Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to pay for the introductory meetings?
No, all introductory meetings are complimentary. The purpose of these meetings is to get to know each other and figure out if we’d like to work together. Financial planning is a very personal process, so it’s important to pick someone who makes you feel comfortable.
How much money do I need to have in order to work with you?
There is no asset minimum for a Financial Plan, Hourly engagements or on-going Planning services; I accept clients at all asset levels for these options. For Investment Management services, I’d recommend at least $500,000 of financial assets for us to work together. Given my flat pricing, this threshold mitigates over-charging clients for smaller managed asset amounts. Please see the Pricing page for additional details.
Who is your typical client?
Typical clients for my practice fall into two categories:
- Mid-career professionals with increasingly complex financial situations as they grow families and build assets; usually interested in reaching financial independence before a traditional retirement age. I specialize in working with those employees at large technology companies.
- Those at or nearing retirement that are shifting focus from long-term growth to stable income, tax mitigation and estate planning. These households are generally balancing required minimum distributions (RMDs), Medicare and Social Security.
How is Gregory Financial different from other financial firms?
At Gregory Financial, we pride ourselves on our personalized and thoughtful approach. Here’s how we stand out
- Fiduciary standard; bound to act in your best interests.
- Choosing a fiduciary is essential because it ensures your financial advisor is legally required to act in your best interest. Fiduciaries must provide advice based solely on what benefits you, with full transparency around fees, conflicts, and recommendations. This protects clients from hidden incentives, sales-driven products, or biased guidance and creates a relationship built on trust, clarity, and objective planning aligned with your goals. Many investment professionals are not held to a fiduciary standard, so this is an important distinction of differentiation from most other firms.
- Transparent flat fee model
- A flat-fee model that doesn’t increase with asset size and no referral fees matters because it removes the built-in incentives that can skew advice in traditional advisor models. Instead of being paid more for gathering assets, selling products, or steering clients to certain providers, my flat-fee pricing is the same regardless of where you keep your money or which strategies you choose. This means the advice stays more objective, conflict-free, and aligned with your goals, giving clients clearer value, predictable costs, and genuine transparency in the planning relationship.
- Holistic Planning Philosophy
- Holistic financial planning is more beneficial because it looks at your entire financial life—cash flow, taxes, retirement, insurance, estate planning, business decisions—not just your investments. Many prospective clients and clients I work with are used to fragmented advice from investment or asset managers focusing narrowly on portfolios, which often misses the bigger picture and can lead to strategies that conflict with your broader goals. A holistic approach ensures that every financial decision works together, giving clients better coordination, clearer direction, and more meaningful long-term results.
If I sign up for on-going support, how often will we meet?
During the first few months that we’re working together, we’ll meet regularly to get organized, talk about goals, and build your financial plan. Once the initial plan is in place, we will typically meet at least once every three to four months, although I’m available for a phone call or meeting to discuss what’s on your mind. At a minimum, we’ll need to meet once a year to update and review your plan. In between meetings, I’ll provide details on plan progress, outstanding action items and relevant milestones and next steps.
How do you get paid?
Gregory Financial is a fee-only financial planning and portfolio management firm. As a fiduciary, I'm committed to mitigating conflicts of interest, in part by ensuring that 100% of my compensation comes directly from my clients and not through third parties. I list out all of my fees clearly on the Pricing Page.
Why do you charge less than most other planners with a AUM percentage-based fee?
A few reasons. First, the amount of time it takes to manage a portfolio generally doesn’t increase that much as your portfolio size grows. Second, I have a fundamental issue with the usual compensation model in which fees double when assets double; I think it creates an unhealthy focus on asset gathering among advisors. Third, I’m doing this because I enjoy it and I want to help people; not to necessarily make the next big advisory firm. I believe that my pricing is fair and compensates me adequately for my time and expertise.
