The Advice Only™ method for truly unbiased financial planning offers a standardized, conflict-free process designed to eliminate hidden agendas and ensure complete objectivity. Unlike sales-driven “advice only” claims, our approach starts with an established fiduciary consultation, a consistent process, and transparent pricing. Key benefits include:
- Reduced conflicts of interest: Advice is separated from product sales and compensation incentives.
- Reliable quality: A consistent, multi-step process for every client, with no asset minimums or subscriptions.
- True client empowerment: Education, tools, and fiduciary guidance free from any institutional influence.
The Traditional Advice Problem
For too long, the financial services industry shrouds itself in hidden conflicts and misaligned incentives.
Reducing Conflicts of Interest with the Advice Only™ Method
Traditional models often link an advisor’s pay to the products they sell or the assets they manage. This can lead to a lack of true objectivity, where a firm’s or an individual’s personal and professional relationships are involved. This might intentionally or unintentionally influence the recommendations you receive or the companies with which you do business.
Avoiding Unstructured Advice with a Standardized, Objective Process
A traditional advisor is like a home improvement contractor with an incentive to refer you to a preferred service provider. Consciously or unconsciously, this can influence their recommendations. While they may still do a good job, you can never be entirely sure if they recommended a specific solution. Was it the best choice for you, or was it because it was the most profitable for them?
Breaking Down Barriers in Financial Planning
Beyond these conflicts, the industry has also struggled with:
- Limited Access: Many traditional firms have high asset minimums, effectively shutting out young professionals and those who need foundational advice the most.
- Unpredictability: Without a standardized approach, the quality of advice can vary wildly from one advisor to the next, making it difficult to know what you’re actually paying for.
- The “Free Plan” Trap: Some firms offer a “free plan” to get their foot in the door. However, “free” advice is rarely truly free, and the real cost often emerges later. Typically, it occurs later through high-cost product recommendations, asset-based fees, or a lack of ongoing attention.
Putting Solutions into Practice
In contrast, our firm employs a systematic approach to provide truly unbiased financial planning, which we call the Advice Only™ Methodology and Process. It aims to provide a consistent and objective experience. To achieve this, we adhere to a “truth in advertising” principle, ensuring that our consistent and standardized process enhances our fiduciary duty. Ultimately, this provides a clear, repeatable framework designed to deliver the most objective advice possible, every time.
To eliminate even the perception of bias, we ensure all formal engagements are conducted in a fiduciary capacity and backed by a signed advisory agreement. Paying for an advisor’s time upfront, we think, helps ensure the advice you receive is as unbiased as possible. This novel approach is the cornerstone of our commitment to you, legally binding us to act in your best interests throughout the entire Advice Only™ Process.
These issues underscore a pressing need for a new approach—one that prioritizes transparency, objectivity, and genuine client empowerment.
Making Sense of the Advice-Only Financial Planning Landscape
Truly Unbiased Financial Planning: A Client-First Approach
We formalized the Advice Only™ method for truly unbiased financial planning in 2019. Its origins and ongoing development were and remain a direct response to the industry’s persistent shortcomings. Specifically, it introduces a structured framework that offers an entirely separate financial planning environment. One free from all forms of compensation beyond a direct client-paid bill. This means our incentive is the relationship itself, and we provide insight into how our working relationship will go. Our top priority then is to provide you with the most objective advice possible, tailored to your specific situation.
We operate under a strict fiduciary duty, meaning we are legally and ethically bound to act in your best interest. To make this commitment even more straightforward, we formalize it through our professional code, “Our Truths.” This important doctrine emphasizes transparency, objectivity, and unwavering loyalty to you.
