Cost of Services

In some cases, we may accept a client engagement on an hourly basis. This may be for a “second opinion”, to review an existing plan, or to address a specific issue that does not require a financial plan. We’ve helped track down old life insurance policies, review retirement plans (401k, 403b, etc), consolidate old stock certificates, value and title/retitle/claim old savings bonds, analyze a real estate purchase, and a variety of other services under this arrangement. We accept these engagements on a case by case basis depending on our schedule at the time and whether we think can provide the outcome you are seeking.

Based on the financial plan that we build together, we may decide that life insurance, annuity or other product would help pursue a goal (ie, life insurance may help fund a special needs trust or fulfill a legacy wish. An annuity may help provide income, protect assets from Medicaid, provide creditor protection or be an alternative to other investment options).

Commissions vary depending on the product and are paid directly to us from the companies (you do not write a check for them nor will you see them deducted or added on anywhere, they are built into the price of the product). For life insurance, commissions are paid in the first year and range from 50% to 90% of the premium. For example, if your plan recommends that you buy more life insurance and it costs $1000 per year, we would earn around $500 to $900 in the first year and then 2%-3% on average each year after.

For annuities, our typical commissions range from 1.0% to 3% of the deposit. For example, if your plan recommends that you deposit $50,000 into an annuity, we will earn $500 to $1500.

Again, these are paid to us directly from the insurance company and do not reduce your investment.