Clear Money Guide
What this guide covers
A quick view of the questions and evidence developed below.
Comparison tables scroll horizontally on smaller screens.
Updated on June 29, 2026
Quick answer (2026): The average cost of financial planning services depends on scope. Common comparison anchors are $1,500–$7,500+ for a one-time financial planning project, $2,500–$10,000+/year for ongoing flat annual planning, $200–$900/month for a retainer, $200–$400/hour for hourly planning, and about 0.50%–1.00%+ for AUM if investment management is bundled with planning. A $500/month retainer is $6,000/year, a $300/hour planner working eight hours is $2,400, and 0.75% on $1,000,000 is $7,500/year before fund, platform, overlay, trading, tax-prep, legal, or implementation costs. Use the financial advisor fee calculator to compare the same scope across planning models.
Use this page to compare financial planning service quotes before booking an intro call, including financial advisor cost per hour, hourly planning, flat annual, retainer, project, and AUM comparisons. The useful question is not “what is the average fee?” It is “what is my total first-year cost in dollars, what written deliverables do I receive, who does the work, what is excluded, whether a fee for service financial planner near me result means hourly or project work, and whether flat fee, hourly, retainer, project, or AUM pricing fits better for the same planning scope?”
Fast tools: Financial advisor fee calculator · Which Fee Model Fits Me? · Investment Management Fees · Flat fee financial advisor · Financial Planning Hourly Rate · Financial advisor hourly rate 2026 · Hourly financial planner near me · Fee-for-service financial planner near me · Average Retainer Fee
Average cost of financial planning services by model
| Planning service model | Common 2026 quote | Cost in dollars | What to confirm before you book |
|---|---|---|---|
| One-time financial plan | $1,500–$7,500+ per project | $1,500–$7,500+ total | Written plan, assumptions, timeline, follow-up rules, and whether implementation is included |
| Flat annual planning | $2,500–$10,000+/year | $2,500–$10,000+/year | Service calendar, meetings, written deliverables, response time, renewal terms, and out-of-scope rules |
| Monthly retainer | $200–$900/month | $2,400–$10,800/year | Cancellation terms, access rules, review cadence, and what becomes hourly or project-based |
| Hourly planning | $200–$400/hour | $1,200–$4,000 for a 6–10 hour project | Estimated hours, not-to-exceed cap, billing increment, written recap, and who does the work |
| AUM plus planning | 0.50%–1.00%+ of managed assets | $5,000–$10,000+/year on $1,000,000 | Whether planning is included, plus breakpoints, fund costs, platform costs, and overlay fees |
Financial planning service costs by planning need
| Planning need | Often quoted as | Typical cost anchor | Useful written deliverable |
|---|---|---|---|
| Second opinion on advisor fees or portfolio | Hourly or project | $600–$2,000 | Fee comparison, portfolio notes, and action list |
| Rollover or old 401(k) decision | Hourly or project | $900–$2,500 | Stay-vs-rollover memo with cost and investment comparison |
| Retirement income checkup | Project, flat annual, or retainer | $2,500–$7,500+ | Withdrawal map, tax-window notes, Social Security timing, and cash-reserve plan |
| Roth conversion or tax-window review | Hourly, project, or flat annual | $1,500–$5,000+ | Year-by-year conversion range, estimated tax impact, and CPA coordination notes |
| RSU, stock-option, or concentrated-stock planning | Hourly, project, or flat annual | $1,500–$7,500+ | Sell/exercise plan, tax assumptions, diversification steps, and estimated-tax reminders |
| Ongoing financial planning relationship | Flat annual, retainer, or AUM | $3,000–$10,000+/year | Service calendar, written plan updates, implementation help, and review meetings |
These are planning-fee examples only. They do not include fund expenses, platform fees, overlay fees, trading costs, tax-prep fees, legal fees, insurance costs, or implementation charges unless the advisor includes them in writing.
Financial planning services vs investment management
| Service | What it usually covers | Common fee model | Question to ask |
|---|---|---|---|
| Financial planning | Cash flow, retirement timing, tax-window decisions, insurance review, estate-adjacent coordination, equity comp, and written action steps | Flat annual, project, retainer, or hourly | What written deliverable do I receive, and what decisions will it answer? |
| Investment management | Portfolio construction, trading, rebalancing, tax-aware sales, asset location, and risk management | AUM, flat annual, or blended | Who manages the portfolio, and what costs sit on top of the advisory fee? |
| Comprehensive advice | Financial planning plus portfolio management, implementation help, and periodic reviews | AUM, flat annual, retainer, or blended | What is included, what is excluded, and what becomes hourly or out-of-scope? |
What changes the cost of financial planning services?
