The questions people actually ask.

Common industry arrangements include a percentage of assets under management (frequently around 1% per year, often declining at higher balances), flat annual planning fees, and hourly engagements. The model matters less than the transparency: any advisor should tell you exactly what you will pay, in writing, before you commit. We do.

A fiduciary is legally required to act in your best interest, not merely to recommend something "suitable." When you evaluate any advisor, ask them to state in writing whether they act as a fiduciary for your accounts, and whether that duty applies all the time or only sometimes. It is a fair question and a revealing one.

Fee-only advisors are paid solely by their clients: no commissions on products they recommend. Fee-based advisors charge fees but can also earn commissions. Neither label guarantees good advice, but fee-only removes a common conflict of interest. Ask how an advisor is compensated on every recommendation they make.

Two free tools: FINRA BrokerCheck (brokercheck.finra.org) and the SEC’s Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site (adviserinfo.sec.gov). Both show registrations, work history, and any disciplinary events. Any legitimate advisor will be glad you looked.

Saving should start as early as possible, but planning gets most valuable in the final decade before retirement: that is when Social Security timing, pension elections, catch-up contributions, healthcare bridging, and the shift from saving to income all get decided. If retirement is within ten years, the window is now.

Plenty of people successfully manage their own investments. Where an advisor adds the most value is usually not fund selection; it is the coordination layer: tax-aware withdrawal order, insurance gaps, estate and beneficiary hygiene, and preventing the panicked decision in a bad market. If you would enjoy doing all of that, and would actually do it, you may not need us. We will tell you so.

CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification requires education, examination, experience, and ethics obligations, including a fiduciary standard when providing financial advice. It is one of the stronger signals that an advisor takes planning, not just investing, seriously.

Thirty minutes, no charge, no obligation, no pitch. We ask what prompted the call, what you are trying to figure out, and what you want money to do for your life. You will leave knowing whether we can genuinely help, and if we are not the right fit, we will say so and point you somewhere better.

Our practice is built around a deliberately limited number of households so each plan gets real attention, and fit matters more than a number. The honest answer is: ask. A short conversation will tell us both whether the engagement makes sense.

We are based in Charleston and serve the whole Lowcountry. Mount Pleasant, Daniel Island, Summerville, James Island, Johns Island, Kiawah Island, Isle of Palms, Sullivan’s Island, and West Ashley, plus a substantial client base in Aiken, SC, and households across the country by video.