Flat-Fee Financial Advisor
Flat Fee Financial Advisor Near Me
A flat fee financial advisor charges a single transparent annual fee instead of a percentage of your investments. Your Path Fi, LLC charges $12,000 per year, regardless of portfolio size. Based in West Chester, PA, the firm serves pre-retirees and retirees nationwide, offering fee-only, fiduciary retirement planning with no commissions and no AUM percentage.
You’ve searched for an advisor near you, but what you actually want is someone whose fee makes sense and whose incentives are clear. A flat fee does that: one number, agreed on up front, that does not change based on how much you save.
I’m Ryan Langan, CFP®. I’m based in West Chester, PA (Chester County, 19382), and I work exclusively with people who are 2 to 5 years from retirement, or who have recently retired, for a single flat annual fee rather than a percentage of what you’ve saved. Local roots, available nationwide.
How the fee works
Why a flat fee beats a percentage of your assets
Most financial advisors charge a percentage of your investment assets under management (AUM), commonly 1% or more per year according to Kitces Research industry benchmarking. That means the dollar amount of the fee rises automatically as your portfolio grows, even though the work involved in your plan does not increase in proportion.
At Your Path Fi, the fee is a single flat annual fee of $12,000, regardless of portfolio size. No AUM percentage. No commissions. No compensation from products.
| Your portfolio | A typical advisor's fee* | Your Path Fi |
|---|---|---|
| $1 million | about $10,000/yr | $12,000/yr |
| $3 million | about $26,000/yr | $12,000/yr |
| $5 million | about $39,000/yr | $12,000/yr |
*Illustration based on typical graduated (tiered) AUM schedules (Kitces and Veres industry research), with flat-fee industry averages from a 2026 Envestnet study. Advisory fees only. Not a quote or a promise of savings.
Flat fees vary across the industry. A 2026 Envestnet financial planning fee study found the average flat fee is $2,926 per year. Your Path Fi’s flat annual fee is $12,000, which covers both financial planning and investment management. Some advisors who charge less may offer planning-only services without investment management, or may charge separately for implementation. The key is understanding what is included before you start.
See the full fee breakdown to understand exactly what is included in the flat annual fee and how it compares across portfolio sizes.
Finding an advisor
How to find a flat-fee financial advisor near you
A handful of directories exist specifically to help you find fee-only, flat-fee advisors, rather than the broader universe of advisors who may charge commissions or a percentage of assets:
- NAPFA (the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors), which requires members to be fee-only and fiduciary
- Flat Fee Advisors, a directory specifically for advisors who charge a flat dollar fee rather than a percentage of assets
- Fee-Only Network, another directory limited to fee-only advisors
Your Path Fi is listed on all three.
“Near me” does not have to mean physically local. A flat-fee advisor who works remotely can serve you regardless of where you live, and the planning process, from the first call through ongoing check-ins, is fully remote-friendly.
Local roots
Flat-fee retirement planning in West Chester, PA
Your Path Fi is based in West Chester, PA (Chester County, zip 19382). The firm serves clients in West Chester, Malvern, Exton, Downingtown, Phoenixville, Tredyffrin, Willistown, West Goshen, Paoli, Chester Springs, Glen Mills, Chadds Ford, and the broader Chester County area, as well as nationwide.
Pennsylvania does not tax Social Security income, and it does not tax pension or retirement account income for residents age 60 and over, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Revenue. That is one reason a local advisor who understands Pennsylvania-specific retirement rules can plan withdrawals and Roth conversions differently than a generic national template would.
You can read more about working with a financial advisor in West Chester, PA or retirement planning across Chester County, PA.
Before you hire
Questions to ask before hiring a flat-fee advisor
Are you fee-only or fee-based?
Fee-only means the advisor earns no commissions, ever. Fee-based means the advisor can earn both fees and commissions from product sales. Only fee-only fully eliminates that conflict of interest, so it is worth asking the question directly rather than assuming.
Is your fee a flat dollar amount or a retainer?
A flat fee is a fixed annual amount that you agree to up front. A retainer can renew, or change, from one period to the next. Confirm the exact dollar amount, and whether it is guaranteed to hold, before you start.
Are you a fiduciary?
A fiduciary is legally obligated to act in your best interest. Not all advisors are, even some who sound like they are. Ask for this in writing, not just verbally, so you have something to point back to.
What is included in the fee?
Understand exactly what services the fee covers before you sign anything. Some flat-fee advisors charge separately for investment management on top of the planning fee. Your Path Fi's $12,000 annual fee covers both financial planning and investment management, with nothing added on top.
Common questions
What do people ask about flat-fee financial advisors near me?
How do I find a flat fee financial advisor near me?
Start with directories that vet for the fee model, not just the advisor's location: NAPFA (the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors) at napfa.org, Flat Fee Advisors at flatfeeadvisors.org, and the Fee-Only Network at feeonlynetwork.com. Look for advisors who are fee-only and fiduciary, meaning no commissions and a legal duty to act in your interest. Because planning today is largely remote-friendly, your location is far less of a limiting factor than it used to be.
What does a flat fee financial advisor cost?
Your Path Fi charges $12,000 per year, regardless of portfolio size. Other flat-fee advisors set their own dollar figure, and it varies by firm. The point of a flat fee is transparency: you know the exact number before you start, rather than a percentage that shifts with your account balance.
Is a flat fee financial advisor a fiduciary?
Your Path Fi is a fee-only, fiduciary firm. Being fee-only means the firm is compensated solely by client fees, with no commissions or compensation from product sales. Being a fiduciary means the advisor has a legal duty to act in your best interest. Both are substantiated by the firm's NAPFA membership, since NAPFA requires fee-only, fiduciary status to join.
How do I find a flat fee fiduciary financial advisor near me?
The same directories that help you find flat-fee advisors, NAPFA, Flat Fee Advisors, and the Fee-Only Network, also help you find fiduciary advisors, since membership in each requires fiduciary status. Fee-only and fiduciary together mean the advisor has no conflicts of interest from commissions or product sales: fee-only removes the sales incentive, and fiduciary status creates a legal duty to act in your best interest. Your Path Fi is both fee-only and fiduciary, substantiated by its NAPFA membership.
Can I work with a flat fee financial advisor remotely?
Yes. Your Path Fi serves clients nationwide, not just in West Chester, PA. The planning process, from the first call through ongoing meetings, is fully remote-friendly, so where you live does not determine who you can work with.
What is the difference between fee-only and flat-fee?
Fee-only describes how the advisor is paid: compensation comes solely from client fees, with no commissions or product sales. Flat-fee describes the structure of that fee: a fixed dollar amount rather than a percentage of your assets. Your Path Fi is both, fee-only and flat-fee, which means a single transparent annual number with no sales incentive attached.
You deserve a real plan, not a sales pitch, not a template.
A complimentary call is a no-cost, no-pressure conversation about your retirement. See the full list of retirement planning services and the flat-fee pricing page before you decide.
Free intro call. Based in West Chester, PA, serving clients nationwide.