Only Fee-Only

A $10,000 commission check can feel like a reset button—until the next closing gets delayed. In this episode, we're joined by Cody Hawkins, Lead Planner at PeaceLink Financial Planning, to discuss why his firm specializes in helping top-producing real estate agents navigate the unique financial challenges that come with variable income and running a business. We discuss:  Why lifestyle creep...

Money advice tends to break down in one predictable place: the messy middle between knowing what you should do and actually doing it this week. That's where Linda Grizely shines. Linda is a financial coach, speaker, and podcast host who took a winding path into financial services. She brings a rare mix of empathy and practicality for people who feel behind, ashamed, or priced out of tradition...

Money decisions are rarely just about math. The hardest part is often the human side. Rafael Melendez of NextGen Financial Planning joins us to discuss how fee-only financial planning helps younger families move from stress and uncertainty to confident, intentional decisions. We explore Rafael’s path into the profession, what he learned from sales-driven environments, and how those experiences sha...

A hedge fund job that started with weeding a garden? Colin Page's career story is unique, but the lessons are practical for anyone building a fee-only financial planning firm. We sit down with Colin, founder of Oakleigh Wealth Services in Charlottesville, Virginia, and trace his path from teaching high school math after the 2009 financial crisis, to more than a decade investing in distressed...

Your income can grow fast and still leave you feeling behind. That's the paradox we dig into with Sean Rawlings, founder of WealthBound Advisors, who works with young, high-income earners scaling toward $500K or seven figures only to realize they have no system for taxes, spending, or big decisions. Sean shares his story: Southern California roots, a start at a mutual firm, and the growing di...

A lot of wealth management still assumes you've already "made it" before you deserve real advice. Chelsea Ransom-Cooper, CFP®, co-founder of Zenith Wealth Partners, is challenging that assumption by building a fee-only RIA designed to serve women and people of color with relatable, high-quality financial planning. Chelsea walks us through the turning points that shaped Zenith: disco...

A lot of advisors want to launch their own fee-only RIA, but the gap between "I'm ready" and "I have clients" can feel enormous. We're talking with Matt Ryan, founder of Focused Mission Financial in San Diego, about how he made the leap in 2022 after nearly a decade inside planning-focused firms, and what it actually looked like to build momentum from the ground up. W...

A "backup plan" PowerPoint deck can become a real firm faster than you'd think, but the messy middle is where most people quit. Ryan Johnson, founder of Hundred Financial Planning, joins us to talk through what it actually takes to build a fee-only firm from the ground up. Ryan shares how he found the fee-only RIA community through cold outreach, why he wanted ownership of a book of...

You can feel stuck in a successful career and still know it's not the life you want. In this episode, we talk with Jacob Tally of Prospero Wealth about what it actually looks like to pivot later, especially after years in high-intensity environments like startups, corporate finance rotations, and big-name financial services. Jacob shares the practical side of making the move: deciding between...

Most financial advice is built around a default life plan — and it quietly breaks down when you've opted out of that script. Cory Smith is a fee-only financial life planner and founder of Discretionary Inc. in Reno, Nevada, where he works exclusively with childfree individuals, couples, and business owners who want their finances to support the life they actually want — not the one they were...

Ethan Miller had a six-month waitlist… while still working a full-time job. We sat down with the founder of Planning for Progress to talk about how he went from union organizing to building a thriving fee-only firm just outside DC—without taking a reckless leap. He shares how he found fee-only planning, built early momentum through project work, and knew commissions weren’t the path for him. We al...

He didn’t grow his RIA through ads or a content machine. He grew it through trust, a simple fee model, and doing the unglamorous work when it mattered most. In this episode, we’re joined by Logan Valentine, CFP®, founder of Valentine Wealth Management in Seymour, Indiana. We unpack his path from insurance to Charles Schwab, how earning the CFP shifted his thinking, and what clicked when he discove...

One of the most uncomfortable questions in financial planning is also one of the most important: if you can’t speak for yourself, who will? We’re joined by Maddy Roche, Chief Growth Officer at Childfree Trust and a long-time leader in the fee-only advisor community, to explore the planning gaps that often arise for clients who are child-free or permanently childless. This isn’t a niche situation—a...

