Financial planning guides
Guides for Comparing Financial Advisors
Evergreen resources about flat-fee financial planning, advisor costs, AUM fees, tax planning, retirement planning, and Minnesota financial advisors.
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The Core Guides
These are the pages most likely to help people compare advisor models and understand whether Flames FP is a fit.
Flat Fee vs 1% AUM
Compare a flat quarterly membership with a traditional percentage-of-assets fee.
How Much Does a Financial Advisor Cost?
Understand AUM fees, flat fees, hourly planning, project fees, and membership pricing.
Minnesota Flat-Fee Advisor Guide
Compare Minnesota flat-fee and fee-only fiduciary advisors, no-AUM pricing, credentials, conflicts, and what should be included.
Investment, Tax, and Estate Planning Under One Flat Fee
Learn how one advisory relationship can coordinate investments, taxes, retirement, and estate guidance.
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Concentrated Stock Tax Strategy
Build a deliberate multi-year plan for company stock, tax lots, future vesting, capital gains, and diversification.
Financial Advisor With Tax Filing Included
What to look for if you want financial planning, tax planning, and tax-return preparation and filing through an independent tax partner coordinated.
Tax Planning and Filing Service
See how proactive tax guidance, completed-return review, and eligible Premier tax preparation fit into the planning relationship.
Retirement Planning in Minnesota
How to think about retirement income, taxes, Medicare, Social Security, RMDs, and advisor fees.
Flames Financial Dashboard
Use a free planning dashboard to organize net worth, cash flow, goals, debt, insurance, and estate documents.
Advisor Cost Calculators
Use calculators to compare AUM fees with flat quarterly membership pricing.
Financial Planning Videos
Watch plain-English videos about flat fees, AUM fees, taxes, retirement, and advisor comparison.
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How Flames FP Builds Financial Planning Guides
Each guide starts with the question a household is actually trying to answer. The first section gives a direct response; the rest explains definitions, decision points, tradeoffs, examples, and the next useful action.
Plain English first
Technical terms are defined before they are used. Percentages are translated into dollars when that makes a fee, tax, or planning tradeoff easier to understand.
Connected decisions
Taxes, investments, retirement, cash flow, insurance, and estate documents are discussed together when one decision can affect another.
Limits are visible
Examples identify assumptions and are educational, not individualized legal, tax, or investment advice. Rules and thresholds should be confirmed for the applicable year.
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Financial Planning, Explained Clearly
Use the video for the walkthrough, then use the written guide for the details, examples, and next steps.
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.
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How to Decrease Your Tax Bill
Review practical tax-planning decisions that can connect income, investments, retirement, and withholding.
Watch and read the guide
The Most Underrated Retirement Account
How a taxable brokerage account can support retirement flexibility alongside tax-advantaged accounts.
Watch and read the guideNeed personal advice?
Compare Options, Then Talk Through Your Situation
These guides can help you understand the decision. A discovery call can help determine whether Flames FP is the right fit.