A one-time financial plan from a fee-only planner costs a median $2,000 in the US, and the middle half of firms that publish a price charge $845 to $3,600. In Canada the median is C$1,900. You pay once, leave with a written plan, and carry it out yourself.
These figures come from the prices 675 US fee-only firms publish on their own websites, each checked word for word against the page. They’re the starting price each firm states, so a more complex plan at the same firm can cost more. The full breakdown is in the Wellspent fee report.
What a one-time plan costs
Medians from prices fee-only firms publish on their own websites
Source: Wellspent fee report
One-time plans are common. Of 2,574 fee-only firms whose websites say how they charge, 38% sell one-time plans or projects, often alongside an ongoing option.
Why the range is so wide
The middle half runs from $845 to $3,600, and the full spread is wider still. More than a quarter of firms start under $1,000, and about 1 in 7 start at $5,000 or more.
The gap comes down to what the plan covers:
- Scope. A review of one question, such as whether you can retire at 62, is a smaller job than a full plan covering retirement, taxes, insurance, college and estate.
- Complexity. A household with salaries and a 401(k) takes less work than one with a business, stock options, rental property or income in two countries.
- What happens after. Some prices include a follow-up meeting a few months later, or help putting the plan in place. Others end when the plan is delivered.
When a price is well under $1,000, ask what’s covered. It may be a single-topic review rather than a full plan, which is fine if that’s what you need.
One-time plan prices by state
Where the planner works matters more for one-time plans than for hourly rates. Across the 22 states with at least 12 firms publishing a price, medians run from $830 in Maryland to $3,000 in Washington and Massachusetts.
Starting price: median and middle half of firms, selected states with at least 12 firms publishing
Source: Wellspent fee report data
Data
| State | Median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|
| Washington | $3,000 | $1,650 to $4,600 |
| Massachusetts | $3,000 | $1,150 to $3,800 |
| Illinois | $2,650 | $1,150 to $4,200 |
| California | $2,500 | $1,000 to $4,000 |
| New York | $2,500 | $850 to $4,000 |
| Florida | $2,500 | $1,000 to $3,250 |
| Pennsylvania | $1,700 | $675 to $3,000 |
| Texas | $1,600 | $653 to $3,400 |
| Virginia | $1,500 | $650 to $2,750 |
| Maryland | $830 | $500 to $2,900 |
Many planners work by video with clients in any state, so a local price isn’t the only one open to you.
What to expect in the plan
Firms package one-time plans differently, so use this as a checklist when you compare quotes. A full plan usually includes:
- A meeting, or two, to understand your goals and situation
- A review of your accounts, debts, insurance and tax returns
- A written plan with specific recommendations and the reasons for them
- Retirement projections: when you can stop working and what you can spend
- Tax ideas, such as which accounts to save into and draw from first
- A meeting to walk through the plan and answer questions
Ask whether these are included: recommendations on specific investments, help opening or moving accounts, a follow-up meeting, and email questions after delivery. They’re often where two similar prices turn out to be different products.
One-time, hourly or ongoing
The median one-time plan costs about the same as seven hours with a planner at the median rate of $300 an hour, and less than half the median ongoing planning fee of $4,500 a year.
| If you want | Usually the better fit | Typical cost (US median) |
|---|---|---|
| One question answered | Hourly | $300 an hour |
| A full plan you’ll carry out yourself | One-time plan | $2,000 |
| Help every year as life changes | Ongoing planning fee | $4,500 a year |
| Someone to manage your investments too | Percentage of assets | 1% a year |
Some people buy a one-time plan, carry it out, and come back every few years for an update. Ask what an update costs. If it’s close to the full price and you expect to want one every year, an ongoing or flat fee may cost less over time.
One-time plans in Canada
Fee-only planners in Canada who publish a price charge a median C$1,900 for a one-time plan, with the middle half between C$950 and C$3,000, across 46 firms. One-time work is far more common there: 82% of Canadian fee-only firms whose websites say how they charge sell one-time plans or projects (58 of 71), against 37% in the US (924 of 2,503). Many of those firms describe themselves as advice-only.
How to get the most from a one-time plan
- Name the question. “Can we retire in five years?” gets a sharper plan than “look at everything.”
- Gather documents before the first meeting. Recent statements, last year’s tax return, pay stubs, pension and insurance details. Time the planner spends chasing paperwork is time not spent on advice.
- Ask for priorities, not just a list. A good plan tells you what to do first.
- Book the follow-up. Ask for a short meeting a few months later to check your progress, and find out if it’s in the price.
Questions to ask before you pay
- What’s the price for my situation, and what would make it higher?
- What’s in the plan, and what’s not?
- Is a follow-up meeting included? What does an update cost later?
- Will you recommend specific investments, or only an approach?
- Do you or your firm earn anything other than this fee?
The last question matters most. A fee-only planner earns nothing from the products they recommend, so the plan isn’t steering you toward a sale. You can check: look the firm up on the SEC’s adviser search, where Form ADV Part 1, Item 5E shows whether it charges fixed fees and whether it earns commissions. Our guide to telling whether an advisor is fee-only walks through the rest.