What we will not claim
Nothing to sell: no annuity, no policy, no fund, no account
Why there is no product here to buy, nobody's money to hold, and no fee tied to what you have.
AI-generated illustration. Not a real home or business.
What you will see advertised
“Let us move your savings into the right annuity and manage everything for you.”
Quoted in order to be refused: this practice never says it, and the rest of this page says why.
A practice paid only by the people it works for has no product to place, and in New York nobody may be paid to advise on an insurance policy or an annuity without a license. This one also holds and manages no money. You act on a plan in your own accounts, wherever they already are.
What the rules say
Each read against its source in October 2026.
- An investment adviser is anyone who, for compensation, is in the business of advising others about the value of securities or about investing in them (15 U.S.C. 80b-2).
- Unless licensed as an insurance agent, broker or consultant, no one may be paid for examining, reviewing or evaluating any insurance policy, annuity or pension contract, plan or program, or give advice about one (Ins. Law § 2102).
The sources, to read in full:
What we say instead
There is nothing to sell here: no insurance, no annuity, no fund, no account. The practice never holds, moves or manages your money; you act on a plan in your own accounts, wherever they already are.
We don't charge a percentage of anything. A fee that grows with your savings would pull a planner toward keeping money invested, when a household may decide instead to pay off a loan, buy a home or send money to family.
- We do not sell insurance, annuities or funds, take commissions or referral fees, or hold anybody's money.
Why planners' websites say it, and why it doesn't hold
A planner who will also look after the money, and fit the product, offers to take the whole thing off a household's hands. For somebody who would rather not think about any of it, one person doing everything sounds like the kindest offer on the page.
The first rule above makes anybody paid to advise about investments an adviser, whatever else it does, so a planner who also places products is doing two jobs at once, and the second keeps paid advice on a policy away from anybody without a license. A product placed by the person who advised on it can pay that person twice, once for the advice and once for the sale, and the second payment is the one a client finds hard to see. A practice with nothing to place has no second payment to hide.
What a planning practice can honestly say, and do
What a practice can honestly offer is its own work at a published fee, and nothing else to buy:
| What it is | What it covers | Fee |
|---|---|---|
| Written plan | One household, up to two goals, two meetings and the written plan, with sixty days of questions by e-mail. | $2,400 |
| Detailed written plan | A household with a business, two retirement systems, a home purchase or family abroad: two meetings and the written plan, with sixty days of questions by e-mail. | $3,600 |
| One-question plan | One question, one meeting and a written answer. | $600 |
| Questions after a plan | Billed by the half hour, after a written estimate. | $300 an hour |
| A year of planning | Two meetings, questions by e-mail and the plan updated; billed at the end of each quarter; never renews by itself. | $3,000 for twelve months |
And where a plan meets insurance, it stops at the questions and hands them on:
A plan records the coverage you tell us you have and asks the planning questions: who depends on your income, and what would happen if you could not work. Those questions go to your agent, your broker or a licensed insurance consultant, who can answer them about a particular policy.
What to ask any planner
Put them to any planner before you sign anything. A plain answer tells you something, and so does a vague one.
- What will you sell me, and how are you paid when I buy it?
- Will my money move to an account you control?
- Is your fee a share of what I have, and what happens to it if I pay off my mortgage?
- Does anybody pay you when I buy a policy you suggested?
- Can I act on your plan without buying anything from you?
The other things this site will not claim
Ask for a first meeting
A first meeting costs nothing, gives no advice and asks nothing of you afterwards: about forty-five minutes, at the office or by video. The office replies in office hours.