Guiding families from
plan to peace of mind.
Flat-Fee, Fiduciary Financial Planning in Greensboro, NC
We coordinate your whole financial life: your taxes, your estate plan, your investments, and the behind-the-scenes work that keeps your plan moving between meetings. We call this The Legwork.
What is The Legwork?
“The Legwork is how Legs Financial keeps your plan moving all year.”
It is the coordination, year-round tax watching, and behind-the-scenes work that happens between your meetings. The right people talk, the right steps happen, and nothing gets lost in the handoffs.
Phase 1: Planning the Route
Becoming a client is a deliberate, step-by-step process designed to make sure we are the right guides for your journey.
1. The Trailhead Meeting
A relaxed, complimentary 30-minute conversation. No spreadsheets, no jargon. We talk about your family’s story, where you are today, and where you want to go, to see if our flat-fee model is a fit.
2. Building the Map
If we agree to hike together, we’ll confirm scope, hold a goal-setting session to understand what matters most to your family, collect the fee, and begin. We gather your documents, coordinate with your CPA and attorney, and build your step-by-step financial plan.
3. The Briefing
We present your route forward in plain English. You will know precisely what you need to do and what we handle for you every step of the way.
Phase 2: The Legwork
The work that happens between meetings is where most plans fall apart. Here is what we handle so details don’t fall through the cracks.
Click any card to expand
- Quarterly check-ins with your CPA
- A written tax plan
- A review of how your accounts are titled and who your beneficiaries are (an account-title audit)
- Instruction letters to fund your trust and any Donor-Advised Fund (DAF)
- A set checklist we run within 10 business days of any big life event
- Moving money to a Roth in the low-tax years (Roth conversion windowing)
- Holding the right investments in the right accounts, and checking as things shift (asset location)
- Handling required withdrawals (RMDs) and tax-smart charitable giving (QCDs/DAFs) on schedule
- Monitoring Supplemental Security Income (SSI), Medicaid, and ABLE accounts
- Clear rules for running the Special Needs Trust day to day
- Steady coordination with trustees, attorneys, and CPAs
- Help with the Letter of Intent so guardians and future caregivers are ready
- A safe, flexible plan for how much to take out each year, and which accounts to draw from to keep taxes low (withdrawal sequencing)
- Planning around the extra Medicare costs higher earners pay (IRMAA)
- Full Social Security planning, including spousal and survivor strategies
- A written record of every trade when we rebalance
- Using investment losses to lower your tax bill (tax-loss harvesting)
- Watching for too much money in any one stock or sector
- Keeping cash set aside for expenses you know are coming
- A clear-eyed look at how to pay down debt
- Planning a reserve for medical costs
- Setting up cash for short, near, and long-term needs
- Scheduling deposits and withdrawals, and double-checking the bank transfers
- Coordinating bill-pay for trusts
- Cleaning up your records before tax season, so cost information is right
- Handling the funding steps from start to finish
- Insurance reviews that check your coverage, add-ons, and ownership
- Reviewing life, disability, and long-term care coverage for gaps
- Confirming your beneficiaries are set correctly
- Simple steps to guard against fraud and identity theft, like two-factor sign-in, credit freezes, and bank alerts
- Facilitate a yearly family meeting for updates, status, and changes
- A plain-English “first 30 days” guide and account list for your successor(s)
- Read-only access for adult children who need to stay in the loop
We Coordinate. Your Pros Execute.
We stay in our lane and work alongside your existing team. We coordinate the services below, but licensed specialists do the actual work.
Tax returns. Prepared and filed by your CPA. We set the strategy and manage the handoff.
Legal documents. Drafted by your estate or special needs attorney. We coordinate putting what they draft into action.
Insurance. Placed by a licensed agent. We review your coverage and explain what to keep or replace.
Bookkeeping and payroll. Handled by your accountant. We coordinate where it touches your plan.
Walking the Trail: Our Seasonal Cadence
We follow a seasonal plan, so you always know what we are working on and when.
| The Season | What We Do |
|---|---|
| Spring Tax and Funding |
|
| Summer Mid-Year Check |
|
| Fall Planning Ahead |
|
| Winter Year-End Wrap |
|
| Off-Trail When Life Happens |
Life doesn’t follow a season. For a diagnosis, an inheritance, or a big financial change, we start a rapid-response checklist within one business day and coordinate next steps with your legal and tax team over the next two weeks. |
Transparent, Flat-Fee Pricing
You pay for how complex your situation is, not the size of your portfolio. Some situations are simpler than others, and the tiers below reflect that complexity, not a level of service.
