance/reallocation strategy for non-discretionary accounts
Discussions on insurance and investment products as they relate to insurance:
health insurance
life insurance
disability insurance
annuities
Consolidating debt
Refinancing a mortgage
Buying or selling real estate
Advice on updating or establishing estate documents
Financial planning is a process, not a product. It is a close, ongoing relationship between you and us involving regular meetings, webinars, calls, e-mails, etc. The goal is to help you make the best possible decisions around your finances, and that takes time.
We will meet every year to update your plan, refine your portfolio strategy, discuss estate plans, review insurance, discuss any questions you have, etc. You are never limited to only working with us when we reach out — we are here for you as life happens. We are accessible by phone, e-mail, or video conference as life unfolds and financial decisions need to be made.
If we provide ongoing discretionary management of your investable assets, your accounts are managed by us and you through our service provider and custodian, Altruist.
We use a straightforward, passive and fee-conscious investing approach that ensures your portfolio will remain diversified, low cost and best allocated for your risk tolerance and financial profile. We typically invest using a combination of Vanguard exchange traded funds ("ETFs") or Vanguard mutual funds that track major stock and bond indices.
What you pay
Personal Financial Consulting - fees are charged at an hourly rate of $200 per hour. Hours, scope of work, and total fees are always agreed to in writing.
Financial Planning and Investment Management - fees are asset based with the following fee schedule:
What does that typically look like?
Personal Financial Consulting: If you want a comprehensive financial plan this would entail around 10 to 20 hours. All situations vary and an engagement could be anywhere from a single hour to 40 or more. As an example let’s call it 15 hours for a comprehensive plan. This works out to $3,000 for the plan, which would be billed to you directly via an invoice on a schedule agreed upon prior to starting the engagement.
We encourage you to contact us even if you only want general advice about specific topics. Even just an hour’s worth of work will generally not be turned down.
Financial Planning and Investment Management: If you want a comprehensive financial plan and you have $100,000 of investable assets, the fee works out to be $162.50/month.
Calculation: $100,000 x 0.1625% = $162.50.
This should give you an idea of what to expect. The fee is payable on a monthly basis in arrears and is deducted directly from the investment account(s). You do not write a check.
That’s it. Fees will always be agreed upon prior to entering a formal engagement with us. Please see our “Firm Brochure” for more details about our services and our fees mentioned above.
How we are paid depends on the type and scope of services we are providing. We offer two services:
Personal Financial Consulting - Non-Discretionary
Financial Planning & Investment Management - Discretionary