How We Are Paid for Service

We’re a fee-only firm, which means we’re compensated directly by our clients — never by commissions or product sales. And we are an independent advisor, which means no sales quotas to meet. We take clients who are a great fit for both themselves and ourselves. Our goal is simple: to provide advice that’s always in your best interest.

We don’t take fees lightly. We intentionally manage a boutique book of business in order to specialize in our clients’ needs and provide value. And personalized, specialized service comes at a cost to both sides.

We have put an incredible amount of thought into our fees and are constantly benchmarking the fees against the value provided. When you aren’t looking, we are regularly connecting with other advisors around the country to collaborate on best practices, pursuing credentialed education that directly benefits our value to clients,

Ongoing Financial Planning & Investment Management

Our clients work with us on an ongoing basis, engaging us for both financial planning and investment management. We use a tiered percentage of assets under management (AUM) fee model that starts at 1.00% annually, and decreases at higher asset levels.

This structure helps keep things fair — ensuring all clients pay a consistent rate for the value they receive, with larger portfolios naturally requiring more tailored oversight.

2025 Fee Structure:

1% for first $1M under management

0.85% for next $500k

0.65 next $500k

0.5% next $500k and above

• Fees are based on an annual rate, typically starting at 1.00%

• Deducted quarterly at one-quarter of the annual rate (e.g. 0.25% per quarter for a 1.00% annual fee)

• Fees are withdrawn directly from the investment accounts we manage

• Your full fee details are always visible in your quarterly reports through your Private Client Portal(include link https://wealth.emaplan.com/ema/SignIn?ema%2Fxypn%2Fsouthcountywealth&redirectUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwealth.emaplan.com%2Fema%2FAdvisor%2FClients)

Tax-Efficient Fee Payment from IRAs

In some cases, clients can pay advisory fees directly from a tax-deferred account — such as a traditional IRA — for the portion of assets we manage inside that account. This allows the fee to be paid with pre-tax dollars, which may reduce your taxable income.

Here’s what to know:

• Fees must be paid proportionally to the assets in that account vs taxable accounts.

• We’ll help ensure that fees are deducted in a way that is tax-aware and compliant.

Hourly Advice (Limited Availability)

From time to time, we offer hourly planning services at a rate of $300 per hour. This is typically best suited for high-income individuals or families who don’t yet need full portfolio management but are looking for guidance on specific planning questions.

Hourly engagements may be a fit if:

• You’re managing your own investments and want expert input

• You’re going through a transition and need help getting organized

• You’d like a second opinion on your existing plan

Please note: this is not a discounted version of ongoing services. Hourly work is offered when it’s a good fit for both the client and our firm’s availability.

We are paid by a percentage of assets under management (AUM), beginning at 1.0% and tiering downward from there. 

We implemented a tiered rate. This keeps things fair between clients by establishing a baseline fee of 1% for planning and investment services and tiers downward as assets increase to compensate for the more tailored account and investment management services required as assets increase. Our fee is drawn quarterly from managed accounts. 

You can find out more about our fees in our annual disclosure documents.

Currently, your fees are based on the assets that we manage and are usually 1% or less of the total. Fees can be paid directly or through invested accounts. Your fees are deducted quarterly from your investment account and can always be found in your quarterly report located within your Private Client Portal. 

The TCJA removed the ability to deduct financial advisory fees as a line-item expense on your personal income taxes, but there’s still a way to get tax breaks to get the help you’re looking for.

Investors who own an IRA can choose to pay financial planning or investment management fees directly out of the account being managed. Since the fees are considered investment expenses, they are paid on a pre-tax basis. This means some investors can avoid paying income tax, something they can’t do if they pay the fees from their taxable accounts or income.