Updated:
Maley Financial Planning
Michael Maley founded Maley Financial Planning as a fee-only RIA, serving individuals with integrated financial planning and discretionary portfolio...
Maley Financial Planning
Maley Financial Planning operates as a fee-only registered investment adviser, reflecting the post-2008 trend of independent advisers breaking from broker-dealer models to deliver fiduciary advice. Michael Maley founded the practice to serve individuals and families who require comprehensive financial planning integrated with discretionary investment management. The firm's structure — where assets are held at an unaffiliated custodian — reinforces the separation of advice from asset custody, a mark of fiduciary-minded RIAs that contrasts with the principal-agent conflicts inherent in commission-based wealth management. The firm's investment approach centers on constructing client portfolios using low-cost exchange-traded funds and mutual funds, emphasizing asset allocation, tax efficiency, and long-term compounding. Maley Financial Planning does not manufacture proprietary products; instead, it implements third-party strategies across public equities, fixed income, and real estate investment trusts depending on client objectives. Geographic concentration is domestic, consistent with a boutique practice serving a regional or multi-state client base from a single location. Maley Financial Planning maintains a deliberately lean structure — a common posture among solo-practitioner RIAs seeking to keep AUM-per-advisor ratios favorable and client relationships unmediated by layers of associates. The firm's service model blends continuous financial planning with ongoing investment oversight, covering retirement-income planning, tax strategy, and estate coordination. While the practice does not operate adjacent private-capital vehicles or institutional-scale co-investment platforms, its independence from any parent bank or insurance company provides an unconflicted mandate uncommon in the wider wealth-management landscape. The practice's structural differentiator is its fee-only, custodian-separated architecture. Unlike wirehouse advisers who face product-sales incentives or hybrid RIAs that maintain broker-dealer affiliations, Maley Financial Planning's revenue derives exclusively from client-paid advisory fees. This purity of fiduciary posture, combined with integrated financial planning — rather than investment management alone — positions the firm in the minority of US advisers who both plan and manage discretionary portfolios under one fee.
General information
Firm type
RIA
Year founded
—
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
—
Corporate office
—
Principals
Michael Maley
Founder & President
Frequently asked questions
How is Maley Financial Planning compensated?
The firm operates on a fee-only basis, charging clients a percentage of assets under management or a fixed retainer for financial planning. The practice does not accept commissions, referral fees, or revenue-sharing from product providers — a compensation model that eliminates the conflict of interest common among commission- and fee-based competitors.
Where are client assets custodied?
Maley Financial Planning uses an independent third-party custodian to hold client accounts. The firm does not take physical custody of client funds or securities, a structural safeguard that separates advisory authority from asset possession and is standard among fiduciary-minded RIAs seeking to minimize client risk.
Does the firm manage alternative investments or private funds?
The practice concentrates on publicly traded securities — primarily ETFs and mutual funds — across core asset classes. Maley Financial Planning does not sponsor or manage private equity, venture capital, hedge fund, or direct real estate vehicles, keeping the investment palette aligned with liquid, transparent, and low-cost strategies appropriate for its retail and high-net-worth client base.
What distinguishes Maley Financial Planning from a wirehouse brokerage team?
The primary distinction is regulatory and fiduciary. As a fee-only RIA, the firm owes clients an ongoing fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, whereas wirehouse brokers operate under Regulation Best Interest, a standard that permits certain conflicts. Additionally, Maley Financial Planning's compensation derives entirely from client-paid fees — not product commissions, sales contests, or proprietary fund incentives — aligning advisor revenue with client outcomes.
Does the firm provide estate planning or tax advice internally?
Maley Financial Planning integrates estate and tax considerations into its financial planning process, but implementation and complex legal work are typically coordinated with external estate-planning attorneys and CPAs. The planner acts as a quarterback, ensuring investment strategy coordinates with estate documents and ongoing tax-minimization efforts.
Profile maintained by Altss using OSINT (open-source intelligence), regulatory filings, licensed data partners, and verified direct submissions. Read the methodology. Last updated: . Continuous refresh with full update cycles at least every 30 days.
Need institutional-grade insight on family offices?
Altss delivers:
Prefer a guided tour?
We’ll walk you through: