Blackshire is fee-only. We are paid a single fee by our clients, a percentage of the assets we manage. That fee covers the plan, the investment management, the tax coordination, and the meetings through the year. No commissions, no product sales, nothing on the side.
The fee is a percentage of the assets we manage for you. It is one number. It is not a planning fee plus an investment fee plus a financial-plan fee. The plan, the portfolio, the tax work, and the year-round access are all inside it.
The rate is tiered and steps down as the assets we manage for you grow, so the blended cost falls as the relationship gets larger.
The fee is billed quarterly and deducted directly from your account, so it shows on the statement the custodian sends you. Before you sign anything, you get your exact rate and billing terms in writing, in the advisory agreement and disclosed in our Form ADV. There is nothing about the cost you learn later.
For some clients, we provide the planning on its own, without investment management, for a fixed annual fee based on the scope of the work.
There are only two costs in a fee-only relationship:
We are paid nothing by the custodian, nothing by any fund company, and nothing for recommending one product over another. There is no third number.
It depends entirely on what the fee buys. Paying a planning-level fee for fund selection alone is usually not worth it. A low-cost index fund does that job for a rounding error.
Paying it for the work around the funds often is worth it, because that work moves far more money than which fund you pick does over a full retirement:
If none of that applies to you, you may not need to pay a planning fee at all, and we will say so. If most of it does, the arithmetic usually favors having a plan.
The first conversation is 30 minutes and free. Tell us your situation and we will tell you, roughly, what the fee would be and whether the value is there for you. If it is not, that is a fine outcome and we will point you toward what makes more sense.
If you already have an advisor and want to compare, that is what the second opinion is for.
Blackshire is fee-only. For clients whose investments it manages, it is paid a single fee calculated as a percentage of assets under management, billed quarterly, and that one fee covers the whole relationship: the financial plan, ongoing investment management, tax coordination, and the meetings through the year. For some clients, we provide the planning on its own, without investment management, for a fixed annual fee based on the scope of the work. Either way, there are no commissions and no product sales.
Fee-only means the firm is paid only by its clients and earns nothing from commissions, revenue sharing, or product sales. Fee-based is a different term: a fee-based advisor charges a fee but can also earn commissions, which creates a conflict on the invoice you cannot see. Blackshire is fee-only. Our article on what fee-only fiduciary means goes deeper.
The funds held in your accounts have their own internal expense ratios, which are paid to the fund companies, not to Blackshire. Blackshire builds portfolios from low-cost funds to keep that number small, and it is fully disclosed in the firm's Form ADV. Blackshire receives no payment from the custodian or from any fund company.
Yes. Before any engagement begins, you get your exact fee in writing, in the advisory agreement and disclosed in the firm's Form ADV. Nothing about the cost is a surprise later.
It depends entirely on what you get for it. Paying a planning fee for fund selection alone is usually not worth it; a low-cost index fund does that. Paying it for the work around the funds often is: household-level asset location and tax-aware management on the investment side, plus coordinated tax planning, retirement income design, Roth conversion strategy, and equity compensation decisions handled as one plan. Those move far more money over time than which fund you pick does.
The relationship minimum is $500,000 in assets under management, with household and related entity accounts counted together where permitted. We can reduce or waive it at our discretion, usually where the situation is complex or the assets are close. If you are not sure where you stand, it is worth a conversation.
A 30-minute call. Tell us your situation and we will give you a straight answer on the fee and whether the value is there.
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