About Us

Home » About the Advice-Only™ Methodology & Its Founder

Advice-Only™ was created to solve a structural problem in financial planning: when advisors are paid to sell or manage products, their incentives can conflict with the client’s best interest.

Founded by Quincy Hall, CFP®, Advice-Only™ formalized a fiduciary planning methodology built on direct client compensation, zero product incentives, and a strict separation between advice and implementation.

The result is a transparent, objective planning experience governed by published Standards of Practice rather than sales goals or asset-gathering targets.

To explore the methodology in depth or begin an Advice-Only™ planning engagement, visit Learn from us or Plan with us.

Get started for Free!

Learn from practicing financial advisors.

It's hard to beat a person who never gives up.

George “Babe” Ruth

Our Merits

Individually, advisor merits represent more than recognition. They show our character and commitment to impactful client services. They reflect our positive, life-changing work with clients. We aim to build trust and long-lasting working relationships.

Collectively, advisor merits represent our ongoing growth, learning, and constant improvement. We see challenges as chances to improve our skills and knowledge. Merits show our commitment to quality and innovation. They reflect our relentless pursuit of excellence.

To view the complete list of merits, visit Our Merits.

Separate Advice From Sales

Objective financial planning is offered through a unique service model, one free from financial sales pitches. Unlike traditional financial services, our innovative methodology creates a transparent and reliable experience. We also built a marketplace where advisors can share their insights, making education accessible to anyone.

Get started learning by visiting AdviceOnly.org

To learn more, visit FAQs or Contact Us

What is the Advice Only™ Planning Process?

The Advice Only^TM process involves a series of meetings in which our advisors provide objective financial guidance, helping clients develop a comprehensive financial plan tailored to their unique needs and goals.

Paid Consultation

Paid consultations provide clients with an advisor’s perspective. Client(s) determine if completing a plan is worthwhile.

Planning Meeting #1

The goal is generally to create a “present position” to model scenarios for Planning Meeting #2.

Planning Meeting #2

The finalized “present position” is used to develop planning scenarios, assess asset allocation, and settle subjective matters.

Post-Planning

A planning engagement is complete upon receipt of the plan, summary, action list, and once payments are finalized.

After an Advice-Only™ engagement is complete, clients may implement recommendations with any advisor, custodian, or company they choose.

During the Advice-Only™ planning engagement, advisors are required to follow the Advice-Only™ Standards of Practice, which maintain a structurally objective, zero-influence environment until the plan is delivered and approved.

This ensures clients receive exactly what they paid for: independent, fiduciary advice, free from sales or implementation incentives.

Get all the particulars by visiting FAQs.

At Your Service

Needs are different and will shift multiple times throughout life. Below are a few generalized life stages common among clients utilizing our services.

To learn more about all the features and benefits, visit Learn from us and Plan with us.

Going through a major life change

Major life events, like marriage, divorce, and retirement, can affect finances. They can also create new planning opportunities. Financial education and a financial advisor can help. They can navigate these changes, provide mediation, and save time. Plus, avoid costly mistakes.

Developing a “complete” strategy

Most everyone can benefit from being financially tactical. They should parse sensitive, subjective matters, gain exposure to key planning topics and the occasional changes to the law. Multiple income streams, insurance, Social Security, and taxes can be complex, and it’s likely everyone requires objective guidance.

Needing experienced advice

Most people have done just one financial plan – their own. A financial advisor’s main value is their experience having worked with many clients. They have seen how strategies play out and they bring that knowledge to the discussion. A client uses a professional’s insights and experiences to make informed decisions on important financial matters.

When assessing risk

We assess risk by combining multiple tests. Diversifying asset allocation and avoiding overlap. Optimizing a portfolio for growth while simultaneously minimizing risk. The goal is to align laws, preferences, and time horizons into one cohesive strategy.

A voice of reason

Clients sometimes benefit from an advisor’s outsider view, acting as a neutral observer or mediator. Our advisors are trained to act as a qualified “go-between” and can help confirm a strategy, inspire a new one, or settle disputes among family.

Our Truths

Advice-Only™ was built on a single belief: objectivity must be engineered at the structural level — not declared as an empty or manipulatable marketing promise.

Since 2019, the Advice-Only™ Methodology has defined a planning environment where clients receive clear, structurally deconflicted guidance without asset qualification, product incentives, or a sales-driven process. It was created to solve the “Two Masters Problem” — the structural tension between serving a client’s best interest and serving a firm’s compensation model.

These truths guide every Advice-Only™ engagement:

Objectivity must be engineered, not assumed. This reflects the Principle of Structural Objectivity: clean advice requires structural safeguards, treating objectivity as a design problem — not a personality trait or personal promise.
Advice and implementation must be separated. Under the Principle of Implementation Independence, no meeting may combine fiduciary guidance with solicitation or qualification for future business. The plan is a document of pure advice, not a lead-in to a sale.
Compensation must be one-directional and client-invoiced. The Fee Structure Firewall™ prohibits asset-based compensation, commissions, referral loops, incentives, and non-monetary benefits that function like compensation while going through the Advice-Only™ planning process. The only compensation allowed during planning is the invoiced payment agreed to by the client.
Planning must empower clients. Education, transparency, and scenario analysis must equip clients to implement independently — benefiting from lived advisor experience, without pressure, nudging, or predetermined outcomes.
Access must be equal. The Principle of Equal Access means no asset minimums, no wealth-based qualifying, and no preferential treatment. Every client receives the same structured, high-integrity process, no matter who they are or what they have.

To see how these truths are formalized across our framework:

The Methodology — the standardized structural system
The Principles — the foundational laws behind the structure
The Standards — the professional obligations in real engagements
The Philosophy — the narrative and history behind the structure

Together, these elements distinguish Advice-Only™ as a disciplined, verifiable planning system — not a fee label or generic marketing phrase.