Frequently Asked Questions

Here are the questions I hear most often — answered as honestly as I can.​

What does it actually look like to work with you?

Do I need a certain amount of money to work with you?

How do your fees work?

What makes you different from other financial advisors?

How do I know if I'm ready to work with an advisor?

How do I know which service is right for me?

What is a fee-only advisor, and why does it matter?

​

What does it actually look like to work with you?

The short version: low pressure, plain English, and a focus on progress over perfection.​

 

I want to understand your actual life before I say anything about your finances. Your goals, your priorities, your definition of a good outcome — these matter more to me than what the software says your net worth will be at age 90. Nobody knows what life looks like in 20 or 30 years. What I do know is that getting pointed in the right direction now makes everything better, regardless of what changes along the way.​

 

Our conversations won't feel like a finance lecture. I can talk numbers and pull up spreadsheets when it's useful — but the real work happens when things are clear enough that you can actually act on them. A good plan you'll follow beats a perfect plan that sits in a drawer.​

 

I'm also available when you need me, and not just at scheduled meetings. If something comes up — a question, a decision, a moment of uncertainty — reach out. That's what I'm here for.​

 

Do I need a certain amount of money to work with you?

For financial planning: it's less about what you have and more about whether taking control of your financial life feels worth the investment.​

 

Foundation is a flat fee of $3,500. Momentum starts at $5,000 per year. Whether that feels reasonable depends less on hitting an income threshold and more on your specific situation. Some people with modest incomes find it absolutely worth it. Some people with high incomes don't. That's a decision only you can make.​

 

For investment management: there's no minimum account size.​

 

I work with people at every stage — whether you're just getting started and ready to build something for the first time, or you already have a meaningful nest egg and want someone you trust to handle it carefully. What matters more than where you're starting is your commitment to the process. The people who get the best results are those who are in it for the long term and willing to keep showing up for the future they're building.

 

If that sounds like you, I'd love to talk — wherever you are right now.​

 

How do your fees work?

The short version: flat fees for planning, and a percentage of investments managed for ongoing investment management. No commissions, no hidden costs.​

 

I'm a fee-only advisor — which means I don't earn commissions or take kickbacks by recommending certain products. You pay me directly for the work I do, and that's it.​

 

Foundation is a flat fee of $3,500, built around your most important priorities. Half is due upfront and half is due when your plan is delivered — or at 90 days, whichever comes first.​

 

Alignment fees are based on the total value of the investments I manage for you. Fees start at 1.1% and decrease as that amount grows — so the more you invest, the lower your rate. The full fee schedule is on the Alignment page. These fees are deducted directly from your investment accounts, so there's no separate bill and nothing comes out of your checking account.

 

Momentum combines both models. The initial 90-day engagement is a flat $3,500 — same structure as Foundation. After that, fees work exactly like Alignment: based on investments managed, deducted directly from your accounts. Most clients find that once the initial engagement is complete, the ongoing fees are easy to absorb because they never see them leave their bank account.​

 

What makes you different from other financial advisors?

The honest answer: I'm not the advisor the financial industry designed. And for the right person, that's exactly the point.​

 

Most financial firms are built around clients who already have substantial wealth — people who fit neatly into a standard retirement planning model. If you don't fit that model, you're often an afterthought.​

 

I built this practice specifically for people the conventional industry tends to overlook — those with unconventional careers, irregular income, or a life that doesn't follow the standard script. Not because it's a good way to make a lot of money, but because I've lived that life and I know firsthand that good financial guidance makes a real difference when no roadmap exists.​

 

Beyond who I serve, there's how I work. The analysis and research behind every recommendation is rigorous — but the experience on your end should feel like talking to someone who genuinely gets it, not sitting through a presentation you need a finance degree to follow. I'd rather focus on the three things that matter most to you than give you twenty things that overwhelm you.​

 

I'm also a fee-only, fiduciary advisor — which means I don't earn commissions or take kickbacks. My only financial incentive is to give you advice that's actually good for you.​

 

How do I know if I'm ready to work with an advisor?

The honest answer: readiness has less to do with how much money you have and more to do with your mindset.​

 

The clients who get the most out of working together usually arrive with a similar feeling: they can almost see what they need to do, but can't quite bring it all into focus. They're asking themselves questions like — am I doing the right things? Where should I begin? How would I even know if I'm on track? There's a sense of potential — like the pieces are there, but no one has helped them see how they fit together yet.​

 

If that sounds familiar, you're probably ready.​

 

The clients who struggle are usually hoping that a financial plan will do something it just can't do — replace hard decisions with magic solutions. If the core problem requires difficult tradeoffs, I can help you understand your options and model what different choices look like. But I can't make those decisions for you, and no spreadsheet can either.​

 

What I can tell you is this: I've never had a bad experience with a client because they were just getting started. The people who get the best results are those who are committed to improving their situation — whatever that looks like right now. That commitment matters far more than the number in your bank account.​

 

If you're not sure whether you're ready, the first conversation is free and there's no obligation. That's exactly what it's for.​

 

How do I know which service is right for me?

The simplest way to think about it: what do you actually want from this relationship?​

 

If you want a clear, honest picture of where you stand and a concrete plan for what to do next — without an ongoing commitment — Foundation is probably your starting point.​

 

If you want someone to handle your investments completely — so you never have to think about them — and you're not looking for ongoing financial planning, Alignment is likely the right fit.

 

If you want both — an ongoing thinking partner who stays actively involved in your entire financial life, coordinated with professional investment management — Momentum is what you're looking for. Momentum requires at least $200,000 in investments to manage, since ongoing planning fees are covered entirely by investment management fees rather than billed separately.​

 

If you want a one-time financial plan paired with ongoing investment management — without the ongoing planning relationship — Foundation + Alignment can work together as a natural combination. This works well for people who want a clear plan to start with and professional investment management alongside it, but prefer to keep things simpler going forward.​

 

Still not sure? That's completely normal. Most people aren't certain which one fits until they've had a conversation. The first meeting is free, there's no obligation, and figuring out the right fit together is exactly what it's for.​

 

What is a fee-only advisor, and why does it matter?

It matters because it determines whose interests your advisor is actually serving.​

 

Financial advisors are compensated in different ways. Some earn commissions by recommending certain products — funds, insurance policies, annuities — which means their income is tied to what they sell you. Others receive trailing fees or other indirect compensation from the products they recommend. In either case, there's a potential conflict between what's best for the advisor and what's best for you.​

 

A fee-only advisor is compensated exclusively by you — not by any product, fund company, or financial institution. No commissions, no kickbacks, no hidden incentives. My only financial motivation is to give you advice that's actually in your best interest.​

 

Fee-only advisors are also typically fiduciaries — meaning we're legally required to act in your best interest, not just recommend products that are "suitable" for you. And that distinction makes all the difference.​

 

No pressure, no jargon, no judgment — just an honest conversation to see if we're a good fit.