Retirement Planning
Investment management: diversified, low-cost, and deliberately boring
We're not into guessing. Not on elections, not on interest rates, not on whatever's being called the future of investing this quarter. Thirty-plus years of watching flavors of the month has made us comfortable being the boring ones.
How we manage money, in one paragraph
We manage client portfolios with diversified, low-cost strategies through LPL Financial, matched to the written plan we build together. Fees follow a published schedule: 1.15% annually up to $1 million, 0.85% from $1 million to $2.5 million, and 0.50% above that, deducted directly from the accounts we manage.
Why boring keeps winning
Before an actively managed fund can beat the market, it has to out-earn its own costs: the manager, the research team, the trading. Most don't, most years, and the longer the period the worse the record gets. So the core of our portfolios is simple and cheap, and we spend our energy on the things that actually move your outcome: your allocation, your taxes, your withdrawal order, and your behavior in bad markets.
Remember BRIC funds? In the mid-2000s, Brazil, Russia, India, and China were going to overtake the developed world, and money poured in right before a decade of underperformance. There's always a BRIC. Allocating a small, honest slice to whatever keeps you interested is fine. Betting your retirement on it is not, and our job includes saying so out loud.
What ongoing management includes
- Portfolio construction matched to your written plan, not a model shrugged off a shelf
- Rebalancing and tax-aware placement across account types
- Coordination with your withdrawal strategy and tax plan
- Scheduled reviews (typically one or two a year, more if you like) plus our client service calendar so you always know what happens when
- A steady voice on the phone when markets get loud
Rebalancing a portfolio may cause investors to incur tax liabilities and/or transaction costs and does not assure a profit or protect against a loss.
What it costs, published
| Assets under management | Annual fee |
|---|---|
| First $1 million | 1.15% |
| $1 million to $2.5 million | 0.85% |
| Above $2.5 million | 0.50% |
Example: on a $250,000 account, 1.15% works out to $2,875 a year, deducted quarterly from the account rather than billed to you. Underlying fund expenses are separate and we keep them deliberately low. The pricing page lays out every cost we charge, including the conflicts of interest, because you should read that before you ever meet us.
Walk-away terms
Our agreements are walk-away: no lockups, no back-end fees, no hard feelings. If you ever stop seeing the value, you leave with our best wishes and your accounts intact. We think that's how it should work, and it keeps us honest.
Written by Colin Meeks, CFP® · Maryland Financial Advocates · Last updated August 6, 2026
Questions people actually ask
No hard minimum. The planning engagement comes first and tells us both whether ongoing management earns its fee in your situation. If it doesn't, we'll say so and hand you the plan and a checklist instead.
Start with a 15-minute call. It's complimentary.
Tell us what's on your plate. We'll tell you honestly whether we can help, and you'll know exactly what working together costs before you commit to anything.
Prefer the phone? Call 410-663-0700 and ask for Colin.