Our Process & Client Experience
Ongoing Financial Planning Onboarding Process
Each onboarding experience is unique to you but generally takes 3-6 months, depending on client complexity and time restraints.
- Initial Call (30-45 minutes): We will use this time to assess a mutual fit and answer any questions about our process, firm, or pricing.
- Discovery Meeting (45-60 minutes): We will dive deeper into your immediate concerns, current situation, and long-term plans to understand your unique needs. After this meeting, you sign the agreement and pay our onboarding fee.
- Meeting #1: Get Organized (60 minutes): We will send you a list of documents to upload before our first meeting and will use this meeting to make sure we have complete information.
- Meeting #2: Clarify (60-90 minutes): At this time, we will tie off any loose ends or missing documentation discovered during our deep dive into your uploaded documents.
- Meeting #3: Calculate Plan Design (60-90 minutes): By now, we will have plugged your financial and tax data into our models to understand how your situation may change under different life scenarios. We will discuss the underlying assumptions and factors that shape the model.
- Meeting #4: Review & Implement (60-90 minutes): It is time to review the information we have provided, make a plan, and act based on it.
- Annual review of investment and retirement accounts (ongoing investment management throughout the year with option “investment management”)
- Budget Meeting: review current cash flow and check in on savings and spending rate. Answer any questions about upcoming purchases (car, real estate, a big trip, wedding, etc…)
- Tax Review & Retirement Contributions: be prepared for your annual tax filings by gathering documentation and questions about how changes in your personal situation may affect your tax situation (marriage, divorce, children, move, job change, etc…). Ensure you are optimizing your retirement savings based on the country where you currently reside and where you plan to retire.
- Insurance Review: We don’t sell insurance, but we generally recommend at least obtaining term-life insurance if you have anyone who depends on your income. We will review any insurance policies you currently have and make recommendations on the appropriate coverage.
- Estate Plan Review: review all accounts, confirm beneficiary information and current estate plan.
- Education: We will calculate and plan for education costs and look for savings and tax planning opportunities. If you have student loan debt, we will review repayment strategies.
- Charitable Giving: We will review your current charitable giving target and look for opportunities to maximize your annual gifting and legacy.
- Employee benefits review: Do you understand your employee benefits? Are you leaving free money on the table? Should you sign that new contract? We can help you sort these out.
- Prep for the upcoming year: tax law changes, international move, change in jobs? We’ve got you covered and will keep you updated and on track.
- Connection to additional services: If necessary, Connected Financial Planning can connect you via our professional network to immigration, estate, tax preparation, and real estate services in various jurisdictions.
Planning Service Fees
Our Fees
As fee-only advisors, our compensation solely comes from our clients. In simpler terms, we neither receive nor accept commissions or kickbacks from brokers, banks, or any third parties. This commitment ensures that our client's best interests consistently take precedence. Should any potential conflict arise, we are dedicated to transparently disclosing it, empowering you to make informed decisions. The fee structure is customized to reflect your preferred management approach for your investment accounts. Your financial objectives remain our foremost priority throughout our partnership. Remember, if it’s free or cheap, YOU are the product.
We generally operate on a rolling waitlist to ensure the highest client experience. A signed engagement letter and initial fee secure your onboarding date. If you have a quick question or need immediate support, we welcome you to book a paid consultation with us here.
Financial Planning with Ongoing Wealth Management Support
For clients who are looking for financial planning and investment management wrapped into one, we’ve partnered with a cross-border investment management firm to bring you integrated financial planning and wealth management support. The annual fee is split into quarterly amounts and paid from your investment account. The annual fee is based on complexity; the minimum fees listed below apply to simple situations. We generally meet twice a year, with support as needed between meetings.
Annual Fee: The annual fee is based on complexity; the minimum fees listed below apply to simple situations. Following our comprehensive onboarding process, we typically meet twice a year, with additional support available as needed between meetings. The annual fee is divided into quarterly payments and deducted directly from your investment account.
- Individual Planning: from $5,300 per year
- Family Planning: from $6,360 per year. We include families of all kinds in this tier, including married couples, partnered individuals, and those with dependent children.
