Based in Minnetonka, Minnesota
Flames FP is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Ann Arbor relationships run entirely virtually. This page describes the Ann Arbor service area, not a separate Ann Arbor branch.
Financial advisor serving Ann Arbor
A flat-fee financial advisor serving Ann Arbor, MI.
Flames Financial Planning is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota and works with Ann Arbor households through a virtual planning relationship. Fixed quarterly memberships coordinate investments, taxes, retirement, and estate guidance without an AUM fee.
Minnetonka-basedA Minnesota firm serving Ann Arbor-area households; Flames FP does not claim an Ann Arbor office.
$150–$1,650/qtrQuarterly memberships billed in advance, with no annual commitment.
0% AUMThe advisory fee is not calculated as a percentage of the portfolio.
Virtual planningMeet and collaborate from Ann Arbor or anywhere else you happen to be.
Direct answer
How Do You Find a Flat-Fee Financial Advisor Serving Ann Arbor?
Compare each advisor’s registration, fiduciary role, total annualized cost in dollars, the services included, and who you actually meet with. Flames Financial Planning is based in Minnetonka—not at an Ann Arbor office—and serves Ann Arbor households virtually. Memberships cost $150, $900, or $1,650 per quarter, with no AUM fee and no annual commitment.
A truthful local relationship
Serving Ann Arbor without inventing an office there
A location page should tell you who is actually available, where the firm sits, and how the relationship works day to day.
Built for virtual collaboration
Meetings, document sharing, dashboard access, and ongoing planning all happen remotely, so where you live does not limit the advice you get.
Verify before you hire anyone
Check any advisor’s registration, services, disciplinary history, and fee disclosures before you sign. That applies to this firm as much as any other.
Michigan planning context
What actually differs about planning in southeastern Michigan
Tax rules are set by the state, not the city, and they change which decisions are worth the most. The full Michigan picture, with sources, is on the Michigan page. How those rules bear on withdrawal order, Roth-conversion timing and Medicare premiums is set out in the retirement tax planning overview.
Michigan tax treatment
Michigan's flat 4.25% income tax exempts Social Security and, from 2026, lets taxpayers of any age deduct retirement and pension income up to an indexed cap ($65,897 single or $131,794 joint at the 2025 level), with most 1099-R income qualifying. There is no estate or inheritance tax on current deaths. For an Ann Arbor university or medical household, the 2026 restoration of the deduction changes how much should come out of the 403(b) each year.
Retirement income: Social Security exempt; retirement and pension income deductible up to an indexed cap, $65,897 single / $131,794 joint at the 2025 level
Social Security is subtracted in full. Under Public Act 4 of 2023 the retirement and pension deduction is fully restored for 2026 and later: taxpayers of any birth year may deduct qualifying retirement and pension benefits up to the indexed maximum, which Revenue Administrative Bulletin 2026-1 puts at $65,897 single and $131,794 joint for tax year 2025, up from $64,040 and $128,080 for 2024. The cap is indexed each year, and the 2026 figure had not been published when this was written. Qualifying benefits are most payments reported on a federal Form 1099-R, including defined-benefit pensions, IRA distributions and most defined-contribution payouts; taxpayers born before 1946 keep an unlimited deduction for public pensions, and retired police, fire and corrections officers may elect a full deduction of their public retirement benefits.
Estates: None on current deaths
Michigan's inheritance tax applies only to inheritances from people who died on or before September 30, 1993, and the estate tax that replaced it was tied to a federal credit that no longer exists. Only the federal exclusion applies to a Michigan estate today.
How local households are paid
Ann Arbor is paid above all by the University of Michigan and Michigan Medicine, the region's largest employer by far, alongside Toyota's North American research center, Domino's headquarters and a technology and life-sciences sector grown out of the university. Faculty and physician households hold 403(b) and 457(b) plans and, often, a spouse's corporate 401(k) or restricted stock; the university's retirement plan structure differs from a corporate one and is worth reading closely.
Rates change; check before you act
Brackets, thresholds, and retirement-income rules are revised regularly. The figures above are for tax year 2026. Treat them as a starting point and confirm the current year before making a decision on them.
Federal and state, together
How Michigan Tax Interacts With an Ann Arbor Household’s Federal Return
At 4.25% plus property tax, a working household in the Detroit or Ann Arbor area can approach the federal deduction cap, and above $500,000 of modified adjusted gross income the cap shrinks toward $10,000. In retirement the pension deduction removes much of the state layer, so the plan is largely federal.
For tax year 2026 the federal deduction for state and local taxes is capped at $40,400, shrinking above $500,000 of modified adjusted gross income to a floor of $10,000. IRS, Instructions for Schedule A (2025), line 5e.
Worth doing here
Michigan planning opportunities
Things that are worth doing in Michigan that would not be worth doing, or would work differently, somewhere else.
Fill the pension deduction every year from 2026
With the deduction fully restored, a Michigan retiree of any age can shelter pension, IRA and most 401(k) income from the 4.25% tax up to an indexed cap, $65,897 (single) or $131,794 (joint) at the 2025 level, roughly $2,800 or $5,600 of state tax a year. Distributions held back during the 2023–2025 phase-in can be spread so each year's withdrawals fill, but do not exceed, the cap. Whether Roth-conversion income itself qualifies is not addressed in the Treasury guidance we found; confirm before relying on it.
