Flat quarterly membership pricing
Pricing Without AUM Fees
Flames Financial Planning charges flat quarterly membership fees based on planning scope, not the size of your portfolio.
Fee-only fiduciary | Billed quarterly | No setup fee | No AUM fee
Simple fee model
What Does Flames Financial Planning Cost?
Memberships are $150, $900, or $1,650 per quarter.
That is $600, $3,600, or $6,600 annualized. Each three-month period is billed in advance, with no annual commitment and no AUM fee.
Free organization vs paid advice
Pay for Judgment, Not Access to Your Own Numbers.
The Flames Financial Dashboard is free because everyone should be able to organize their numbers. A paid membership adds the advisor relationship: judgment, personalization, implementation help, and coordinated planning across taxes, investments, retirement, insurance, estate, and family decisions.
Free dashboard
See and Organize the Financial Picture
Track net worth, cash flow, goals, debt, insurance, estate documents, and planning questions without becoming a client.
Explore the free dashboardPaid membership
Make, Implement, and Update the Decisions
Add personalized recommendations, investment management, tax coordination, implementation help, and ongoing access to an advisor.
Compare membershipsMembership options
Choose the Level That Matches Your Financial Life
Each price is per household and covers one three-month membership period. There is no annual commitment and no investment minimum.
Flames Access
$150 / quarter
Billed quarterly in advance · $600 annualized
Best for: Households that want personalized foundational guidance and professionally managed investments without comprehensive tax or estate planning.
What's included
- Personalized guidance for cash flow, emergency savings, debt, workplace benefits, insurance needs, education savings, and retirement contributions
- A Flames model portfolio selected for your objectives and risk profile
- Portfolio monitoring, rebalancing, and supported Altruist account management
- Access to Altruist's high-yield cash solution, subject to provider terms
- One introductory planning meeting, followed by email or approved secure messaging
- A connected financial dashboard and educational resources
Flames Planning
$900 / quarter
Billed quarterly in advance · $3,600 annualized
Best for: Professionals and families with generally straightforward financial lives who want coordinated planning, proactive tax guidance, and estate documents.
Everything in Flames Access, plus
- A dedicated Flames advisor supported by the planning team
- Planning meetings arranged around priorities and financial decisions
- Proactive tax-planning guidance and planning-focused review of one completed personal tax return
- Day-one access to Wealth.com for standard will-based or revocable-trust-based estate documents
- Ongoing dashboard, plan, and implementation updates
Flames Premier
$1,650 / quarter
Billed quarterly in advance · $6,600 annualized
Best for: High-income, high-asset, retiring, or complex households that need advanced tax, retirement, investment, and professional coordination.
Everything in Flames Planning, plus
- Advanced planning and implementation led by your dedicated Flames advisor
- Preparation and filing of one eligible federal individual return and required state individual returns through the designated independent tax partner
- Ongoing tax projections and advanced Roth-conversion and capital-gain modeling
- Retirement-income, withdrawal, and implementation planning
- Business-owner, equity-compensation, concentrated-position, and charitable planning
- Advanced estate strategy and coordination with attorneys, CPAs, and other professionals
Clear quarterly terms
No Annual Contract and No AUM Fee
Three-month commitment
Each quarter is billed in advance. Membership continues quarter to quarter unless canceled, with no annual commitment.
Cancel before the next quarter
Cancel at any time to prevent the next quarterly renewal. Service continues through the paid quarter, and paid quarterly fees are not prorated or refunded.
0% AUM advisory fee
Investment management is included in the membership. Fund expenses and any applicable custodian, platform, or third-party strategy fees remain separate.
Full membership comparison
What Each Flames Membership Includes
Compare the scope across each category. Higher tiers are cumulative: Planning includes Access, and Premier includes Planning.
