Fees, in dollars
Three published prices. The fee is set by the work, never by your balance, and you can see it before we ever talk.
| Compare the plans | Plan check-up$1,500 once | Retirement plan$4,800 a year | Retirement income$6,600 a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it's for | You have a plan and want a second look | You're 1 to 15 years from retiring | You've retired or retire this year |
| Meetings | Two, over two weeks | Three to build it, then two a year | Three to set it up, then four a year |
| What you get | A 4-page review with what to change | A full written plan, about 12 pages | A written plan plus a monthly paycheck plan |
| Pension and Social Security | Reviewed and checked | Modelled option by option | Chosen and filed with you |
| Investments | Advice on your current funds | Advice on every account, any custodian | We manage the accounts for you, same flat fee |
| Tax projection | Not included | Five-year projection, updated each spring | Every year, with Roth conversion amounts |
| Questions between meetings | Not included | Unlimited, answered within one business day | Unlimited, answered within one business day |
| Billing | Paid once, after the second meeting | $400 a month, by bank draft | $550 a month, by bank draft |
| Leaving | Nothing to cancel | Any time, with 30 days' notice | Any time, with 30 days' notice |
| Book a call | Book a call | Book a call |
Plan check-up
$1,500 once
- Who it's for
- You have a plan and want a second look
- Meetings
- Two, over two weeks
- What you get
- A 4-page review with what to change
- Pension and Social Security
- Reviewed and checked
- Investments
- Advice on your current funds
- Tax projection
- Not included
- Questions between meetings
- Not included
- Billing
- Paid once, after the second meeting
- Leaving
- Nothing to cancel
Retirement plan
$4,800 a year
- Who it's for
- You're 1 to 15 years from retiring
- Meetings
- Three to build it, then two a year
- What you get
- A full written plan, about 12 pages
- Pension and Social Security
- Modelled option by option
- Investments
- Advice on every account, any custodian
- Tax projection
- Five-year projection, updated each spring
- Questions between meetings
- Unlimited, answered within one business day
- Billing
- $400 a month, by bank draft
- Leaving
- Any time, with 30 days' notice
Retirement income
$6,600 a year
- Who it's for
- You've retired or retire this year
- Meetings
- Three to set it up, then four a year
- What you get
- A written plan plus a monthly paycheck plan
- Pension and Social Security
- Chosen and filed with you
- Investments
- We manage the accounts for you, same flat fee
- Tax projection
- Every year, with Roth conversion amounts
- Questions between meetings
- Unlimited, answered within one business day
- Billing
- $550 a month, by bank draft
- Leaving
- Any time, with 30 days' notice
Fees are billed monthly in arrears by bank draft, never taken from your retirement accounts unless you ask. Prices in USD for this concept build.
Your numbers, ten years out
Set your portfolio, the growth you expect and the percentage fee you've been quoted. The calculator counts what each fee costs and what it would have earned if it had stayed invested.
Below about $450,000, a 1% fee can cost less than ours. We say that on the call too.
Ten years of fees, side by side
1% of your savings
$113,195
in fees over 10 years. Left after 10 years: $1,325,829
Meridian Path, flat
$55,027
in fees over 10 years. Left after 10 years: $1,397,610
The flat fee leaves you $71,781 more after ten years, counting the growth the fees would have earned.
Hypothetical. Assumes 5% growth a year before fees (change it above), both fees paid from the account, and our $4,800 fee rising 3% a year. Not a projection of any investment.
Questions about fees
Why not a percentage of assets?
A percentage ties our pay to your balance and the market, not to the work. A teacher with $300,000 and a principal with $1.2 million need about the same hours of planning, so they pay the same.
Is there an asset minimum?
No. The retirement plan is a good fit if you're within about 15 years of retiring. If you're further out, the free checklist and a check-up every few years may be all you need, and we'll tell you so.
Do you earn anything else?
No. No commissions, no 12b-1 fees, no referral fees, no revenue sharing with custodians. That is what fee-only means, and the CFP Board only lets firms use the term when it's true.
What if I want you to manage my accounts?
Retirement income clients can have us manage their accounts for the same flat fee. On the retirement plan, we give advice on every account and you place the trades, or we walk you through them on a call.
Can the fee change?
We review it each January and give 60 days' written notice of any change. It has changed once since 2019.
How do I leave?
Email us. Planning fees stop at the end of the next 30 days and nothing else is owed. Your plan and every document stay yours.