How We Determine Your Fee
Our flat fee is quoted upfront based on how complex your situation is, not the size of your portfolio. Here is what drives complexity:
- ✓ Number of accounts and entities
- ✓ Tax complexity
- ✓ Special needs coordination
- ✓ Estate and trust complexity
- ✓ How often we meet
Every Ongoing Plan Includes
- A written investment plan (Investment Policy Statement, or IPS), core investment mix, and tax-aware rebalancing
- Tax-smart charitable giving, including Qualified Charitable Distributions (QCDs) and Donor-Advised Funds (DAFs)
- Proactive tax strategy: Roth conversions and withdrawal planning
- Coordination with your full professional team, including your CPA and attorney
- Tax-loss harvesting
- Estate planning coordination
- Trust coordination
- Social Security planning and optimization
- Open-enrollment support
- The Legwork, our year-round execution
We meet as often as your plan needs, with regular reviews throughout the year.
Your fee is fixed for two years. After that, it may rise modestly to keep pace with inflation and rising costs. We will always notify you before any changes.
Ongoing Wealth Management
The Ascent
Foundation
$7,200/year
$1,800 / quarter billed in advance
For families with fewer moving parts who want a clear plan to make their savings last.
The Summit
Comprehensive
$10,800/year
$2,700 / quarter billed in advance
For families with more active accounts and in need of a deeper tax analysis.
The Expedition
Specialized
$16,000/year
$4,000 / quarter billed in advance
For families facing the greatest complexity, involving Special Needs Trusts (SNTs), businesses, multi-generational plans, and advanced tax situations.
Billed quarterly in advance. Planning works best over a full year, so we ask new families to plan on 12 months with us. Even so, either of us can end the plan at any time with 30 days’ written notice. Prepaid fees for work not yet done are refunded. We coordinate with your attorney and CPA. We do not prepare tax returns or draft legal documents.
Why Flat-Fee Pricing Stays Flat
Your fee is quoted when we start and stays fixed, no matter how your portfolio balance changes. Two families with very different portfolios but similar planning needs pay similar fees. That predictability is part of the value: you know what you pay before the work begins and the price is the price.
Annual Advisory Fee by Portfolio Size
Each tier is a fixed annual fee. The fee does not change as your portfolio grows or shrinks.
The horizontal lines are the point: each tier stays at a fixed annual fee.
For illustrative purposes. Your fee is quoted based on planning complexity. Investment returns are not guaranteed and past performance does not predict future results.
Common Question
How does flat-fee pricing differ from AUM-based advisor pricing?
Flat-fee pricing charges one yearly fee based on how complex your situation is. The fee is set at the start and stays fixed, no matter how your portfolio moves. AUM-based pricing charges a percentage of the assets an advisor manages, so it changes as your portfolio grows or shrinks. Both are common in the industry.
Legs Financial uses a flat fee because our work is about coordinating planning across tax, estate, benefits, and investment decisions. That work does not get bigger just because a portfolio is bigger. And our advice sometimes moves money out of investment accounts, like funding a trust, paying down debt, or holding cash for a known expense. A flat fee keeps our advice separate from your portfolio balance.
Whether flat-fee or AUM fits your situation depends on what you need from an advisor. Schedule a Trailhead Meeting if you want to talk it through.
Project-Based Financial Maps
Not ready for an ongoing relationship? Start with a one-time Financial Map to set your baseline and find the critical gaps. If you move to an ongoing plan within 90 days, we credit up to 20% of your first-year fee toward your first quarter.
The Ascent Map
$3,600
For families who need a clear starting point. We look at your terrain, find the critical gaps, and give you a prioritized action plan you can use right away.
Up to $1,440 (20%) credited toward your first quarter if you upgrade within 90 days
The Summit Map
$4,800
For families with established wealth and moving parts. We build a full financial map covering tax strategy, estate coordination, and investments, with a clear order of next moves.
Up to $2,160 (20%) credited toward your first quarter if you upgrade within 90 days
The Expedition Map
$6,000
For families facing complexity, including special needs planning, advanced tax situations, or multi-party coordination. We map the full terrain and give you a detailed plan built around your situation.
Up to $3,200 (20%) credited toward your first quarter if you upgrade within 90 days
Ready to Start the Conversation?
Every family’s journey is unique. Schedule a complimentary 30-minute call to find the path that fits yours.
Schedule a Trailhead Meeting