Relationship and support
| Feature | Access | Planning | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personalized planning scope | Access | Comprehensive | Advanced comprehensive |
| Advisor relationship | Flames team | Dedicated Flames advisor + team | Dedicated Flames advisor + advanced coordination |
| Planning conversations | One introductory meeting | Arranged around planning priorities | Expanded access for advanced decisions |
| Between-meeting support | Email or approved secure messaging | Email or approved secure messaging | Priority secure messaging |
| Financial dashboard | Included | Included + plan updates | Included + advanced implementation updates |
Investments, cash, and foundational planning
| Feature | Access | Planning | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flames model portfolio selected for risk and objectives | Included | Included | Included |
| Altruist account management | Included | Included | Included |
| Portfolio monitoring and rebalancing | Included | Included | Included |
| Altruist high-yield cash access | Included | Included | Included |
| Cash flow, emergency savings, and debt priorities | Access guidance | Comprehensive planning | Advanced scenario planning |
| Retirement contributions, workplace benefits, insurance needs, and education savings | Access guidance | Comprehensive planning | Advanced coordination |
Tax and estate planning
| Feature | Access | Planning | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Personalized tax planning | Not included | Proactive guidance | Ongoing projections + strategy |
| Review of a completed personal tax return | Not included | Planning-focused review | Included in planning process |
| Individual tax-return preparation and filing | Not included | Not included | Independent tax partner; eligibility rules apply |
| Wealth.com estate-document platform | Not included | Day-one access | Day-one access |
| Estate strategy and professional coordination | Not included | Standard facilitation | Advanced strategy + coordination |
Advanced planning
| Feature | Access | Planning | Premier |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retirement-income and withdrawal implementation | Not included | General retirement planning | Advanced implementation |
| Roth-conversion and capital-gain modeling | Not included | As part of comprehensive planning | Advanced modeling |
| Business-owner and equity-compensation planning | Not included | Limited to straightforward needs | Advanced planning |
| Concentrated-position and charitable planning | Not included | Limited to straightforward needs | Advanced planning |
| Coordination with attorneys, CPAs, and other professionals | Not included | As needed for standard planning | Advanced coordination |
Flat fee vs AUM
See the Dollar Difference Behind a 1% AUM Fee.
A traditional 1% AUM advisor charges more as the portfolio grows. Flames FP charges a flat quarterly membership based on the planning scope. Price is only one part of the comparison, but the dollars should be visible.
Compare the scope
The gap becomes visible
The percentage keeps rising
Swipe to compare all columns
| Portfolio Size | 1% AUM Fee | Flames FP Flat-Fee Model | Why It Matters |
|---|---|---|---|
| $500,000 | About $5,000 per year | $600, $3,600, or $6,600 annualized and billed quarterly | The fee is tied to planning work, not portfolio value. |
| $1,000,000 | About $10,000 per year | The same membership fee if planning complexity does not change | The cost does not automatically rise because your portfolio grows. |
| $2,000,000 | About $20,000 per year | The same membership fee if the planning tier remains the right fit | More money can stay invested, saved, or used for family goals. |
Simple annual illustration only. A 1% AUM fee is shown as 1% of the stated portfolio value. Actual advisor fees, services, breakpoints, investment expenses, and household needs vary.
What is included
What Can Be Included in a Flat Quarterly Membership?
The goal is not to sell a portfolio-only relationship. The goal is to coordinate the parts of your financial life that often affect each other.
Investments
Portfolio guidance and investment management designed around your plan, risk tolerance, taxes, and cash flow needs.
Taxes
Planning adds proactive tax guidance and review of a completed personal return. Eligible Premier members add preparation and filing through the designated independent tax partner.
Retirement
Retirement contributions are covered in Access, comprehensive retirement planning is covered in Planning, and advanced income, Roth-conversion, and withdrawal implementation are covered in Premier.
Estate Guidance
Planning and Premier include day-one access to Wealth.com's client-directed estate-document platform, with Flames facilitation and no legal advice from Flames.
