How Much Does a Financial Advisor Cost in New Jersey? Our Fees Explained
How do our financial planning and investment management fees work? At Financial Life Planning in Marlton, New Jersey, we serve clients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, with fees based on the services you need. We offer ongoing investment management for an advisory fee, separate financial planning consultations at $250 per hour, and defined planning projects for an agreed fixed fee.
Many investment-management clients do not pay an additional hourly or project fee for the guidance ordinarily provided within that relationship. When substantial additional planning work is needed, we discuss the scope and any separate fee before beginning.
The starting point is understanding what you want help with—and what work is included in your engagement.
Our Financial Advisor Fees and Service Options
Comparing financial advisor fees in New Jersey starts with distinguishing among ongoing investment management, focused advice, and detailed planning projects.
Ongoing investment management: An advisory fee based on the investments we manage, generally deducted from your custodial account when authorized.
Hourly consultations: $250 per hour for separately agreed consultation work.
Fixed-project planning: An agreed price for a defined scope of work and deliverables.
Insurance and annuity evaluations: No separate hourly or project fee for helping you evaluate fit; insurance-company commissions may apply if you purchase a product through us.
These arrangements do not mean that every client pays every type of fee. We explain the compensation that applies to the services you select.
Ongoing Investment Management: No Automatic Additional Planning Bill
Many clients primarily want professional management of their investments rather than a separate planning project. We manage investments in the context of their goals, risk tolerance, time horizon, and financial circumstances.
Accounts are generally held at Charles Schwab, an independent custodian. Under our investment advisory agreement, fees are charged monthly based on the prior month-end account balance and may be deducted from the custodial account with written authorization.
We generally do not charge a separate hourly or project fee for guidance ordinarily provided within this relationship. A financial question does not automatically result in an additional bill.
A substantial special assignment may warrant a separate engagement—for example, work requiring extensive document review, multiple planning scenarios, or detailed written deliverables beyond the usual scope of our relationship. We first determine whether the work is included or requires a separate agreement, and explain any additional fee before proceeding.
The advisory fee is not necessarily the only cost associated with investing. Underlying investment expenses and applicable transaction or other charges may also apply and should be considered separately.
Hourly Financial Planning: $250 Per Hour
Hourly planning can be appropriate when you want help with a focused question or limited assignment without engaging us for ongoing investment management. Your engagement identifies the scope, estimated hours, and estimated fee.
An hourly consultation may be a good fit when:
You have one or a few specific financial questions.
You want a second opinion on a financial decision.
You need a limited review rather than a broader planning project.
You prefer to pay for the time required to complete the agreed work.
You expect to implement recommendations yourself, unless implementation assistance is expressly included.
Hourly work includes more than meeting time. Depending on the engagement, it can include reviewing documents, research and analysis, preparing recommendations, calls and emails, and authorized coordination with your other professional advisers.
For example, four hours of work at $250 per hour would cost $1,000. This is an illustration—not a quote or a standard package. The time required depends on the agreed scope and analysis needed.
If the work materially expands, we provide a description of the additional scope and a revised estimate and obtain written approval before proceeding. The hourly rate is not an additional charge automatically applied to investment-management clients.
Flat-Fee Financial Planning: A Defined Project at an Agreed Price
If you are looking for a flat fee financial planner, ask both what the engagement costs and what that price includes. At Financial Life Planning, a fixed-project fee is established for your specific assignment rather than a standard package applied to every household.
A fixed-project engagement may be appropriate when:
You want several related financial questions addressed together.
You need a more extensive planning analysis.
You want defined reports, recommendations, or other deliverables.
You prefer an agreed price for a clearly specified scope.
You are an existing investment-management client requesting substantial additional planning work.
Your agreement identifies the services, deliverables, meetings, exclusions, timing, and payment terms. A fixed fee does not automatically include unlimited advice, future updates, ongoing monitoring, or implementation. Additional work requires approval before it begins.
What Can a Planning Engagement Include?
Depending on your goals and the agreed scope, a consultation or project can address:
Retirement and comprehensive financial planning
Investment analysis and recommendations
Cash-flow management
Tax-planning strategies
Estate-planning review
Risk management and insurance review
Education funding
Business succession planning
Not every engagement includes every service. We identify the areas and deliverables relevant to your needs.
We do not prepare tax returns or legal documents or provide legal, accounting, or tax advice. We may coordinate with your CPA, attorney, or other professionals when authorized; those professionals remain responsible for their specialized services.
Life Insurance, Disability Insurance, and Annuities
Insurance and annuity questions often arise as part of your overall financial plan. You may need to assess family protection, income protection, or whether an annuity is appropriate for your retirement objectives.
We do not charge a separate hourly or project fee to help you determine whether life insurance, disability insurance, or an annuity fits your plan or to evaluate suitable options. If you purchase a product through us, we may receive a commission from the insurance company. We explain the applicable compensation for the arrangement.
No separate consultation fee does not mean the product itself has no cost. Review applicable premiums, expenses, restrictions, surrender provisions, and other terms before purchasing. Annuity compensation can differ by product and arrangement, so it should be explained specifically rather than assumed to be the same in every case.
How Our Financial Planning Process Defines the Work
Our financial planning process chart provides a framework for organizing your goals, reviewing relevant information, and developing recommendations. The scope of your engagement determines which steps and deliverables apply. A focused consultation does not necessarily require the same depth of work as a comprehensive project.
For separately engaged planning work, we document the questions to address, information needed, analysis and deliverables included, meetings and revisions, exclusions, anticipated timing, and fee arrangement. This connects the cost to the work you are asking us to perform.
Hourly vs. AUM Fee: Which Arrangement Fits?
An hourly vs. AUM fee comparison is about services—not simply which price looks lower. Hourly fees apply to separately engaged consultation work. An assets-under-management, or AUM, fee applies to ongoing investment management under a separate advisory agreement.
Your situation | Arrangement to discuss |
I want professional management of my investments and guidance within that relationship. | Ongoing investment management |
I have a focused question and do not need ongoing portfolio management. | An hourly consultation |
I want a detailed assignment with defined deliverables and an agreed price. | A fixed-project engagement |
You already manage my investments, but I need substantial additional analysis. | Whether a separate hourly or fixed-project engagement is needed |
I want help evaluating life insurance, disability insurance, or an annuity. | An evaluation without a separate hourly or project fee; commissions may apply |
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to move my investments to work with you?
No. You can engage us for a separately scoped consultation or planning project without hiring us for ongoing investment management. The consultation agreement does not authorize us to manage or trade your investments.
Will I pay both an investment-management fee and a planning fee?
Not automatically. Investment-management clients generally do not pay a separate fee for guidance ordinarily provided within that relationship. Substantial additional projects may involve a separately agreed fee.
Does a fixed planning fee include future updates?
Not automatically. Your engagement identifies the follow-up included. Future updates or additional work require a subsequent agreement unless expressly included in the original scope.
Get Started With a Clear Understanding of Your Fees
Understanding how much a financial advisor costs begins with understanding what you are hiring the advisor to do. At Financial Life Planning, we explain the services involved, how we are compensated, and whether a separate engagement is needed.
Learn more about our approach in Customized Process & Goals at Financial Life Planning in NJ.
To discuss your goals and the service arrangement that may fit your situation, schedule a free consultation with Financial Life Planning.
Edward C. Goldstein, CFP®, MBA, President
CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER ™ Practitioner
Financial Life Planning, LLC
10,000 Lincoln Dr. East, Suite 201
Marlton, NJ 08053
Phone: 856-988-5480
Fax: 908-292-1040
