How We Charge — and Why We Do Not Start with a Product

Trust is difficult when the commercial model is hidden. Financial Planning Simplified charges primarily for planning work — the analysis, design, and coordination of structures such as family trusts, estate freezes, corporate cleanup, and intergenerational plans.

Project and planning fees

Most clients engage for a defined piece of work. We describe the scope, the deliverable, and the fee or fee range before that work starts. The fee reflects complexity and the value of an integrated plan, not the size of a brokerage account.

Retainers when the work is ongoing

Some families need periodic review: a trust approaching a milestone, a company that is changing quickly, or a multi-year cleanup before a freeze. In those cases a retainer can be cleaner than restarting a project every few months. It is discussed, not assumed.

Where products sit

Insurance may be appropriate later as funding for tax, a buy-sell, key-person risk, or equalization. When that is true, it is explained as part of the plan. It is not how the relationship begins. Investment management is not the firm’s primary offering.

What we want you to understand before you book

You will not be asked to buy a structure in order to find out what it costs. You should be able to compare the cost of coordinated planning with the cost of leaving gaps between your accountant, your lawyer, and your current documents. Sometimes the right answer is that you do not need us yet. That answer should also be free of product pressure.

Key takeaways

• Core planning work is generally scoped as a project or planning fee, not as a percentage of investment assets.

• You should know the fee or fee range before significant work begins.

• Where ongoing review is needed, a retainer may be discussed.

• Insurance, when used, is considered as a tool inside the plan. It is not the opening move.

A next step, if this sounds familiar

Fee questions are appropriate in the first consultation. Ask them. A planning relationship that cannot discuss cost clearly is not yet a clarity-first relationship.

The first conversation is a discovery meeting, not a product pitch. You should leave with a clearer picture of your current path and whether more coordinated planning would be useful.

This article is general information for educational purposes. It is not legal, tax, accounting, or insurance advice and should not be relied on as a recommendation for any particular structure, product, or transaction. Rules affecting trusts, corporations, the lifetime capital gains exemption, probate, and insurance change and depend on individual facts. Speak with qualified advisors about your own situation before making decisions.

Related services

If this article is relevant to your situation, these Financial Planning Simplified services go into more detail:

• Comprehensive Financial Planning