Evaluating advisors
How to Compare Financial Planner Fee Structures in San Ramon
August 21, 2026
8 minute read
By Jamie Hargrave, Cadence Capital Investments
Fee Structures
Evaluating advisors
To compare financial planners near San Ramon on a like for like basis, convert every quote into annual dollars, establish which services carry a fiduciary duty and which do not, and confirm what is delivered in writing for that fee. Fee model alone does not tell you the total cost or the scope of the work.
A great climb is rarely about raw speed. It is about rhythm: knowing the route, reading the grade, and spending energy where it counts. If you are ten to fifteen years from retirement and interviewing planners, the comparison problem in front of you is concrete. Different firms quote in different units, describe overlapping services with different names, and use the same regulatory vocabulary to mean different things.
Fee-only describes compensation. It means the advisor is paid solely by client fees, with no commissions on product sales anywhere in the firm or its affiliates. It removes product sale incentives. It does not remove every conflict: an asset based fee still creates incentives around rollovers, distributions, and paying down debt with invested assets.
Fee-based means client fees plus commissions earned somewhere in the structure, typically through an affiliated insurance agency or broker-dealer. The conflict is real and has to be disclosed. It also allows insurance and annuity solutions to be implemented inside the same relationship rather than referred out.
Fiduciary describes a legal duty, not a compensation model. It attaches to specific services and specific relationships rather than to a firm as a whole. A single firm can act in a fiduciary capacity for advisory accounts while other recommendations are governed by a different standard. The question worth asking is which services the duty covers, in writing.
Our own structure, stated plainly. Investment advisory services at Cadence Capital Investments are offered through Prosperity Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor, which acts in a fiduciary capacity with respect to the advisory services it provides. Securities are offered through Fortune Financial Services, LLC, a Registered Broker/Dealer and member FINRA and SIPC. Insurance and annuity products are offered through licensed affiliates and agents, which means the firm is fee-based rather than fee-only. That structure is disclosed in full in our Form CRS, linked in the site footer.
Rather than sorting firms into good and bad, it is more useful to understand each structure and what it asks you to watch. Most firms in the East Bay use one of these or a blend of two.
| Model | How it is quoted | Well suited to | What to examine |
|---|---|---|---|
| Flat annual planning fee | A stated dollar amount per year for a defined scope. | Households that want cost predictability regardless of portfolio value. | What is inside the scope, what triggers an additional fee, whether implementation is included. |
| Monthly or quarterly retainer | A recurring amount, often quoted per month. | Ongoing relationships where questions arise between formal reviews. | The annualized total, and whether the retainer covers investment management or only advice. |
| Hourly or project | Billed against time spent on a defined question. | Narrow, one time decisions such as a single conversion analysis. | Usually thin on ongoing implementation support and follow through. |
| Percentage of assets | An annual percentage of the assets under management. | Households that want investment management and planning bundled. | The dollar amount at your actual balance, whether the rate tiers down, and what planning is included. |
| Commission on products | Paid by the product provider at the point of sale. | Discrete insurance or annuity implementation. | Whether ongoing planning is part of the arrangement, and what the product itself costs. |
| Blended | An advisory fee plus commissions on certain products through an affiliate. | Plans where investment and insurance decisions are coordinated together. | Which products carry commissions and how each recommendation is disclosed. |
Fee ranges vary widely by region, by scope, and by firm, and published benchmarks age quickly. Rather than working from a range you found online, ask each firm for its own schedule in writing and compare the actual numbers.
A lower headline price is not automatically a lower total cost. Compare deliverables, implementation, and scope alongside the annualized number.
This is the single step that makes the comparison possible, and it takes about ten minutes.
For a household approaching retirement, the scope question matters at least as much as the price. Investment management on its own leaves the harder coordination undone.
A retirement income engagement generally involves Social Security timing decisions, including how spousal benefits coordinate across two claiming ages; withdrawal sequencing across taxable, tax deferred, and tax free accounts, which changes the timing and amount of tax owed; evaluating whether lower income years between separation and the start of Social Security and required minimum distributions leave room for Roth conversions; and planning around Medicare income related monthly adjustment amounts so a single high income year does not produce a surcharge that was avoidable.
