Let's Build a Plan

Here's What It Costs and What You Can Expect:

First, we set up an intro meeting to determine if we're a good fit to work together.

If so, we sign an advisory agreement, which gives us an initial 6-month period to work on the financial planning topics most important to you. Flat-fee pricing:

Starting at $2,400 per individual, or $3,600 per household (you + partner/spouse)

OK...But, How?

Once we're off and running, we start by gathering ALL THE DATA. I'll break this down into small requests, with tips on how to best complete these tasks. Steps:

You'll get your own client website, which acts as a central hub for your financial life. This is where we'll directly plug in your various accounts and build a live, personal balance sheet. We'll also add future goals, household spending estimates, and much more. This information will serve as the inputs for the financial planning software we'll use together.
We'll set up our first official meeting, literally titled "Get Organized."
During our meeting we have a chance to talk in detail about all the things that aren't easily explained by the numbers, and to answer some of the questions we'll have for each other after the data gathering process.
OPTIONAL: This is also our first chance to officially air grievances about the Seattle Mariners.

I will be working on two primary deliverables:

A Financial Planning Action Items document. This is a financial plan without the 100-page PDF. It's organized as a checklist, sorted according to priority, and includes links to quickly go to resources or referrals I recommend to you.
Investment Policy Statement (IPS). The IPS acts as a living document so you have a written investment plan for the long-term. It includes a checklist for investment-related tasks. Clients who opt to use Portfolio Management Services get yearly IPS updates, as well as updates when circumstances require investment changes.

Both documents are Google Docs, where you (and a spouse/partner, if applicable) can comment directly so we're all on the same page and questions can be answered quickly.

We'll meet twice to discuss your Action Items and IPS documents. These meetings will typically be a few weeks apart so you have time to work through recommendations and follow-ups.

Looking out into the future with financial planning software is typically the last phase of our financial planning engagement. It's where we can collaboratively look at what-ifs, experiment with different scenarios and make projections about the future. (This is really just a formal way of saying "we're going to hit buttons, pull levers and twist knobs in the planning software to see what happens.")

A plan is nice, but it's worthless if we don't take action. During the implementation phase, I'm on the team to help you as follows:

Answer questions in real time. Examples:
- Answering questions via text/email/Google Docs
- Setting up quick screenshares to help you accomplish a task like rebalancing a 401(k), placing a trade, or looking up various benefits
Coordinate with other professionals, if necessary. If I make a recommendation for you to work with an attorney or a tax professional, I can help make introductions or facilitate a meeting so we're all on the same page.
Directly setting up your investments and managing them, if desired.

Do You Need Ongoing Help?

Portfolio Management Services:

If you need help with direct management of your investments after we go through the planning process, or you just want your portfolio set up professionally before you eventually decide to manage accounts yourself, you can opt in to use Portfolio Management Services. This optional service is based on the total assets directly managed at our third-party custodian, with a 0.50% annual advisory fee broken up quarterly. It's built in to seamlessly activate as part of our advisory agreement if you decide to utilize it. The typical minimum portfolio size is $100K.

Why would I hire someone to do this? I've heard investment management isn't worth it.

It's only a bad deal if the fees you pay are more costly than the value of the service provided. Here's what you get from portfolio management:

- Help creating accounts, finding/completing transfer paperwork (including getting on phone calls together, if necessary), designating account beneficiaries and linking your bank accounts
- Delegation of the entire buy/sell process required of each deposit and withdrawal
- A custom, diversified portfolio reflecting your unique risk tolerance, taking into account other assets you may own
- Tax-loss harvesting (saving you on taxes by using losses to offset gains)
- Tax location (deciding which investments should live in each account type)
- A partner to help you stay on track when markets are volatile or facing increasing uncertainty (some might view this as offloading/delegating the stress of investing).
- As your portfolio manager, I don't panic. And I don't make rash decisions based on short-term swings of emotion. Consider whether or not you can promise to yourself you won't, either.

Do you take custody of my assets?

Absolutely not. Your money is held at third-party custodians (Betterment or Schwab) where your money is securely invested. All deposits and withdrawals go directly through them.

Here's the best (and somewhat cheesy) analogy I use: Your portfolio is the bus and I'm simply the driver you've hired to get you from Point A to Point B. When the road gets bumpy, or a bit dark and scary, that's where I'm the steady hand to help you navigate through. My style is to stick to the route we've selected and only deviate when life circumstances or other serious developments dictate.

Do I have input on how my money is invested?

Yes. We work together to decide on a portfolio mix and we meet to discuss how you'll be invested. You receive an Investment Policy Statement (IPS) that acts as a living document to help chart a path forward and receives annual updates.

How do I pay for this service?

Advisory fees are charged quarterly and they are directly debited from your account. The typical industry "standard" fee has hovered 1% of assets invested for a long time. I understand and respect the compounding effect of fees so I have opted to price this service well below the industry standard.

What if I no longer need my assets to be managed?

You let me know and I can very easily revert your account to the "retail" platforms at Betterment or Schwab, respectively. This would not liquidate your holdings or cause undue tax complications. You become the bus driver after that point, so to speak.

Schedule an Intro Chat

Let's Build a Plan

Here's What It Costs and What You Can Expect:

First, we set up an intro meeting to determine if we're a good fit to work together.

If so, we sign an advisory agreement, which gives us an initial 6-month period to work on the financial planning topics most important to you. Flat-fee pricing:

Starting at $2,400 per individual, or $3,600 per household (you + partner/spouse)

See a Financial Planning Fee Estimate

OK...But, How?

First, We 'Get Organized'

I Get to Work on Your Plan

We Discuss Your Plan

We Implement

Do You Need Ongoing Help?

Portfolio Management Services:

Portfolio Management FAQs