Fee-Only Financial Planning

Fee-Only Financial Planning uses a flat-fee or hourly billing model. Clients pay a predetermined project fee for a comprehensive financial plan or an hourly rate for targeted consultations. The firm does not accept commissions, referral fees, or asset-based fees, and it has publicly committed to refusing all revenue-sharing arrangements with custodians or product providers.

The firm targets do-it-yourself investors who have accumulated meaningful assets in tax-advantaged accounts and are approaching retirement, but who want a professional financial roadmap without ongoing portfolio-management fees. Its client base includes Illinois-based professionals, academics, and pre-retirees who are comfortable executing their own trades at discount brokerages.

Most fee-only RIAs charge clients a percentage of assets under management. Kingston's firm has eliminated that model entirely, charging only project or hourly fees and explicitly refusing any compensation tied to client asset levels. This makes it a hardline fee-only practice in an industry where the AUM model remains dominant even among fiduciaries.