Alongside that sits portfolio structure built around risk tolerance and the years of income the plan needs to support, beneficiary designations reviewed against current estate documents, and insurance, annuity, and income protection options evaluated through licensed affiliates as one part of a wider plan. None of this is tax or legal advice, and the analysis belongs alongside your CPA and attorney rather than instead of them.
When you ask a firm what its fee covers, listen for whether these pieces are described as one coordinated engagement or as separate services with separate charges.
Two local factors change the shape of the work. The first is California's income tax treatment, which affects the arithmetic on Roth conversions and on the sequence in which accounts are drawn, and which makes the timing of large one time events worth planning rather than absorbing.
The second is employer benefit structure. East Bay households frequently carry substantial tax deferred balances built inside a small number of large employer plans, and those plans have their own mechanics. Chevron employees and retirees face a pension payment election, a savings plan with a self directed brokerage window, and appreciated company stock. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory staff work within a different set of retirement benefit structures again. A planner who has not worked with the plan in front of you will take longer to be useful.
Cadence Capital Investments works with individuals and families across Contra Costa and Alameda counties, including San Ramon, Danville, Alamo, Dublin, Pleasanton, Livermore, Walnut Creek, Lafayette, and Moraga. Location is a service preference rather than proof of competence, so weigh it after fiduciary scope, compensation transparency, and demonstrated retirement income experience rather than before them.
Professional designations indicate coursework, examination, experience requirements, and an ethics commitment. They are useful signals and they are not a substitute for checking the record yourself.
We listen, we map where you stand, and we walk you through the route before you commit to anything. There is no cost and no obligation to begin the conversation.
How do I compare a flat fee to a percentage of assets?
Convert both to annual dollars at your actual expected balance. A percentage quote only becomes comparable once it is applied to the amount you would actually have managed, and asset based rates often tier down as balances grow, so ask for the schedule rather than the headline rate. Then add the underlying fund and product costs to both figures, since those sit beneath the advisory fee in either model. Once you have two annual dollar totals, compare what each one delivers.
Does a lower headline fee mean a lower total cost?
Not reliably. A lower advisory fee paired with higher cost underlying investments can produce a higher total, and a low quote that excludes implementation can mean the work is done elsewhere at additional expense. Compare the annualized total including product costs, then compare the deliverables and the implementation support that come with it. Scope differences between firms are frequently larger than price differences.
What should a retirement planning fee include?
At minimum, a written income plan covering Social Security timing, a proposed withdrawal sequence across taxable, tax deferred, and tax free accounts, and analysis of whether conversion windows exist in lower income years, with the assumptions behind each stated plainly. Ask whether portfolio implementation, beneficiary review, and coordination with your CPA and attorney are inside the scope or billed separately. Ask also how often you meet and who handles the relationship day to day.
Does it matter whether my planner is local to San Ramon?
Less than fiduciary scope, compensation transparency, and demonstrated experience, but it is not irrelevant. Local familiarity matters most where it is substantive, such as working knowledge of the employer plans common in the East Bay and of California's tax treatment. Proximity for in person meetings is a service preference. Weigh it after the structural questions rather than before them.
What should I look for when comparing retirement planners in the Tri-Valley area?
Firms that coordinate income, tax, investment, and protection decisions as one engagement rather than as separate services; working knowledge of the employer plans common to the area, including Chevron and Lawrence Livermore benefit structures; and a clear written statement of which services carry a fiduciary duty and how the firm is compensated in each case. Ask each firm to put its fee schedule and its structure in writing, then compare those documents side by side.
We value your privacy, and we want to help make your experience with Cadence Capital Investments as satisfying and safe as possible. We have established this Privacy Policy to explain how we receive, use, and share information you may provide in connection with your access to this website.
The Site is intended for use only by individuals over the age of 18 who are accessing the Site from inside the United States. By using the Site or submitting any information to us, you acknowledge that you are over the age of 18, are in the United States, and that you consent to our use and sharing of information collected or submitted as described in this Privacy Policy. This Privacy Policy is incorporated into and is subject to the Site's Terms of Use. By using the Site, you expressly consent to the terms of this Privacy Policy and the information handling practices described herein.
