How Coordinated Financial Planning Services Pricing Works
Coordinated financial planning aligns investments, taxes, insurance, and income into a single strategy rather than managing each piece in isolation. Pricing follows one of three models: an hourly rate, a flat or annual fee, or a percentage of assets under management. This guide from Triathlon Partners breaks down each model and how total cost shifts as household complexity rises. (Source: the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC))
The fee structure matters more than most people expect. Two advisors can quote the same headline number and deliver very different service: one produces a written plan and reviews it annually, the other manages a portfolio and answers the phone twice a year.
Financial Planning Fees: Hourly, Flat-Fee, and AUM Models
Financial planning fees fall into three broad categories, each shifting risk between you and the advisor. Hourly fees charge for time spent, billed in increments. Flat fees set a fixed price for a defined scope, one-time or annual. Assets under management (AUM) fees charge a percentage of the money the advisor oversees, billed quarterly.
Hourly billing suits a narrow question, such as a pension election. A flat fee fits a household wanting a full plan without handing over investment control. AUM bundles advice and portfolio management, tying the advisor’s revenue to your balance.
Watch Out The biggest pitfall with AUM pricing is that the fee rises as your portfolio grows, even when the work does not. On a larger balance, a one-percentage-point fee can exceed the cost of a flat-fee plan many times over. Ask for the dollar figure, not just the rate.
What a Flat-Fee Financial Planner Includes (and Leaves Out)
A flat-fee financial planner charges a set price for a defined deliverable, usually a written plan plus a set number of review meetings. What sits inside that scope varies enormously and decides whether the fee is good value.
Typical inclusions:
A written financial plan covering retirement projections, cash-flow planning, and savings targets
Investment recommendations, even if the advisor does not manage the portfolio
Tax planning coordination with your accountant
Insurance and estate planning review
An annual review meeting, or a set number per year
Common exclusions:
Ongoing portfolio management and trading
Tax return preparation
Legal document drafting, such as trusts and wills
Implementation of insurance products
The exclusion list is where budgets break. A flat fee covering planning but not implementation leaves you paying a separate manager to execute the recommendations. Get the scope in writing before comparing quotes.
Financial Advisor Cost at Different Asset Levels
Financial advisor cost depends heavily on asset level under an AUM model, because the fee is a percentage of the balance. Under flat-fee and hourly models, cost tracks complexity instead.
At lower asset levels, a percentage fee produces a small dollar amount, making AUM look cheap, but advisors may set minimum account sizes, turning smaller balances away. Flat fees can feel expensive by comparison because the price is fixed regardless of balance.
At higher asset levels, the math reverses. A percentage fee on a large portfolio can dwarf a flat planning fee, particularly if you are comfortable implementing recommendations yourself.
The practical rule: ask every advisor for the annual dollar cost at your actual asset level, not the rate, then compare that to what a flat fee would charge for the same scope.
Pricing for Coordinated Retirement Planning Across Household Complexity
‘Coordinated’ separates this service from a generic financial plan, and it is the word most pricing pages never define.
Financial advisor and couple reviewing documents for coordinated financial planning at a conference table.
What coordination actually involves, in practice:
Convening or joining calls with your CPA before year-end to align Roth conversions, capital gains, and estimated payments
Reviewing trust and beneficiary designations with your estate attorney so account titling matches the plan
Stress-testing insurance coverage, life, disability, long-term care, against the retirement income plan, not against a sales quota
Sequencing withdrawals across taxable, tax-deferred, and tax-free accounts so the tax bill is managed, not just the portfolio
Coordinating a business exit or equity conversion with the personal plan so the proceeds land in the right accounts at the right time
Documenting who is responsible for each action item, so nothing falls between professionals
Firms bill for that work in three ways. Some bundle coordination into the flat fee or retainer. Some charge a separate coordination fee, often a flat add-on or hourly rate.
Pricing by household complexity. The table below shows illustrative annual price ranges for coordinated planning at three complexity levels, assuming a written plan, annual reviews, and active coordination with at least two outside professionals.
Household Profile
Typical Complexity Drivers
Illustrative Annual Cost (Flat Fee or Retainer)
Illustrative AUM Equivalent at 1%
Straightforward
Single or married, one or two account types, no business, simple estate, standard retirement income
$3,000-$6,000
$300,000-$600,000 in assets
Complex
Multiple account types, trust, blended family, long-term care planning, several income sources
$6,000-$12,000
$600,000-$1,200,000 in assets
Business owner or multi-generational
Business exit or equity conversion, multi-entity tax planning, multi-generational gifting, special needs or legacy trusts
$10,000-$25,000+
$1,000,000-$2,500,000+ in assets
The AUM column makes a point: at the straightforward end, a flat fee is often a large share of a modest portfolio, so AUM can look cheaper in dollar terms.
Number of outside professionals involved and how often the planner convenes them
Frequency of review meetings and ad hoc access between them
Whether the planner implements recommendations or hands them off
Whether the engagement includes ongoing tax projection work or only annual review
Whether the business interest requires valuation, exit sequencing, or entity restructuring
What does not drive the price up, but should be asked about: the number of accounts. Consolidating old employer plans is often billed as a one-time project, not an annual cost. Ask for that line item separately.
Pro Tip Ask each firm to price your situation twice: once as a standalone plan and once with full coordination across your accountant, attorney, and insurance agent. The gap between those two numbers tells you exactly what coordination costs you, which is the number worth comparing. Then ask who is responsible for scheduling the coordination calls, the firm or you.
