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Stone Arch Bridge and the Minneapolis skyline beside the Mississippi River

Minnesota-based. Serving clients nationwide, virtually.

Flat Fee Financial Planning for Families Building and Managing Significant Wealth

Choose comprehensive Planning or advanced Premier. Both pair your investments with tax, retirement, estate, and family decisions through a dedicated advisor relationship—without a 1% AUM fee. Meet by video from anywhere in the U.S., where permitted.

Schedule a Discovery Meeting See Transparent Pricing
$900 / quarterPlanning: a dedicated advisor and comprehensive ongoing planning.
$1,650 / quarterPremier: advanced planning, implementation, and professional coordination.
0% AUMYour advisory fee is not a percentage of your portfolio.
Nationwide, virtualMinnesota-based, serving clients across the U.S. by video, where permitted.

The answer in 20 seconds

One Advisor Relationship for Decisions That Rarely Happen Alone

Investment choices affect taxes. Tax choices affect retirement. Retirement choices affect estate planning and family wealth. Flames FP connects those decisions under a flat quarterly membership instead of charging a percentage of your assets.

See how the planning relationship works

What's covered in a coordinated planning relationship

Investments

Portfolio guidance connected to taxes, cash flow, risk, and your broader plan.

Tax planning

Year-round tax decisions, with tax-return review in Planning and eligible preparation and filing in Premier through an independent tax partner.

Retirement

Income, Roth conversions, Social Security, Medicare, RMDs, and withdrawals.

Ongoing advice

A second set of eyes for decisions that come up throughout the year.

Parents and two children sharing time together in a bright kitchen
Minnesota-based, serving households across the country by video, where permitted.

Who Flames FP helps

Financial Planning for Connected Decisions

Flames FP helps households in Minnesota and across the country coordinate investments, taxes, compensation, retirement, and family decisions instead of handling each one separately.

  1. High-income familiesCoordinate taxes, goals, and growing wealth.
  2. Corporate employeesConnect RSUs, stock options, and bonuses to the broader plan.
  3. Pre-retireesPlan retirement income, Social Security, Medicare, taxes, and withdrawals together.
  4. Business owners and executivesCoordinate business, equity, taxes, investments, and family wealth.
  5. Minnesota householdsGet local roots with the flexibility of a virtual planning relationship.
See Who We Help

Flat-fee memberships

Two Ways to Work With Flames.

Planning coordinates the full financial picture. Premier adds deeper modeling, implementation, tax filing, and professional coordination when the work becomes more complex.

Shared foundation

Included in every Flames membership

  • Dedicated Flames advisor
  • Personalized investment management
  • Financial Dashboard
  • No AUM advisory fee

Comprehensive ongoing planning

Flames Planning

$900 / quarter

$3,600 annualized

For established professionals and families who want investments, taxes, retirement, insurance, and estate planning coordinated.

Included in Flames Planning

  • Comprehensive ongoing financial planning
  • Personalized investment management, monitoring, and rebalancing
  • Proactive tax guidance and review of one completed personal tax return
  • Retirement, insurance, and estate decisions coordinated in one plan
  • Wealth.com will- or trust-based estate documents from day one
  • Ongoing planning conversations, plan updates, and Dashboard updates
Schedule a Planning Meeting

Advanced planning and implementation

Flames Premier

$1,650 / quarter

$6,600 annualized

For high-asset households, pre-retirees, retirees, and families facing advanced tax, retirement-income, estate, or implementation decisions.

Everything in Flames Planning, plus

  • Advanced planning led by your dedicated Flames advisor
  • Ongoing tax projections, Roth-conversion, and capital-gain modeling
  • Retirement-income, Social Security, and withdrawal implementation
  • Eligible tax-return preparation and filing with an independent tax partner
  • Equity-compensation, concentrated-position, and charitable planning
  • Advanced estate strategy, professional coordination, and priority access
Schedule a Premier Meeting

Billed quarterly in advance. No annual commitment.

Compare full membership details → Not sure which fits? Start with discovery →

1% AUM vs Flames Premier

See What a Percentage-of-Assets Fee Means Over 10 Years

Move the slider to compare an advisor charging 1% of a growing portfolio with the Flames Premier Membership's fixed $6,600 annual fee. This illustration assumes 8% annual portfolio growth.

Compare Flat Fee vs AUM
$1,000,000
8% annual growth
Year-one 1% AUM fee $10,000
10-year 1% AUM fees $144,866
Portfolio grows 8% annually; the 1% fee grows with it.
10-year Flames Premier fees $66,000
$6,600 flat quarterly membership fee for 10 years.
Estimated 10-year savings with Premier $78,866
Hypothetical educational illustration only, not a performance projection or guarantee. Assumes the selected starting portfolio grows 8% annually, applies a 1% AUM fee to each year's beginning balance, and holds the Premier fee at $6,600 per year. Excludes withdrawals, taxes, investment expenses, other fees, and the effect of paying fees from the portfolio.

Client perspective

What Clients Say About Working With Flames

Selected Google reviews from Flames Financial Planning clients, shown in full as written. Each reflects one client's experience.

