FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Some financial advisors have affiliations with larger investment firms, banks and broker-dealers, whereas others are independent financial advisors. At Lavish Financial Planning, we are independent financial advisors, which means that we have greater flexibility to review investment products and strategies offered by the industry at-large. As a client, you can be ensured that we will only offer and promote products that are in your best interest, and we have no other incentive driving our recommendations.

Further, Lavish Financial Planning was started as a family owned and operated business. We welcome our clients into our family, sharing stories of our own experiences and identifying with your struggles to do the most you can for yourself and your loved ones.

A Certified Financial Planner (CFP®) is a unique designation awarded to financial professionals that have proven exemplary knowledge and skill in creating and analyzing financial plans for individuals, families, and businesses.

To attain the CFP® status, professionals must undergo coursework in Professional Conduct and Fiduciary Responsibility, as well as six core subject matter (General Principals of Financial Planning, Insurance Planning, Investment Planning, Income Tax Planning, Retirement Planning and Estate Planning), and pass a rigorous ten-hour examination testing the above subject matter and sample cases that again explore the applicants’ depth of knowledge on the material. Finally, there are many continuing education requirements to maintain this esteemed designation.

A CFP® has a unique perspective of the financial world. Instead of prioritizing just one aspect to attain and grow wealth, a CFP® examines all of the interconnected pieces of the puzzle to find the best approach given their clients’ personal needs, dreams and goals.

We believe being a fiduciary simply means putting the clients’ needs before our own as a firm. At times, what is best for the client may be in conflict with what is best for the growth of our firm. But our core principle to be a fiduciary for our client first and foremost reduces this conflict to a simple answer for us, to act in the clients’ best interest. We are committed to our clients, and we want it to be clear that this commitment is unwavering.

Lavish Financial Planning is a fee-only firm, which communicates to you that our source of revenue is from you, our clients.  We structured the firm this way to clearly align our goals with yours, increasing transparency and trust between all parties. We understand the uncertainty your financial future holds and the risk it is for an individual to share this financial information with someone else. We cherish the level of trust you place in us, and our decision to be fee-only was founded on this core belief.

At Lavish Financial Planning, we do not work directly with our clients to complete their annual income tax filing and preparation.  However, we have an affiliation with our family-owned and operated tax preparation business, Inspired Vision Accounting, who is happy to assist you with any of your tax preparation needs.

Investment management is an important component of any financial plan. Through investing, we can identify savings accumulations and target specific goals with these funds. We provide both a passive investment management and managed investment strategy options to our clients by partnering with leading vendors for each approach. Our investment management custodians are AssetMark, Schwab, and Betterment.

The cost of our services varies based on the complexity of your financial situation. We are competitive in our industry, and are open to discussing the terms that are most appropriate given your financial situation. We charge an up-front financial planning fee that ranges from $2,500 - $4,000 depending on complexity with a monthly recurring fee for ongoing services which cost $335-$500 a month.

In addition, if you prefer for us to manage your investments, as well as provide financial planning services, we can consolidate all fees into one investment management fee that is calculated as a percentage of assets under management. This again allows for alignment of interests, since our firm’s goal will be to increase your overall wealth. The annual fee for assets under management will range from .60% – 1.00% depending on the amount of investment assets under management, the complexity of the financial plan, and the investment management structure. This amount will be billed quarterly versus your investment portfolio.

All fee amounts and timing are fully discussed with clients before any payment accrues. We do all we can to maximize transparency in the billing process and to ensure that you are comfortable with the terms.