FROM THE MAJORITY OF FINANCIAL ADVISERS-

At FFS, we are compensated exclusively through fees paid by our clients.  We receive no compensation of any kind from third parties.  We are a fiduciary firm, committed to putting the interests of our clients first. Hourly, fee-only planners are a rarity among financial advisers.  Most financial planners receive the bulk of their compensation from products they recommend, either through mutual fund sales loads (Class A, B, and C shares), insurance or stock purchase commissions, or other forms of compensation which may not be obvious to the client.  We're able to guide our clients to the best, most cost-effective financial products available, without the need to earn a commission.

FROM FINANCIAL PLANNING SERVICES AFFILIATED WITH MUTUAL FUNDS-

Some major mutual funds offer financial planning services, either for a fee, or free to clients who have substantial amounts to invest (one well-known fund family requires a minimum of $250,000).  In return for a free plan, the client may pay as much as 1% per year in investment management fees, plus mutual fund fees.  Unless the client is wealthy, the level of personal attention provided by large mutual funds is limited. Mutual funds also have strong incentives to invest all client investments into their own fund family.  Thus, the consumer may be missing better investment opportunities in other mutual fund families.  In contrast to mutual fund planning services, we provide our clients with individualized goal-setting and analysis, personal attention, and solutions tailored to meet their needs.  We are free to recommend the best mutual fund offerings in every category, without being limited to a specific fund family.

FROM WEALTH MANAGEMENT FIRMS-

Financial planners are often very exclusive in their client relationships - many financial planners will only accept clients who have at least $500,000 in assets to invest. Unlike most "wealth management" fee-only firms, FFS does not limit its services to clients with a minimum amount of money to invest, nor do we require clients to enter into long-term contracts.  Our clients do not have to place their funds under our management. If a client's investments are held in employer retirement accounts with limited investment options, we can still help determine the best investment strategy available.  FFS clients pay only for the advice and help needed.  At the beginning of each client engagement, we provide an estimated fee range and a maximum fee before our work begins.  Our fee structure is transparent.  Clients can be confident that the maximum fee will not change unless they decide to expand the scope of their engagement with us.