Fees or Commissions: Does it Matter?

Fees or Commissions:
Does Compensation Matter?

It shouldn't. But we believe a significant conflict of interest exists if an advisor stands to personally gain by selling you what they recommend. Because of this we have chosen to be a Fee-Only firm. At Personal Money Planning there is no broker or insurance agency pushing their products. With us, our client is ourBoss.

Compensation Methods:

The following information was obtained from the Institute of Certified Financial Planners.

Fee-only:

Compensation is entirely from fees for purposes of consultation, plan development or investment management. These fees may be charged on an hourly or project basis depending on your needs, or on a percentage of assets under management.

Commission-only:

There is no charge for advice or preparation of a financial plan. Compensation is received from the sale of financial products that you agree to purchase in order to implement financial planning recommendations.

Fee-offset:

Compensation received in the form of commissions from the sale of financial products is offset against fees charged for the planning process.

Combination Fee/Commission:

A fee is charged for consultation, advice and financial plan preparation on an hourly, project or percentage basis. If you choose to implement your plan through this type of planner, he or she may receive commissions from recommended products targeted to achieve goals and objectives.

Salary:

Some planners work on a salary basis for financial services institutions such as banks, credit unions, and other related organizations.

[Personal Money Planning is a Fee-Only financial planning and investment advisory firm]