Cash Flow
Help organizing savings, spending, debt, benefits, and the tradeoffs between today and the future.
Ongoing Advice
An ongoing advisor relationship for decisions that come up during the year, not just a one-time plan.
Client perspective
Transparent Pricing Still Has to Lead to Personal Advice.
A clear fee matters because it makes the relationship easier to evaluate. The planning still needs to feel customized to the household behind the numbers.
Read Google reviews"Joel Miller offers a customized, personalized plan for financial health, investments, retirement planning, tax planning, wills, estate planning and more."
Client testimonials from Google reviews. Reviewers were not compensated. Individual experiences vary and are not indicative of future results or outcomes.
Common questions
Flames Membership Questions
How much do Flames memberships cost?
Flames Access is $150 per quarter, Flames Planning is $900 per quarter, and Flames Premier is $1,650 per quarter. Each membership is billed quarterly in advance. The annualized amounts are $600, $3,600, and $6,600.
Is there an annual commitment?
No. Each paid quarter is a three-month commitment. Membership continues quarter to quarter unless canceled, and you may cancel at any time to prevent the next quarterly renewal. Service continues through the paid quarter, and quarterly fees are not prorated or refunded.
Does Flames charge an AUM fee or require a minimum portfolio?
No. Investment management is included without a percentage-based AUM advisory fee, and there is no minimum investment balance. Underlying fund expenses and applicable custodian, platform, or third-party strategy fees may still apply.
How are investment accounts and Altruist handled?
Supported investment accounts are held through Altruist, an independent custodian and platform. Access to Altruist's cash solution is subject to eligibility, variable rates, provider terms, and availability. Fund expenses and any applicable custodian, provider, platform, or strategy fees are separate from the Flames membership fee.
What personalized planning is included in Flames Access?
Access includes personalized foundational guidance for cash flow, emergency savings, debt priorities, retirement contributions, workplace benefits, basic insurance needs, and education savings. It includes one introductory planning meeting followed by covered questions through email or approved secure messaging. Personalized tax and estate planning, tax-return review or preparation, retirement-income strategy, and advanced equity-compensation analysis are not included.
Does Flames Planning include tax-return preparation?
No. Planning includes proactive tax-planning guidance and a planning-focused review of one completed personal tax return. It does not include tax-return preparation, filing, amendments, or representation.
Who prepares Premier tax returns, and when must I join?
To qualify, a client must join Premier by September 30 of the applicable tax year and remain an active Premier member through preparation and filing. The return is prepared and signed under a separate engagement with Flames' designated independent tax partner, currently Fifteenth. Flames provides planning and coordination but does not prepare or sign the return.
What tax returns are included with Flames Premier?
The standard benefit includes one federal individual income-tax return and all required state returns for the individual filer. K-1s, Schedule C or E, rental properties, equity compensation, and cryptocurrency reporting within that individual return are included.
If spouses file separately, the membership includes one federal return; a second federal return is separate. Business, trust, estate, gift, amended, and prior-year returns are excluded, as are tax-notice or audit representation, bookkeeping, and records cleanup. Work outside the included individual-return scope requires a separate engagement and may involve separate fees.
Late documents do not create an additional late-document fee. If information arrives too late for the original filing deadline, the independent tax partner may file an extension and cannot guarantee completion by the original deadline.
How do the included estate documents work?
Planning and Premier members receive day-one access to Wealth.com's client-directed estate-document platform. The household benefit supports both spouses or partners and includes standard will-based and revocable-living-trust-based plans. Flames facilitates the process and incorporates relevant planning inputs but does not provide legal advice or draft legal documents. Individualized attorney advice and outside legal fees are separate.
Platform access and future document updates end when the membership ends. A client may retain completed documents already downloaded or executed, subject to Wealth.com's terms.
Next step
Want to Know Which Membership Fits?
Schedule a discovery meeting and we will talk through what you need, which membership is most appropriate, and whether Flames Financial Planning is the right fit.