Based in Minnetonka, Minnesota
Flames FP is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Boulder relationships run entirely virtually. This page describes the Boulder service area, not a separate Boulder branch.
Financial advisor serving Boulder
A flat-fee financial advisor serving Boulder, CO.
Flames Financial Planning is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota and works with Boulder 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 Boulder-area households; Flames FP does not claim a Boulder 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 Boulder or anywhere else you happen to be.
Direct answer
How Do You Find a Flat-Fee Financial Advisor Serving Boulder?
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 a Boulder office—and serves Boulder households virtually. Memberships cost $150, $900, or $1,650 per quarter, with no AUM fee and no annual commitment.
A truthful local relationship
Serving Boulder 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.
Colorado planning context
What actually differs about planning in the Front Range
Tax rules are set by the state, not the city, and they change which decisions are worth the most. The full Colorado picture, with sources, is on the Colorado page. How those rules bear on withdrawal order, Roth-conversion timing and Medicare premiums is set out in the retirement tax planning overview.
Colorado tax treatment
Colorado taxes income at a flat rate, 4.40% by statute and 4.25% for 2025, and from 65 lets retirees subtract up to $24,000 a year of pension and annuity income with Social Security fully subtractable. Contributions to a Colorado 529 plan are deductible up to $25,400 per beneficiary ($38,100 filing jointly), far above what most states allow. For a Boulder household with children and equity, the 529 subtraction and the timing of equity events are the state-level questions.
Retirement income: Pension and annuity subtraction from age 55; Social Security fully subtractable from 65
Taxpayers aged 55 to 64 can subtract up to $20,000 of pension and annuity income and those 65 and older up to $24,000. From 65 the full amount of Social Security included in federal taxable income is subtractable, and from tax year 2025 that full subtraction also applies at 55 to 64 for filers with adjusted gross income of $75,000 or less ($95,000 filing jointly).
Estates: The estate question in Colorado is a federal one
For a Colorado household the number that matters at death is the federal exclusion, $15 million per person for deaths in 2026. Colorado's own estate tax return relates to an earlier federal credit regime; we do not make a claim about it here beyond that, because the state's own publications on the point are not something we could verify directly.
How local households are paid
Boulder is paid by the University of Colorado, by the federal laboratories (NIST, NOAA and NCAR among them), by a dense technology and aerospace start-up scene and the public companies that acquire from it, and by the natural-products and outdoor industries. Households here often combine a federal or university retirement plan with a spouse's start-up equity, which is taxed in a wholly different way and may be illiquid for years.
Rates change; check before you act
Brackets, thresholds, and retirement-income rules are revised regularly. The figures above are for tax year 2025. Treat them as a starting point and confirm the current year before making a decision on them.
Federal and state, together
How Colorado Tax Interacts With a Boulder Household’s Federal Return
At roughly 4.25%–4.40%, Colorado income tax on a high income plus Front Range property tax can approach the federal deduction cap, and above $500,000 of modified adjusted gross income the cap shrinks toward $10,000.
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
Colorado planning opportunities
Things that are worth doing in Colorado that would not be worth doing, or would work differently, somewhere else.
The CollegeInvest 529 subtraction
Contributions to a Colorado CollegeInvest 529 account can be subtracted up to $25,400 per beneficiary for a single filer and $38,100 for a joint return in 2025 — far above what most states allow.
Using the subtraction from 55
Because the pension and annuity subtraction starts at 55 rather than at retirement, someone who stops working early can draw up to $20,000 a year of qualifying income state-tax-free for a decade before the higher $24,000 amount and the Social Security subtraction arrive at 65.
A rate that can change
The TABOR mechanism means the rate you pay depends on the state's surplus that year. Planning that spreads income across years should assume the 4.40% statutory rate and treat a reduction as upside.
The first meeting
What the first meeting covers for a Boulder household
A discovery meeting is a conversation, not a pitch. For households here it tends to get to these three things.
Start-up equity: what it is, what it is worth, when it could become liquid and what a sale would cost federally and in Colorado.
Which account gets the next dollar, including Colorado's unusually large 529 subtraction.
Coordinating a federal or university retirement plan with a spouse's 401(k) and outside accounts into one allocation.
Who this fits
Households Flames FP often helps in Boulder
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.
Corporate employees
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
Boulder Financial Advisor Questions
Does Flames Financial Planning have a Boulder office?
No. Flames Financial Planning is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and serves Boulder households through a virtual planning relationship. This page describes the service area and does not claim a Boulder office.
Can someone in Boulder work with Flames FP virtually?
Yes. Boulder 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 Boulder 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 a Boulder 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 Colorado 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 Colorado rules themselves are set out on the Colorado page.
Next step
Compare a Boulder-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.