Because the price is known before you engage and is tied to the work, not the account balance. It also removes the question of whether a recommendation was influenced by where your money sits — paying off a mortgage, funding a business, or gifting to family doesn't reduce what I'm paid.

No. Flat fee refers to how I charge, not what I do. Advice-only means you implement everything yourself; my ongoing clients typically include investment management and implementation as part of the relationship.

Yes. Ongoing clients typically include investment management, and I handle implementation directly. Investment management is part of the planning relationship, not a separate product or an additional fee. You'll see the proposed portfolio and its associated costs before anything is implemented.

No. A flat fee is not a discount, and for some households an AUM arrangement will cost less in dollars. The right question isn't which is cheaper, but which pricing structure matches the work you actually need.

No. Your fee is agreed on before we begin, but it is reviewed periodically to reflect inflation and any meaningful change in the scope of your work. A flat fee means known in advance, not fixed forever.

An AUM advisor charges a percentage of the assets they manage, so the fee moves with your portfolio. My fee is based on the complexity of your planning work, so it's quoted up front and reviewed over time — not tied to market returns.

Households with real planning complexity — retirement income sequencing, Roth conversions, Social Security and pension elections, equity compensation — where the work is substantial regardless of portfolio size. It also tends to fit people who want decisions evaluated in context rather than one question at a time.

It can be. I offer both one-time engagements and ongoing planning; ongoing clients meet in the spring and fall with regular check-ins in between. A flat fee doesn't mean a one-time transaction.