Retirement & Life Planning
What Flat-Fee, Advice-Only Financial Planning Actually Means
By Rich Arzaga, CFP®, CCIM
The Real Estate Whisperer® Financial Planning
| 5 min read
Most financial advice is priced as a percentage of the investments an advisor manages. That model works for many households, but it creates a structural blind spot: assets the advisor does not manage, including directly held rental property, receive little attention, because they generate no revenue.
Advice-only, in plain terms
- You pay a flat fee for a plan, not a percentage of your portfolio
- No assets are managed and no custody is taken
- No investment minimums, so the plan is priced by complexity, not by wealth
- No commissions and no product sales
- You, or your existing advisors, implement the recommendations
Who it fits
It fits do-it-yourself investors who want a second set of credentialed eyes, and it fits households who already have an advisor but need real estate integrated into the picture. It is a supplement, not a replacement, for a good investment manager.
It fits less well for people who want someone else to execute trades, rebalance, and manage accounts day to day.
About Rich Arzaga, CFP®, CCIM
Rich Arzaga is the founder of The Real Estate Whisperer® Financial Planning and creator of The Real Estate Income Lab® and The 5% Real Estate Performance Gap®. He provides comprehensive, flat-fee financial advice that brings investment real estate together with retirement, investments, taxes, insurance, estate planning and the rest of a client's financial life.
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