In connection with your use of this Site, we may collect both personally identifiable information ("PII") and non-personally identifiable information ("Non-PII"). PII includes information such as your name, address, phone number, zip code, email address, and similar information. Non-PII may include, for example, your IP address, browser type, domain names, access dates, and similar information. (PII and Non-PII are collectively referred to as "Information.")
We may collect information from you through your voluntary submission to receive offers from the Site or access to certain resources on the Site. We also may collect information from your browser when you use the Site, using a variety of methods. The information collected by these automated methods may include, for example, your IP address, cookie information, a unique device or user ID, browser type, system type, the content and pages that you access on the Site, and the referring URL (the page from which you navigated to the Site). We may use cookies on the Site to recognize you and to store references to you and session validators on your device. We may use passively-collected information to administer, operate, and improve the Site and our other services, and to provide content tailored to you. We may combine Non-PII with PII.
If we directly combine any Non-PII with PII, we treat the combined information as PII under this Privacy Policy. Otherwise, we use information collected by passive means in aggregated or other non-personally identifiable forms.
We may use the information you provide for any purpose, including but not limited to: (1) providing materials you have requested; (2) contacting you regarding the potential purchase of insurance or other financial products; (3) personalizing our contact with you; (4) operating, providing, improving, and maintaining the Site; (5) developing new products and services; (6) preventing abusive and fraudulent use of the Site; and (7) sending administrative messages, content, and other features we believe may interest you, and for other administrative and internal business purposes permitted by law.
We may share your information with third parties who assist us in operating our business and servicing our clients. We may also disclose Information if, in good faith, we believe doing so is required by a subpoena or other judicial or administrative order, or otherwise required by law. We may disclose Information if we deem it appropriate or necessary to prevent violation of the Site's Terms of Use or our other agreements; take precautions against liability; protect our rights, property, or safety, or those of any individual or the general public; maintain the security and integrity of our services or infrastructure; protect ourselves from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful uses; investigate and defend against third-party claims; or assist government enforcement agencies.
Your provision of information to us through the website will be considered a grant of permission for us to contact you through any means provided (including but not limited to mail, phone, text message, and fax). You have the right to opt out of further promotional contact from us. To be removed from an email mailing list, please send your request to contact@lonebeacon.com or to 2333 San Ramon Valley Blvd, Suite 200, San Ramon, CA 94583. It may take up to 10 days to process your request. This opt-out applies only to future promotional messages; we may still send administrative messages as permitted by law.
We maintain a variety of security measures to protect against the loss, misuse, and alteration of Information under our control. Although we make good faith efforts to maintain the security of such Information, we cannot guarantee that it will remain free from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, or alteration, and we cannot guarantee that our security measures will prevent unauthorized persons from accessing this information. We assume no liability to you or any other party in relation to the unauthorized access, use, or alteration of any information provided to us.
If we become aware of a security breach, we may attempt to notify you electronically so that you can take appropriate protective steps. By using the Site or providing Information to us, you agree that we may communicate with you electronically regarding security, privacy, and administrative issues relating to your use of the Site. If you believe there has been a breach of the Site's security, please contact us at (925) 314-8513.
We may update or amend this Privacy Policy at any time. No prior notice of any update or amendment is required, and all updates are effective upon being posted. We encourage you to periodically review this Privacy Policy. Your continued use of the Site constitutes your agreement to this Privacy Policy and any updates.
If you have questions about this Privacy Policy, you may contact us at (925) 314-8513.
All information available through this website is the property of Cadence Capital Investments (the "Company") or its Information Providers and is protected by copyright and intellectual property laws. All rights reserved.
You may not reproduce, retransmit, disseminate, sell, publish, or broadcast the information, nor use it in connection with creating, promoting, trading, or marketing financial instruments or products, without the express written consent of the Company or its licensors. You are entitled to use the information it contains for your private, non-commercial use only.