- Scope. A narrow second opinion should cost less than a full retirement-income, tax, investment, and estate-adjacent planning engagement.
- Complexity. RSUs, stock options, business ownership, concentrated stock, inherited accounts, pensions, Medicare/IRMAA, and multi-state tax questions can increase cost.
- Deliverables. A written plan, memo, decision tree, or tax-window map usually costs more than a short call.
- Implementation. Advice-only planning is different from help opening accounts, placing trades, coordinating rollovers, and tracking tasks.
- Who does the work. A lead planner, associate planner, investment team, CPA, attorney, or outside specialist may be billed differently.
- Fee model. Hourly can be cheaper for narrow questions; flat annual or retainer pricing can fit recurring planning; AUM can fit when portfolio management is central.
Flat fee, retainer, hourly, or AUM: which fits?
| Fee model | Often fits when… | Watchout |
|---|---|---|
| Flat annual | You want recurring planning, predictable annual dollars, review meetings, and a written service calendar | Make sure implementation, response time, and exclusions are clear. |
| Project fee | You have one defined planning job and want a written deliverable | Follow-up and implementation may be limited unless written into the scope. |
| Hourly | Your question is narrow enough to cap with a not-to-exceed amount | Costs can expand without a pause-before-extra-work rule. |
| Retainer | You want recurring access, monthly billing, and help throughout the year | “Access” is vague unless meetings, deliverables, and response time are defined. |
| AUM | You want ongoing portfolio management bundled with planning | Convert the percentage into annual dollars and ask about fund/platform/overlay costs. |
Use Which Fee Model Fits Me? for a fast model check, then run the quote through the Financial Advisor Fee Calculator.
Copy/paste: ask for the financial planning service quote in dollars
Subject: Financial planning services quote — scope, fee, and deliverables Hi — I’m comparing financial planning service options and want to understand the total cost and scope before booking a longer call. Could you send a short written summary covering: 1) My total first-year cost in dollars for the proposed planning scope. 2) Whether the quote is hourly, project, flat annual, monthly retainer, AUM, or blended. 3) What is included: meetings, written deliverables, investment review, tax coordination, implementation help, and response time. 4) What is excluded and what becomes hourly, project-based, referred out, or out-of-scope. 5) What written deliverable I receive: plan, memo, action list, withdrawal map, investment policy, or decision tree. 6) Who does the work: lead planner, associate planner, investment team, CPA, attorney, or outside specialist. 7) If hourly or project-based: the estimated hours, billing increment, and not-to-exceed cap. 8) If AUM is involved: the tier schedule, whether tiers are billed by slice, and any fund/platform/overlay costs. 9) Whether tax prep, legal drafting, insurance products, or implementation costs are separate. 10) Whether you act as a fiduciary at all times. My goal is to compare financial planning services apples-to-apples in annual dollars. Thanks!
What to do next
Related guides
Financial Planning Hourly Rate · Financial advisor cost guide · Investment Management Fees · Financial Advisor Fee Comparison · Flat fee financial advisor · Average Flat Fee · Average Retainer Fee · Hourly Advisor Rates · Local advisor-fee guides
Methodology
- Dollar-first comparison. This page converts financial planning service quotes into dollars so readers can compare hourly, project, flat annual, retainer, and AUM proposals.
- Benchmark ranges. Fee ranges are planning anchors for comparison, not guaranteed advisor quotes or billing schedules.
- Scope-first review. A financial planning quote is only meaningful when paired with written scope, deliverables, meeting cadence, implementation help, response-time expectations, specialist coordination, and exclusions.
- Cost exclusions. Examples exclude fund expenses, platform fees, overlay fees, trading costs, tax-prep costs, legal fees, insurance costs, taxes, and implementation charges unless stated.
- Data freshness. This page was last reviewed on June 29, 2026. Fee ranges, service models, tax thresholds, fund costs, and planning assumptions can change over time.
- Educational only. This is not tax, legal, or investment advice. For personal recommendations, talk to a qualified fiduciary advisor, CPA, or attorney.
Editorial standards: Editorial Policy · Corrections · Disclaimer
What the filings actually say. We measured the fee schedules 176 SEC-registered advisers publish in their Form ADV Part 2A filings: at $250,000 only 28.4% disclose a fee you can price at all, and the weighted median annual cost among those that do is $2,000 to $2,500. The full benchmark, with method.