Based in Minnetonka, Minnesota
Flames FP is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, about three and a half hours north; Des Moines relationships run virtually. This page describes the Des Moines service area, not a separate Des Moines branch.
Financial advisor serving Des Moines
A flat-fee financial advisor serving Des Moines, IA.
Flames Financial Planning is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota and works with Des Moines 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 Des Moines-area households; Flames FP does not claim a Des Moines 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 Des Moines or anywhere else you happen to be.
Direct answer
How Do You Find a Flat-Fee Financial Advisor Serving Des Moines?
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 Des Moines office—and serves Des Moines households virtually. Memberships cost $150, $900, or $1,650 per quarter, with no AUM fee and no annual commitment.
A truthful local relationship
Serving Des Moines 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.
Iowa planning context
What actually differs about planning in central Iowa
Tax rules are set by the state, not the city, and they change which decisions are worth the most. The full Iowa picture, with sources, is on the Iowa page. How those rules bear on withdrawal order, Roth-conversion timing and Medicare premiums is set out in the retirement tax planning overview.
Iowa tax treatment
Iowa taxes income at a flat 3.8% and, from 2023, excludes retirement income entirely for taxpayers 55 and older: pensions, IRA and 401(k) distributions and Roth-conversion income, with no dollar cap. Social Security is not taxed and the inheritance tax is gone for deaths from 2025. For a Des Moines household the state layer disappears from the conversion decision in the year one spouse turns 55.
Retirement income: Fully excluded from age 55, with no cap; Social Security untaxed
For tax years from 2023, retirement income is excluded from Iowa taxable income for taxpayers who are 55 or older on December 31, disabled, or a surviving spouse. The Department's qualifying list includes traditional and Roth IRA distributions, 401(k) and pension income including IPERS, and Roth-conversion income, with no dollar limit. Social Security benefits are not taxed.
Estates: None: inheritance tax repealed for deaths from 2025
Senate File 619 (2021) phased out Iowa's inheritance tax, which no longer applies to deaths on or after January 1, 2025. Iowa has had no separate estate tax since 2005. Only the federal exclusion applies.
How local households are paid
Des Moines is an insurance and financial-services capital, home to Principal Financial Group's headquarters and large operations of Wells Fargo and Nationwide, alongside the Hy-Vee and Casey's headquarters, John Deere's Ankeny works and state government. Public-company restricted stock and defined-benefit pensions are common, as are employee-owners of the region's privately held companies with retirement plans of their own.
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 Iowa Tax Interacts With a Des Moines Household’s Federal Return
At 3.8% the state layer is small for working households and disappears for retirees over 55, so the federal deduction cap rarely binds and the plan is almost entirely federal: brackets, Medicare tiers and the taxation of Social Security.
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
Iowa planning opportunities
Things that are worth doing in Iowa that would not be worth doing, or would work differently, somewhere else.
Roth conversions after 55 cost federal tax only
Because Roth-conversion income is on the Department's list of excluded retirement income, an Iowa resident who is 55 or older on December 31 of the conversion year pays no Iowa tax on the conversion, however large. Someone under 55 pays 3.8% on it, so a household approaching 55 has a reason to schedule conversions into the year of the birthday or later.
The ISave 529 deduction
Each Iowa taxpayer may deduct contributions of up to $5,800 per beneficiary for 2025 to ISave 529 or the IAdvisor 529 plan, so a couple can deduct up to $11,600 per child or grandchild. Contributions made up to the Iowa filing deadline count for the prior year. The limit is indexed; the 2026 figure had not been published when this was written.
Retired farmers' lease income and land gains
A retired farmer who is 55 or older, has materially participated in farming for ten years and has held the land for ten years may elect to exclude farm lease income from Iowa tax, and a separate election excludes capital gain on the sale of farm real property. Both are elections with conditions and interact with the general retirement exclusion.
The first meeting
What the first meeting covers for a Des Moines household
A discovery meeting is a conversation, not a pitch. For households here it tends to get to these three things.
Roth conversions from the year of the 55th birthday, when Iowa stops taxing them, and how much bracket room the federal side allows.
Restricted stock and a pension at an insurance or financial employer: elections, vesting and concentration.
A retirement-income map in which Iowa takes nothing after 55, so the plan is entirely federal.
Who this fits
Households Flames FP often helps in Des Moines
The common thread is a household with enough complexity that the decisions interact, and enough assets that a percentage fee gets expensive.
Corporate employees
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
Des Moines Financial Advisor Questions
Does Flames Financial Planning have a Des Moines office?
No. Flames Financial Planning is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota, and serves Des Moines households through a virtual planning relationship. This page describes the service area and does not claim a Des Moines office.
Can someone in Des Moines work with Flames FP virtually?
Yes. Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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 Iowa 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 Iowa rules themselves are set out on the Iowa page.
Next step
Compare a Des Moines-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.