Services

Understanding Fees

Is a Financial Planner Worth the Expense?

We charge for our services just as attorneys, doctors or any other professionals do. You should think of financial planning as an investment rather than an expense. A good financial planner should save and earn you far more money than what you pay the planner in fees. This investment may be accomplished by improving cash flow through better budgeting, reducing your tax liabilities, boosting investment returns, or even preventing a costly financial catastrophe through the application of insurance or navigating tax pitfalls. There are also the intangible benefits such as peace of mind, time saved and a better focus on one’s financial life.

We are completely independent and objective when providing financial advice to clients. We do not earn investment commissions on the sale of investment products. Financial analysis and professional advice are what we ‘sell’ - our goal is to help you achieve your goals. *

We utilize a fee-based approach to financial planning and investment management. Whether it's a one-time financial planning project or an on-going financial planning/ investment management relationship, we're paid on a fee basis, rather than on commissions. We work on an hourly/project-basis and/or investment management/retainer fee basis, depending on your need.

One time planning services, such as initial financial planning or college planning are billed on a project basis; ongoing financial planning & asset management are billed on a retainer basis. All fees are determined based on the complexity of the situation.

Unlike many financial advisors, you do not need a particular net worth or minimum amount of investable assets to work with us. However, we do not usually enter into an investment management relationship unless you have $250,000 in investable assets. For clients with less than that, it makes more financial sense for you to use an hourly or project fee arrangement.

Complimentary Initial Consultation

Entering into a financial planning arrangement is a very important decision and we want you to feel completely comfortable with us.  After a brief phone consultation, we encourage clients to schedule a free initial consultation to determine whether our firm is really the right fit for you and your needs.

Hourly Fee

For hourly clients, our fees are based on the actual time involved in meeting with you in person or over the phone, researching and analyzing your current situation, and providing specific recommendations and implementation assistance (if appropriate) at a rate of $200 per hour.  For hourly clients, all of our time spent is billable time as we are actively working on your project.

Comprehensive Financial Planning Fee

Financial planning fees will vary from client to client based on the specific needs and complexity of your situation. Comprehensive plans addressing all aspects of your financial situation typically involve 10-20 hours of work and meeting time; questions regarding one or two issues will generally take only a few hours. 

We provide a proposal for your planning project after our initial consultation, when your personal needs are fully identified. Fees will not exceed the proposal and do not change once agreed upon.  Once your financial plan is complete most clients prefer to reduce costs by following our detailed implementation instructions to follow through with our recommendations. If help with implementation is desired we can certainly assist. However, implementation assistance is not included in our fee estimates, but is charged separately at our hourly rates.

Comprehensive financial plans for new clients are billed on a project basis. Average fees range from $2,500 to $10,000, depending upon the complexity of your situation.

Project Fees

You may feel that you do not need a full financial plan at this stage in your financial life, but just about anyone who earns an income can use advice on how to sort through employee benefits, retirement plans and insurance policies. For these situations, we can work with you on a project basis and provide focused financial planning advice on the areas relevant to you. We will provide you with a quote for your specific financial planning project before we begin any work. Most project fees range from $500 - $2500.

Investment Management Fees

Our investment management fee structure is tailored to your particular situation and the work to be done for your plan. It will be based on the complexity of your individual financial situation and includes comprehensive portfolio allocation, savings and investing plan(s) and an individualized investment policy statement. We charge a flat fee (quoted before any work is undertaken) for the creation of the original financial plan in the first year, then charge quarterly investment management fees, paid in arrears, on the amount of your investment portfolio we will manage going forward (year 2 +).

Complete Financial Plans begin
at $2,500 (first year only)
+
Investment Management Fee schedule (year 2+)

*Julie Asti is a licensed Life and Health Insurance Agent with the State of California (license #OE67228). She may receive commissions from insurance-related products that she recommends to clients. Clients are under no obligation to purchase any insurance products and may choose to implement insurance product recommendations with another agent of their choice.