2026 through 2028: both the standard deduction and the Social Security subtraction
Public Act 24 of 2025 lets taxpayers born after 1952 who have reached 67 take the Michigan standard deduction without the reduction for Social Security they subtract, for tax years 2026 through 2028 only. For those three years such a household keeps the full standard deduction against other income, including IRA withdrawals, while still excluding all Social Security, which favours realizing that income while the window lasts.
The MESP 529 deduction
Contributions to the Michigan Education Savings Program are deductible up to $5,000 on a single return or $10,000 on a joint return each year, worth up to $212.50 or $425 at 4.25%. Only Michigan's own plan qualifies.
Detroit's city tax stops at earned and investment income
Detroit residents pay a 2.4% city income tax (1.2% for non-residents working in the city), the maximum Michigan allows, administered with the state return. The city excludes pensions, annuities and Social Security, so a Detroit retiree living on those owes little or no city tax while a working professional pays the full rate.
The first meeting
What the first meeting covers for an Ann Arbor household
A discovery meeting is a conversation, not a pitch. For households here it tends to get to these three things.
How a university 403(b), a 457(b) and a spouse's corporate plan coordinate, and which Michigan's pension deduction will shelter each year.
Roth conversions in the years before required distributions, with the deduction's cap and the Medicare tiers both in view.
Disability and life coverage sized to a physician's or professor's income.
Who this fits
Households Flames FP often helps in Ann Arbor
The common thread is a household with enough complexity that the decisions interact, and enough assets that a percentage fee gets expensive.
High-income families
See how the planning relationship works for this situation, what is included, and what it costs.
Pre-retirees
See how the planning relationship works for this situation, what is included, and what it costs.
Anyone comparing a 1% fee against a flat one
Run your own numbers before talking to anyone, including this firm. The calculator converts a percentage into the dollars it actually costs over time.
Watch and learn
Financial Planning, Explained Clearly
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
What Nobody Tells You About Earning $400K a Year
See why a $400K income can still leave too little investable margin and how taxes, lifestyle growth, and deliberate investing change the result.
The RSU Strategy Most $300K Tech Earners Miss
Understand taxation at vesting, check the withholding gap, and turn each RSU vest into a deliberate diversification and household-planning decision.
The 3-Account System for a $250K Income
Use cash reserves, tax-advantaged accounts, and a taxable brokerage account to turn a strong income into a repeatable wealth-building system.
The 6 Levels of Wealth for $200K+ Households
Use six stages to separate a high income from the wealth it actually creates.
The Most Underrated Retirement Account
How a taxable brokerage account can support retirement flexibility alongside tax-advantaged accounts.
How to Decrease Your Tax Bill
Review practical tax-planning decisions that can connect income, investments, retirement, and withholding.
Should You Invest or Spend Your HSA?
A practical framework for deciding how an HSA fits healthcare costs, taxes, and retirement planning.
Four Common Backdoor Roth IRA Mistakes
Understand contribution, conversion, pro-rata, and reporting mistakes before they create tax problems.
Direct Indexing vs ETFs in a Taxable Account
Compare diversification, tax management, cost, and complexity before changing an investment strategy.
My New Favorite Account to Gift Money to Kids and Grandkids
Compare the new child investment account with 529 plans, custodial accounts, Roth IRAs for earned income, and the family's actual goals.
Estate Planning Documents You May Need
A plain-English review of wills, powers of attorney, healthcare directives, beneficiaries, and trusts.
Flat Fee vs 1% Financial Advisor
See how a percentage fee changes in dollars as a portfolio grows and what to compare beyond the headline rate.
How Much Life Insurance Do You Need?
Think through income replacement, debt, children, childcare, education, and family risk.
Five Money Mistakes High Earners Make
Common coordination gaps involving taxes, cash flow, investments, insurance, and estate planning.
Common questions
Ann Arbor Financial Advisor Questions
Does Flames Financial Planning have an Ann Arbor office?
No. Flames Financial Planning is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and serves Ann Arbor households through a virtual planning relationship. This page describes the service area and does not claim an Ann Arbor office.
Can someone in Ann Arbor work with Flames FP virtually?
Yes. Ann Arbor households can meet by video, share documents securely, use the financial dashboard, and receive ongoing planning without travelling. Flames FP serves clients nationwide where permitted.
How much does Flames FP cost?
Flames Access is $150 per quarter ($600 annualized), Planning is $900 per quarter ($3600 annualized), and Premier is $1650 per quarter ($6600 annualized). Memberships are billed quarterly in advance with no annual commitment.
Does Flames FP charge an AUM fee to Ann Arbor clients?
No. The advisory fee is a flat quarterly amount tied to the planning work, not a percentage of the portfolio, so it does not increase as investments grow.
What should an Ann Arbor household compare between advisors?
Compare the total annual cost in dollars rather than percentages, exactly what is included at that price, whether the advisor is a fiduciary and fee-only, and who you actually meet with. Then verify the firm's registration and disciplinary history on the SEC's adviser search.
Is Michigan tax planning part of the relationship?
Yes. State tax treatment shapes withdrawal order, Roth-conversion timing, and where investments are best held. Planning includes tax guidance and review of a completed return; Premier adds tax projections and preparation and filing through an independent tax partner. The Michigan rules themselves are set out on the Michigan page.
Next step
Compare an Ann Arbor-area planning relationship in actual dollars.
A discovery meeting covers your situation, your current advisor arrangement if you have one, and whether a fixed quarterly membership is a better fit than what you are paying now.