Key Takeaway Coordinated planning is priced on complexity and scope of collaboration, not on asset size. Before comparing quotes, confirm three things in writing: who is on the coordination team, how often they convene, and whether that work is bundled, separately billed, or excluded.
Side-by-Side Total-Cost Comparison Across Fee Models
Most pricing pages compare fee models by describing them, that is a glossary, not a comparison. To compare total cost, hold planning scope and asset level constant and run each model against the same household.
Assumptions for the example: a married couple, both age 58, retiring in seven years. Investable assets of $1,200,000 across a 401(k), two IRAs, and a taxable brokerage account. One small business interest. A revocable trust already drafted.
Fee Model
Illustrative Rate
Year 1 Cost
Year 5 Cumulative
Year 10 Cumulative
What Is Included
What Is Extra
Hourly
$200-$400 per hour
$3,000-$6,000 (15-20 hrs to build a plan)
$6,000-$12,000 (5-10 hrs/yr for reviews)
$12,000-$24,000
Time spent; scope limited to hours purchased
Additional meetings, ad hoc questions, implementation support
Flat fee, one-time plan
$3,000-$7,500 per plan
$3,000-$7,500
$3,000-$7,500 (no ongoing service)
$3,000-$7,500 plus a refresh fee if re-engaged
Written plan, recommendations, one or two review meetings
Ongoing monitoring, portfolio management, coordination after delivery
Annual retainer (flat)
$4,000-$12,000 per year
$4,000-$12,000
$20,000-$60,000
$40,000-$120,000
Plan, annual reviews, ongoing advice, defined coordination
Tax prep, legal drafting, some planning modules, outside-professional coordination depending on firm
Commission
Varies by product
$0 upfront, embedded in product cost
Depends on products purchased
Depends on products purchased
Product sale
Planning is often incidental; conflicts are embedded in compensation
First, the AUM column scales with the balance, not the work. At $1.2 million, a 1% fee is $12,000 a year; at $1.8 million, it rises to $18,000 even if the planning scope is identical.
Multi-year view. Over a ten-year horizon at this asset level, the spread between the cheapest and most expensive model is roughly $12,000 to $150,000, wide enough that the choice of model matters more than the choice of firm within a model.
Watch Out Every figure above is illustrative and varies by firm, region, and scope. The point is not the specific dollar amount, it is that you should demand the same table, filled in with your actual numbers, from every advisor you interview. A firm that cannot produce it is telling you something.
The comparison most people miss is the long-run one. An hourly engagement ends when the work ends. An AUM relationship continues as long as the assets stay, and the fee scales with the balance rather than the effort.
Questions to Ask Before Signing an Advisory Agreement
Before signing an advisory agreement, confirm the fee, billing frequency, scope, and how the advisor is compensated. Those four answers expose most conflicts of interest and prevent surprise costs.
Ask directly:
What is the total annual cost in dollars at my asset level, not just the percentage?
Is the fee billed quarterly, annually, or on completion?
What exactly is included, and what costs extra?
Are you a fiduciary at all times, or only for certain advice?
Do you receive commissions on any product you recommend?
How do you coordinate with my tax preparer, estate attorney, and insurance agent?
What happens to the fee if my portfolio drops in value?
How much notice do I need to cancel, and are there exit fees?
Will I get a written financial plan, and how often is it updated?
The fiduciary question deserves emphasis. A fiduciary is legally obligated to act in your best interest. Fee-only advisors are compensated solely by clients, removing product commissions. Fee-based advisors may earn both fees and commissions, so ask which applies to your engagement.
Key Takeaway The single most useful question is the dollar cost at your asset level, asked in writing. A percentage rate hides the real number; a dollar figure forces a like-for-like comparison across every model.
Pricing transparency is the first test of any advisory relationship. If a firm cannot give you a clear annual cost and a written scope before you sign, that tells you something about how the relationship will run. At Triathlon Partners, we build coordinated plans that align investments, taxes, insurance, and income into one strategy, with a rules-based investment approach designed to hold up when markets turn. We work with individuals within ten years of retirement and business owners converting company equity into personal wealth. Schedule a consultation to walk through your situation and get a clear picture of what coordinated planning would cost you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What services are included in a coordinated financial plan?
A coordinated financial plan typically ties together investment management, tax planning, estate planning, insurance review, and cash-flow planning into one written strategy. The point is to prevent one piece from working against another, such as a tax move that undercuts your retirement income or an insurance gap that exposes your portfolio. Service scope varies by firm, so ask for the written plan and a list of what is included before you sign.
How do flat-fee and assets-under-management financial planning fees compare?
A flat-fee financial planner charges a set amount for a defined scope, which makes the cost predictable and easy to compare. An AUM fee is a percentage of assets, so the dollar cost rises as your portfolio grows. Service scope and pricing vary by firm.
Is a financial advisor worth the cost for someone nearing retirement?
The value depends on how much coordination your situation needs. If you hold a 401(k), a taxable brokerage account, old stock options, and a business interest, the cost of advice can be justified by tax savings and risk management alone. Ask for a written estimate of total cost and a clear list of what the fee covers, then compare it against the tax and insurance decisions you would otherwise make alone.
What questions should I ask before hiring a financial planner?
Ask whether the firm is fee-only or fee-based, how it is compensated, and whether it earns commissions on any product it recommends. Request the total annual cost in dollars, not just a percentage, and ask what happens to the fee if your assets fall. Confirm who handles tax, estate, and insurance coordination, whether those specialists are in-house or referred, and how often you receive an annual review. Get the service scope and cancellation terms in writing.
By Appnet
October 20, 2026
