Authentic Life Financial Planning

As a registered investment adviser, the firm is held to a fiduciary standard under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, meaning it must put client interests ahead of its own. The firm's fee-only structure further reinforces this duty by eliminating commissions and proprietary product incentives. Clients receive a Form ADV Part 2A that discloses all conflicts of interest and fee schedules.

The firm constructs portfolios predominantly with low-cost ETFs and institutional mutual funds from managers such as Dimensional Fund Advisors and Vanguard. For taxable accounts, it may incorporate individual municipal bonds, Treasury ladders, and direct indexing strategies. The approach emphasizes factor tilts — value, small-cap, and profitability premiums — rather than active stock selection.

Authentic Life Financial Planning employs a fee-only model. Clients typically pay a percentage of assets under management on a quarterly basis or a flat annual retainer for comprehensive planning engagements. The firm does not accept commissions, 12b-1 fees, or referral payments from product providers, which removes compensation-driven conflicts from the advice relationship.

No. Asset custody is held by a qualified third-party custodian — commonly Charles Schwab Institutional or a comparable platform — while the firm retains limited trading authority through the custodian's advisory interface. This separation of custody and advisory authority is a core consumer protection that prevents commingling or unauthorized movement of client funds.

The practice works with accumulators and retirees who require integrated tax, estate, and retirement-income planning. Common client profiles include corporate executives managing deferred compensation, medical professionals transitioning a practice, and small-business owners weighing entity structure and succession. Many engagements are multi-generational, planning for both the primary earners and their adult children.