- Small Business Planning & Complex Situations: from $7,950 per year. We include anyone with self-employment income in this category.
Wealth Management Fee: Billed in addition to the financial planning fee and applied to U.S. assets under management. Our standard fee is 0.70% of assets when combined with ongoing financial planning. For clients with more than $2 million in assets, the percentage decreases on the amounts above the threshold. The exact tiered schedule depends on the custodian you choose.
Onboarding Fee: A one-time onboarding fee of 2,500 USD/EUR/CHF* is charged for individuals, and 3,500 USD/EUR/CHF* for families and complex situations, at the beginning of the engagement to cover initial setup, data collection, and planning design. Our onboarding fee is due with your signed engagement letter and secures your onboarding date.
Who We Work Best With
Our comprehensive financial planning services are best suited for:
- High-income U.S. expat families, typically earning $250,000 USD/EUR/CHF or more annually, with $350,000+ in investable assets and the capacity to save at least $2,000–$5,000+/month toward long-term goals, or
- Established Professionals & Families who may be saving for multiple goals (retirement, education, property, or other priorities) and who have already accumulated at least $1,000,000 in investable assets, or
- Individuals or families in or within 5 years of retirement who have $1,500,000 in investable assets and are seeking support with tax efficiency, cash flow, and cross-border retirement planning.
These thresholds help ensure our services provide meaningful, long-term value and impact.
If you don’t currently meet these criteria, we still welcome you to book a paid consultation here. Our one-time Expat Expert Calls are available to anyone seeking guidance on cross-border tax and financial planning topics.
Investment Management Only
For select clients who do not need ongoing financial planning, we offer a limited investment management–only option. This tier is best suited for individuals or families who already have a trusted planning relationship or who are confident managing their own financial plan but want professional oversight of their cross-border investments.
What’s Included
- Professional portfolio management with a cross-border lens
- Access to institutional custodians and global investment platforms
- Rebalancing and globally tax-aware implementation
- Annual check-in focused solely on investments
What’s Not Included
- Comprehensive financial planning; additional planning support available at our hourly fee
- Cash flow, retirement, or tax projections
- Ongoing cross-border planning support
Fee
- 1.00% of assets under management, tiered down above $2 million depending on the custodian
- Minimum account size: $500,000
Advanced Planning & Tax Concierge Service with Ongoing Wealth Management Support
This solution is available for busy professionals who want us to fully coordinate their U.S. and local (foreign) country tax situations. Prices are based on the complexity of the situation, the number of countries filing obligations, and the forms that need to be filed. The annual fee is split into quarterly amounts and paid from your investment account.
Annual Fee: from $26,500 per year
Wealth Management Fee: Billed in addition to the financial planning fee, generally 0.70% of assets under management when combined with ongoing financial planning.
Onboarding Fee: 3,500 USD/EUR/CHF*, charged to cover the initial planning, document review, and cross-border coordination. Our onboarding fee is due with your signed engagement letter and secures your onboarding date.
Custom Projects
If you have an immediate or quick question, we invite you to book a paid consultation here.
As of June 2025, we are currently at capacity for custom projects through 2025; we continue to accept a limited number of ongoing financial planning clients. For individuals considering working with us on a project, the first step is to book a paid consultation.
We are passionate about serving clients with a diverse range of planning needs. We are happy to take on custom projects as we have capacity. Our minimum project fee is 5,300 USD/CHF/EUR.
*Clients resident in Switzerland are subject to 8.1% VAT
Considerations For Complex Situations
In any of our above pricing options, we generally define your situation as complex if any of the following applies to you:
- You are a corporate expat on a limited expat contract
- You are planning an international move within the next 12 months
- You own a business, or are you in the process of organizing one
- You are involved or have ownership with foreign entities
- You are considering purchasing foreign real estate within the next 12 months
- You have complex equity compensation considerations
- You are a senior executive with a complex compensation structure
- You have immediate estate planning needs and considerations
- You are planning on retiring within the next five years