I’ve worked with Joel for the past four years, starting after I moved to the U.S. from India in 2022. When he launched Flames, I chose to continue working with him through his new firm, and I’m so glad I did. My financial situation was unique: I had moved to the U.S. later in life and hoped to buy a home within my first few years here. Joel helped me develop a plan that made that possible. He’s also guided me on retirement and estate planning, taking the time to explain my options and help me make informed decisions.

Joel is thoughtful, highly responsive, and a pleasure to work with. I highly recommend him to anyone looking for a financial advisor.

Karanbir S. Google review
  • Current client
  • No compensation
  • No conflicts of interest

Working with Joel has been a life changer. He is attentive, very knowledgeable, and cares about his clients. I would highly recommend him.

Kirsten G. Google review
  • Current client
  • No compensation
  • No conflicts of interest

I've been working with Joel for the better part of a year, he's fantastic! Extremely responsive & has helped me wrangle my finances into a better place- I would recommend working with him.

Sean F. Google review
  • Current client
  • No compensation
  • No conflicts of interest

Disclosures. These reviews were written by Flames Financial Planning clients on Google and are shown exactly as posted. Each reviewer received no compensation and has no conflict of interest to report. Flames FP selected these reviews, so they may not represent the experience of all clients. Individual experiences vary and are not a guarantee of future results. See all 18 selected client reviews.

Read all reviews on Google Maps Schedule a Discovery Meeting

Common questions

Flat-Fee Financial Advisor Questions, Answered

Pricing, services, and the planning model should be understandable before you ever share a financial statement.

Browse financial planning guides
What is a flat-fee financial advisor?

A flat-fee financial advisor charges a set price for planning and advice instead of a percentage of the assets they manage. At Flames FP, that is a fixed quarterly membership with no annual commitment and no AUM advisory fee. A flat fee may cost less or more than a percentage fee, depending on portfolio size and scope. Read the flat-fee financial advisor guide or the flat fee vs 1% AUM guide.

How much does a flat-fee financial advisor cost?

Flames FP memberships are $900 per quarter for Planning ($3,600 a year) and $1,650 per quarter for Premier ($6,600 a year), with no AUM fee. For comparison, a 1% AUM fee on $1,000,000 is $10,000 a year before other costs. Which costs less depends on your balance and the scope you need. See Flames pricing or the advisor cost guide.

What is the difference between a flat fee and a 1% AUM fee?

A 1% AUM fee is a percentage of the assets an advisor manages, so the dollar fee rises as your portfolio grows. A flat fee is a set amount that does not change with your balance. Each has trade-offs: percentage fees may suit smaller balances, while flat fees may suit larger balances or more complex planning. Try the 1% AUM fee calculator.

Does Flames Financial Planning have a minimum portfolio size?

No. Flames FP has no minimum balance. Many households who schedule a discovery meeting report roughly $1M to $5M in investable assets, but there is no required amount. The membership you choose depends on the scope of planning you want, not on a portfolio threshold.

What does a Flames FP membership include?

Planning includes a dedicated advisor, personalized investment management, tax guidance with a review of one completed return, retirement, insurance, and estate coordination, and Wealth.com estate documents from day one. Premier adds ongoing tax projections, Roth conversion modeling, and eligible tax filing through an independent partner. Eligibility and exclusions apply. See the full membership details.

Is there a flat-fee financial advisor in Minnesota?

Yes. Flames FP is a Minnesota-based flat-fee financial planning firm serving Minnesota households and clients across the U.S. by video, where permitted. Memberships are billed quarterly with no AUM advisory fee. Read the Minnesota flat-fee advisor guide.

What is the Flames financial dashboard?

The Flames financial dashboard is a free personal finance dashboard that helps you organize your financial life in one place before deciding whether you need personalized advice. The dashboard helps you see the plan, and an advisor relationship helps you make and carry out decisions. Read the personal finance dashboard guide.

What do clients say about Flames Financial Planning?

Themes that appear in several selected Google reviews from Flames FP clients include responsiveness, personal attention, and taking time to explain options. Reviewers received no compensation and reported no conflicts of interest. Flames FP selected which reviews appear on this site, so they may not represent every client's experience. Read the selected client reviews or all reviews on Google Maps.

Explore Flames FP

The Main Pages for Understanding Flames Financial Planning

Start with transparent pricing, the planning process, the membership chooser, services, households we serve, and the firm behind the advice.

Pricing

Compare Planning and Premier at $900 or $1,650 per quarter, including the audience and planning work each relationship is designed to serve.

How It Works

Follow the process from discovery meeting through organization, recommendations, implementation, and ongoing advice.

Get Started

Choose the membership that fits your needs, then schedule the matching no-cost discovery meeting.

Services

See how investments, taxes, retirement, estate guidance, and ongoing decisions work together without AUM fees.

Who We Help

Review the households and planning situations that are most likely to fit a coordinated flat-fee relationship.

About

Learn about the fee-only fiduciary model, Minnesota roots, planning philosophy, and professional standards.

Watch and learn

Start with three videos selected for this page, then use the controls to explore every published Flames FP video guide.

Videos 1–3 of 14

Browse all financial planning videosVisit Flames FP on YouTube

Your next step

Find Out Whether a Flat-Fee Planning Relationship Fits Your Life

Use a discovery meeting to talk through your priorities, the planning work involved, and which membership may fit. Understand the options before deciding whether to move forward.

Schedule a Discovery Meeting Review Pricing First