Cadence Capital Investments operates this website (the "website") to provide information, related features, and services (the "Service"). The terms and conditions set forth herein (the "Terms of Use") constitute a legally binding agreement between the Company and you regarding the terms on which the Company offers you access to the Service. By accessing and using this website, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use and all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree, you are not authorized to access or use this website for any purpose.
The information provided on this website is not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person or entity in any jurisdiction or country where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation, or which would subject the Company to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Neither the information nor any opinion contained in this website constitutes a solicitation or offer by the Company to buy or sell any securities, futures, options, or other financial instruments, or provide any investment advice or service.
The Company reserves the right to modify these Terms of Use at any time without giving you prior notice. Your use of the website following any such modification constitutes your agreement to follow and be bound by the Terms of Use as modified. We encourage you to review these Terms of Use whenever you use this website.
The Service, the website, and all data, information, and content that you see, hear, or otherwise experience on the website (the "Content") belong to the Company, its partners, affiliates, contributors, or third parties, and may be protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark, intellectual property, and other laws. Content provided by third parties is used with their permission.
You may download, print, and store selected portions of the Content, provided that you (1) do not copy or post the Content on any network computer or transmit, distribute, publish, or broadcast the Content in any media, including a website; and (2) do not modify or alter the Content in any way, or delete or change any copyright or trademark notice. No right, title, or interest in any copied or downloaded Content is transferred to you. You may not use any of the marks appearing throughout this website without express written consent from the trademark owner, except as permitted by applicable law.
The information on this website is provided "as is." You expressly agree to assume total responsibility and risk for your use of the website and the Service. The Company makes no express or implied warranties, representations, or endorsements whatsoever with respect to the website or the Service, and expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, express, implied, statutory, or otherwise, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and noninfringement. The Company does not warrant that the functions performed by the website or the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free, or that defects will be corrected. The website, the Service, and the Content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis.
If you are dissatisfied with the website, any Content, or the Terms of Use, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue using the website. Under no circumstances will the Company be liable for any damages whatsoever, including direct, incidental, consequential, exemplary, or indirect damages arising out of the use of or inability to use the website, the Service, or the Content. Because some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of liability for consequential or incidental damages, some of the above limitations may not apply to you.
For details on how we handle personal information, please see our Privacy Policy.
You agree not to take any action that interferes with the proper working of the website; imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on the website's infrastructure; might compromise the security of the website; renders the website or the Service inaccessible to others; or otherwise causes damage to the website or any Content. You agree not to add to, subtract from, or otherwise modify the Content except as expressly authorized by the Company in these Terms of Use or by a written agreement between you and the Company.
Entire agreement. These Terms of Use constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all previous written or oral agreements. No waiver by the Company of any breach or default shall be deemed a waiver of any preceding or subsequent breach or default.
Correction of errors and inaccuracies. The information on the website may contain typographical or other errors or inaccuracies and may not be complete or current. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies, or omissions and to change or update information at any time without prior notice. We do not, however, guarantee that any errors will be corrected.
No endorsements of links. Hypertext links to third-party websites or information do not constitute or imply an endorsement, sponsorship, or recommendation by the Company. You acknowledge that the Company is not responsible for the availability of any such websites and does not endorse or warrant, and is not responsible or liable for, any such website or its content. Links to other sites are provided for convenience only.
Enforcement. If any part of these Terms of Use is determined to be invalid or unenforceable, it will not impact any other provision, all of which will remain in full force and effect. These Terms of Use are governed by, and will be interpreted in accordance with, the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of laws provisions. You consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of courts in California, U.S.A., regarding any disputes relating to these Terms of Use, the Company's Privacy Statement, your use of the website, the Service, or Content contained therein.
The content is developed from sources believed to be providing accurate information. The information in this material is not intended as tax or legal advice. Please consult legal or tax professionals for specific information regarding your individual situation. The opinions expressed and material provided are for general information and should not be considered a solicitation for the purchase or sale of any security.
We take protecting your data and privacy very seriously. As of January 1, 2020, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) suggests the following link as an extra measure to safeguard your data: Do not sell my personal information.