Core Principles of the Advice Only™ Method:
- A Fiduciary Process, Not Just a Promise:
We strictly separate advice from sales and product recommendations. Discussions about implementation occur only after your plan is complete and you independently initiate them. This significantly reduces any conflicts of interest, from the consultation to plan completion. Our novel approach is the cornerstone of our commitment to you. It’s legally binding for us to act in your best interests when going through the Advice Only™ Process. - A Consistent and Accessible Methodology: Our standardized, multi-step process ensures a predictable, high-quality experience for every client. This systematic approach is built on a “truth in advertising” principle. To minimize ambiguity and provide a clear framework for delivering objective advice consistently. We champion equal access for everyone, with no asset minimums or judgments.
- Client Empowerment Through Technology and Expertise: We believe the best financial decisions are informed ones. So we empower you with educational courses, videos, and tools created by experienced advisors. Always free from institutional or product influence. We recognize that insights from hands-on experience are crucial for practical guidance. So we’ve pioneered a process to deliver just that with steadfast precision and maximum objectivity.
- Your privacy is paramount: Our platform treats your financial data with the same level of confidentiality as a personal journal, ensuring you have complete control over personal information and who sees it. Advice Only™ client data is never sold or shared.
The Technology Behind the Advice Only™ Financial Planning Method
Our Advice Only® platform is a proprietary system that connects you with experienced financial advisor-instructors. At its core, it’s a technology designed to serve both clients and advisors alike.
- Accessible and Cost-Effective Education: Our platform provides high-quality, objective financial education, enabling you to develop a comprehensive understanding of topics that affect you.
- Integrated Trust: Clients can choose to work directly with the same advisor-instructors who authored their course, fostering trust and consistency from the start.
- Streamlined Planning: Our tools, including those driven by AI, streamline the planning process, allowing both advisors and clients to focus on subjective planning decision-making and customized client solutions.
A Win for Advisors Too: A Merit-Based Environment
- Showcase Expertise: The platform provides a merit-based environment where advisors can showcase their expertise and directly profit from their intellectual property.
- Organic Competition: Rankings are determined by factors such as course payouts and positive client feedback, ensuring organic competition based on merit rather than marketing budgets.
- Efficiency and Hyper-Personalization: Our technological support enhances the advisors’ capabilities, providing efficiency and hyper-personalization, which improves both the quality of a financial plan and the advisor’s efficiency.
Benefits of The Advice Only™ Method for Truly Unbiased Financial Planning
Advice Only™ for a truly unbiased financial planning method, offers significant advantages for anyone seeking financial guidance.
- Clarity and Peace of Mind: You get the clarity that comes from knowing your advice is objective, with no hidden agendas. The advice you receive is intended solely for your benefit, not for someone else’s financial gain.
- Cost-Efficient, yet Accessible: You can control what you pay with upfront, billed out-of-pocket paid invoices, and receive standard high-quality services regardless of who you are or your asset size. There are no ongoing asset-based fees, subscriptions, or drawn-out processes.
- Empower Decisions: Through education and unbiased advice, empower yourself to make informed, confident financial decisions tailored to your unique situation. We don’t just give you answers. We provide the tools and dignity to help you confidently understand and make some of life’s most consequential financial decisions.
- Consistency: Our standardized methodology ensures you receive the same high standard of service every time, guaranteeing a predictable, fiduciary-centered process.
We hope you’ll give Advice Only™ Financial Advisors a try—the first truly unbiased financial planning platform for both advisors and clients. We have been offering over 40 services to the public since 2019. A novel and inventive business with a structured approach. One that’s reliable, unbiased, client-centric, and objective when offering both educational content and formal advice.
Ready to learn more about the methodology?
- Schedule a paid consultation: Is our approach the right fit for you? Book a paid consultation to get real, actionable insights and determine if creating a plan is beneficial to you.
- Explore our courses: Additionally, start building your financial literacy today with our advisor-written educational content.
- Discover our methodology: Read our blog to learn more about the Advice Only™ method for truly unbiased financial planning.
Editor’s note: This blog provides general financial and investment information, not personalized advice. We don’t know your unique situation. Consider consulting qualified, objective financial, tax, or estate professionals. Past performance does not guarantee future results.
