What We Do Fee-Only Services

Placing Your Interests First

At RightPath™ Investments & Financial Planning, we offer all of our services under a "fee-only" structure. That is an important distinction from other fee structures and has specific meaning for you as one of our clients.

Reducing Conflicts of Interest
First and foremost, a fee-only structure significantly reduces potential conflicts between your interests and those of RightPath. Whereas commission-based planners sell financial products for which they receive compensation from the product vendor, fee-only planners are compensated only by the client. By being the one actually paying for RightPath's services, rather than a third-party product vendor, you are our primary motivator.

In addition, when you work with a fee-only provider like RightPath, you know precisely what you are paying for our services. Whether charged at an hourly rate, as a percentage of assets under management or as a periodic fee, the payments you make to us are stated at the outset and always clearly marked on invoices and statements. By contrast, it can be difficult to isolate commission payments from other fees and even investment amounts. The transparency regarding costs RightPath offers means you will never wonder how much your financial solutions are really costing you.

Picking from a Bigger Barrel
Our fee-only structure also means that RightPath is open to using a broader range of financial solutions and providers than commission-based advisors who may be financially tied to a small selection. We are continually learning about new investment options and adding the best to the list of programs we consistently recommend. This process also involves a much larger information base than would be included in other fee structures: our internal research; information from our specialist colleagues and product specialists; input from your specialists; and, of course, any research you have conducted yourself.

Making Things Right
Together, when we review your investment policy statement (IPS) and financial or wealth plans periodically, we will at times—undoubtedly—determine that we want to do things differently. Because of our fee-only approach, you can rely on RightPath to be loyal to your needs at such times and not to a particular product; as a result, we will support changes that we concur will better meet your goals.

Monitoring of your progress and plans works much the same way. Regardless of which financial solutions we use to meet your goals, we earn our keep by helping you to stay on track—and stay satisfied. For some clients, that will mean monitoring quarterly investment statements; for others, that might mean a real estate site visit or specialized research. We customize our monitoring to your needs and are well positioned to alert you when opportunities or concerns arise.

A Penny Saved is a Penny Reinvested
When comparing similar needs, portfolios and solutions, it is not uncommon to find that fee-only planners cost less than commission-based planners. These lower costs may be due to the elimination of commissions, lower negotiated product costs through provider competition, or other advantages to the fee-only system. When fee-only planners can be less expensive than other methods, more of your money goes to meeting your goals. Also, fee-only expenses to you are frequently tax deductible as investment advice, whereas fees associated with a particular product (e.g., commission-based fees) may not be. That's just one more way our fee-only structure may save you money.

Fee Overview
All of our services are provided under the same basic fee structure. The following list provides a clear idea of the various approaches to compensating RightPath™ that are open to you. Although we use a general fee scale for most clients, we incorporate a significant amount of flexibility—including some sliding scales.That flexibility allows us to customize our fees uniquely to you. Please contact our office for specific rates or see "The Fine Print" for documents with a list of fee options and ranges.

• Financial Planning: hourly rates or fixed project fees.
• Investment Management
  • Ongoing Services: generally a percentage of investments under management.
  • Investment Consultation Services: hourly rates or fixed project fees.
• Wealth Management: hourly rates, fixed project fees, or quarterly or annual fees.

A Note About Commission-Based Products: RightPath Investments & Financial Planning, Inc.will facilitate the purchase of commission-based products from reputable providers when such products are deemed the most appropriate solution for specific needs. In such cases, we monitor the product's continued applicability to your situation and the level of commission you pay to the third-party provider. However, RightPath does not charge commissions for any services and we do not receive a portion of the commission charged by the third-party provider.