Message from Ryan Kelly, CFP:
I adhere to a fiduciary standard. I maintain a commitment and responsibility to put my clients’ best interests ahead of my own.
I have structured my firm in a way that seeks to minimize potential conflicts of interest as much as possible. My fee structure has three important characteristics:
1. Fee-Only. I am a fee-only financial advisor. I do not sell any products that pay me a commission (cash-value life insurance, annuities, high-cost mutual funds, individual municipal bonds, etc). I also do not accept any type of referral fee. For example, for clients with complex student loan issues, I typically recommend they hire a student loan planning specialist, but I do not accept any referral fee nor any other type of compensation from making that recommendation. My only source of revenue is the direct fee that my clients pay me.
2. Fees quoted in dollars. I quote my fees in dollars and not as a percentage of assets. I believe this is a much more transparent way to charge fees.
3. Flat Fees. I also charge flat fees. I believe this minimizes conflicts of interest as it does not incentivize me to gather assets or to increase billable hours.