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Retainer Services

In order to be a Retainer client, you must meet one of the following requirements;

  • Client has completed a Financial Independence Plan with Aspire Capital Management
    (or)
  • Client has $2,000,000 or more under management with Aspire.

Clients on retainer must agree to be continuously advised by Aspire Capital Management for a minimum of one year after the Presentation Meeting of the Financial Independence Plan. For example, if your initial Financial Independace Plan meeting is on 1/1/08 and you wish to be on retainer, then retainer fees from 2/1/08 through 1/30/09 will be charged monthly. Clients who have $2,000,000 or more under management with Aspire Capital Management will not be assessed retainer fees after the first year as Aspire Capital Management clients. Retainer clients are "off the clock" for a generous amount of time per month so they may feel unconstrained in resolving their financial issues. Retainer clients receive high priority service in these general areas of financial planning:

  • Investment Planning - Portfolio Recommendations including:
    • - Risk Tolerance Assessment
    • - Asset Allocation
    • - Choice of Index or Actively Managed Portfolios
    • - Investment Recommendations for 401(k), 403(b), etc.
  • Financial Independence / Retirement Planning - IRA, Roth IRA, and Self-employed Retirement Plan Recommendations
  • Stock Option Review - Basic Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) and Basic Employee Stock Option Planning
  • College Planning
  • Tax Review
  • Insurance Review
  • Cash Flow - Saving, Budgeting, and Expense Planning
  • Estate Planning

Fees for a client retainer relationship are based on the complexity of your financial circumstances. The complexity is assessed at our initial consultation meeting. A general guideline to the retainer fee is shown in the table below.

Complexity
Retainer Fee

A. Less than $200,000 income and less than $1,000,000 net worth
$290 / mo.

B. Greater than $200,000 income and more than $1,000,000 net worth
$590 / mo.

Note: Unmarried couples and non-US Citizens generally have greater complexity.

Why use a Retainer service instead of financial planning by the hour?

Retainer attributes
Hourly attributes

A more comprehensive view of your financial life.
May be less expensive since you pay for only the specific services you request.

The fee is known in advance.
We give you our best estimate and will apprise you when we foresee that we will exceed the maximum. All time is charged (phone calls, emails, copying, etc.)

Use the time in a way that resolves your most pressing issues.
Once a project is complete, the clock starts again for additional work.

You are always "off the clock."
All service is measured and billed.

Managed Accounts with more than $2,000,000 are not charged retainer fees after the first year.
Hourly planning is always billable.