Geoffrey Schaefer thought he’d work in finance. The Army had other plans. After serving as a U.S. infantry officer, Geoffrey eventually found his way back to the industry—now as a fee-only fiduciary wealth advisor and partner at an independent firm serving families, retirees, and small business owners. In this episode, we talk about starting out in a product-driven environment where the tools can...

Two weeks before the shutdown, Dan Ryan left a big firm to launch Sinceris Advisory with a simple plan: stay virtual, serve clients deeply, and let great work drive growth. Then COVID hit. Meetings vanished, Zoom became standard, and he had to adapt fast. Today, the firm manages $226M for 150 families. Dan shares the real story—cancelled deals, “tire kickers,” 80-hour onboarding weeks, and learnin...

Andy Fisher spent 25 years leading operations at a Fortune 500 company before launching Path Setter Financial, a fee-only RIA built on clarity, transparency, and calm. In this episode, we talk about his transition from corporate leadership to advisory firm owner—and what engineering discipline taught him about building better financial planning processes. We discuss how fee structures influence ou...

Meet the person you want on your side when policies get real. We sit down with Charles Priest, our new head of Property and Casualty at BC Brokerage, to unpack how a planning‑first mindset turns confusing coverage into clear, confident decisions for households and businesses. Charles brings 16 years of experience helping clients navigate tough choices, manage risk trade‑offs, and pick carriers tha...

Why do some advisors thrive without managing assets? We talk with Kelly Nilsson , founder of Brava Financial, about building a planning-first, advice-only practice that focuses on real-life risk—not just market returns. With a background in insurance, Kelly believes households are more often disrupted by death, disability, or long-term care than by volatility, and her plans are built to handle tho...

Imagine walking into tax season already knowing the number. That’s what happens when a fee-only planner and a proactive CPA plan the year together—before December 31. In this episode, we’re joined by Elliot Vaughn, CFP® , and Ryan Hickel, CPA , to show how they turn scattered inputs like Social Security, IRA distributions, pensions, and equity sales into one coordinated plan. We break down their j...

A simple spreadsheet for his dad sparked a complete career pivot. In this episode, Andy Cole breaks down his move from civil engineering to fee-only financial planning—and how he built a lean, resilient practice while working full time and raising a family. What began as a deep dive into risk-adjusted returns evolved into a planning-first firm serving engineers with a flexible, transparent fee mod...

Want a founder story that includes spreadsheets, a stint as a roadie, an Atlantic crossing, and a will-signing party that packed the room? Meet Shane Mason of Brooklyn FI — a CPA/CFP who went from Big Four tax to touring life, then teamed up with AJ to build a 20-person advisory firm rooted in transparency, productized service, and genuine hospitality. We dig into the early days: running a tax pra...

How do you go from knocking on doors in the snow to running a referral-driven, tax-focused retirement firm? Hamilton Brandenburg shares his path from Chick-fil-A’s “my pleasure” culture, to prospecting at Edward Jones, to launching a fee-only practice built around tax-smart retirement planning. A near-lapsing whole life case pushed him toward a model where taxes, decumulation, and clear service rh...

Krystal Fortner built a thriving, advice-only firm by choosing clarity, community, and client-first values over sales pressure. In this episode, we trace her path from cold-calling at a wirehouse to launching her RIA with same-day state approval, and how learning product sales made her a stronger fiduciary. Krystal shares how witnessing a "don't ask questions" sales culture shaped h...

What if you could scale your advisory firm without rushing to hire and manage a full team? In this episode, we talk with Michelle Wong , founder and CEO of Nifty Advisor Support , about how solo and small RIAs can build lasting capacity through remote support, strong processes, and a culture-first approach. Michelle shares how Nifty grew from a pre-COVID launch to supporting more than 60 firms tod...

How does a fee-only firm grow without losing its purpose? In this episode, we talk with Sean Gillespie , president of Redeployment Wealth Strategies , about the lessons behind raising fees, building the right team, and serving military families with care and consistency. Sean explains why their first-year planning fee reflects the real work of sorting through insurance, TSP choices, and transition...