Flat-fee and hourly financial advisors — no AUM percentage, no commissions.
Traditional AUM advisors charge 0.8-1.3% of assets — $8,000-$13,000/year at $1M, $80,000+/year at $10M. The actual advice is rarely 10x as valuable at $10M. Flat-fee and hourly advisors charge $3,000-$15,000/year regardless of asset base. For investors with straightforward portfolios and who want planning, the economics are dramatically better.
Situations we handle
- I have $4M and my advisor charges 1% — $40K/year seems excessive
- Do I actually need full-service or just occasional advice?
- Hourly planner: what does $400/hr get me and is it worth it?
- My wirehouse advisor won't talk to me outside of quarterly reviews — how do flat-fee models work?
- I'm a DIY investor but want a second opinion on major decisions
- I manage my own money but hit a complex decision (exit, inheritance, divorce) — can I engage for a one-off?
Why a specialist. Flat-fee advisors are the purest form of conflict-free advice — their compensation isn't tied to the size of your portfolio, what you invest in, or whether you move assets. The challenge is finding advisors who genuinely operate this way rather than using 'fee-only' as branding for an AUM model. Specialist matching helps.
Tools & guides
AUM vs Flat-Fee Lifetime Cost Calculator
Compare the lifetime cost of AUM advisory vs flat-fee engagement across your investing horizon.
Flat-Fee Financial Advisor Guide
Detailed framework — rules, tradeoffs, and common mistakes.
Get matched with a specialist
Fee-only advisor with no commission conflict. Free match.