How To Get Started
Introductory
Call
A brief, no pressure zoom call to get to know each other, ask questions, and determine if there's a fit.
Discovery
Meeting
A 90-minute session focused on your goals, priorities, and gathering data needed to build your financial plan.
Financial
Plan Review
A second 90-minute meeting reviewing your financial plan and walk through actionable recommendations.
Ongoing
Financial Support
Once the initial financial plan is delivered, your ongoing financial planning support begins.
Our Onboarding Process
Schedule a call with Mark to discuss your situation. During this session, we'll address any immediate financial concerns you may have and provide more details on our service model and pricing. If there is a potential fit, we'll coordinate a follow-up meeting to dive deeper into your situation and how Taurus Financial Planning can serve you.
Get to Know You
1
Similar to the first meeting, there is nothing to buy in this meeting. Before you pay a penny in fees or trust us with your savings, I want you to see the value. The goal of this session is to learn more about your situation and goals. For this meeting, we will ask you to provide a few documents to make the best use of time. At the end of the meeting, I'll ask if you want TFP to do a more in-depth analysis of your situation at no cost and no obligation to you.
Discovery
2
Mark will review and analyze your information to create a one page opportunity summary.
Analysis
3
We will review the one page opportunity summary with you. Again, the goal is to help you made an educated and informed decision on selecting a financial advisor. At the end of the meeting, the one page summary is yours to keep. At this point, we will part ways and you will decide if TFP can deliver value worth a multiple of the fee.
Review
4
Our Onboarding Process
Get to Know You
Schedule a call with Mark to discuss your situation. During this session, we'll address any immediate financial concerns you may have and provide more details on our service model and pricing. If there is a potential fit, we'll coordinate a follow-up meeting to dive deeper into your situation and how Taurus Financial Planning can serve you.
1
Discovery
Similar to the first meeting, there is nothing to buy in this meeting. Before you pay a penny in fees or trust us with your savings, we want you to see the value. The goal of this session is to learn more about your situation and goals. For this meeting, we will ask you to provide a few documents to make the best use of time. At the end of the meeting, you'll decide if you want Taurus Financial Planning to do a more in-depth analysis of your situation at no cost and no obligation to you.
2
Analysis
Mark will review and analyze your information to create a one page opportunity summary.
3
Review
We will review the one page opportunity summary with you. Again, the goal is to help you made an educated and informed decision on selecting a financial advisor. At the end of the meeting, the one page summary is yours to keep. At this point, we will part ways and you will decide if TFP can deliver value worth a multiple of the fee.
4
Services & Pricing
Straightforward, high-impact financial planning—for a flat, fixed fee.
With TFP, you pay for exactly what you need, nothing more. No sales pitches. No pressure to move your money. Just clear, personalized guidance for a transparent, flat fee.
Initial Comprehensive Financial Plan
One-time fee: $3,520
It all starts with a deep dive into your finances and goals. The Initial Plan is built around two 90-minute planning sessions. At the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of your financial situation and a clear, jargon-free plan to help you reach where you want to be. A typical plan covers the below topics but can be customized to your situation.
Live Meetings | |
|---|---|
Meeting #1: Discovery and Data Gathering | 90-minute session to understand your current financial picture and clarify your goals. |
Meeting #2: Financial Plan Review | 90-minute session to review planning opportunities and implementation roadmap. |
Detailed Written Report with To-Do List | A comprehensive report with a clear to-do list to help you confidently implement your plan. |
Tax Planning | |
|---|---|
Tax Return Review and Tax Projection | Detailed review of your current tax situation, along with scenario-based projections to show the potential impact of tax planning strategies. |
Withholding Analysis | Guidance on the amount and timing of quarterly payments to help you manage your tax bill and avoid underpayment penalties. |
Financial Planning | |
|---|---|
Short-Term Cash Flow Analysis | Forecast your income and expenses to understand your savings capacity and identify opportunties to increase it, if needed. |
Saving Plans | Determine how much to save, which accounts to contribute to and which goals to prioritize. |
Equity Compensation Analysis | Equity compensation can range from simple to complex. We'll integrate your equity awards into your overall financial plan. |
Deferred Compensation Analysis | Deferred compensation plans can be a powerful tax-saving tool. We'll help you evaluate whether to contribute and how to incorporate it into your overall plan. |
Estate and Insurance Review | Ensure your assets are protected with a review of your estate plan and insurance coverage. |
Investment Planning | |
|---|---|
Current Portfolio Evaluation | A review of your current investment strategy including asset allocation, expense ratios and tax efficiency. |
Investment Allocation Recommendation by Account | Provide a household target asset allocation and break it down by account to ensure your investments are aligned and tax-efficient. |
Progress Towards Goal Report | A high level overview showing how you are tracking towards achieving your various financial goals. |
Live Meetings | |
|---|---|
Meeting #1: Discovery and Data Gathering | 90-minute session to understand your current financial picture and clarify your goals. |
Meeting #2: Financial Plan Review | 90-minute session to review planning opportunities and implementation roadmap. |
Detailed Written Report with To-Do List | A comprehensive report with a clear to-do list to help you confidently implement your plan. |
Tax Planning | |
|---|---|
Tax Return Review and Tax Projection | Detailed review of your current tax situation, along with scenario-based projections to show the potential impact of tax planning strategies. |
Withholding Analysis | Guidance on the amount and timing of quarterly payments to help you manage your tax bill and avoid underpayment penalties. |
Financial Planning | |
|---|---|
Short-Term Cash Flow Analysis | Forecast your income and expenses to understand your savings capacity and identify opportunties to increase it, if needed. |
Saving Plans | Determine how much to save, which accounts to contribute to and which goals to prioritize. |
Equity Compensation Analysis | Equity compensation can range from simple to complex. We'll integrate your equity awards into your overall financial plan. |
Deferred Compensation Analysis | Deferred compensation plans can be a powerful tax-saving tool. We'll help you evaluate whether to contribute and how to incorporate it into your overall plan. |
Estate and Insurance Review | Ensure your assets are protected with a review of your estate plan and insurance coverage. |
Investment Planning | |
|---|---|
Current Portfolio Evaluation | A review of your current investment strategy including asset allocation, expense ratios and tax efficiency. |
Investment Allocation Recommendation by Account | Provide a household target asset allocation and break it down by account to ensure your investments are aligned and tax-efficient. |
Progress Towards Goal Report | A high level overview showing how you are tracking towards achieving your various financial goals. |
Ongoing Financial Planning Support with TFP
Clients have the option of three tiers of ongoing financial planning support to best suit their needs and objectives.
Ongoing Limited Financial Planning (Available After 12 Months) | Ongoing Comprehensive Financial Planning | Ongoing Premium Comprehensive Financial Planning | |
|---|---|---|---|
Recurring Monthly Fee | $146 | $293 | $384 |
Annual Review Meeting | 60 Minute Meeting | 90 Minute Meeting | 90 Minute Meeting |
Planner Assessment | Quarterly assessment of client situation with outgoing communication if necessary. | Monthly assessment of client situation with outgoing communication if necessary. | Monthly assessment of client situation with outgoing communication if necessary. |
Meetings, Emails, Phone Calls | 1 Hour of additional email or phone calls. | 4 hours of additional meetings, email or phone calls. | 8 hours of additional meetings, email or phone calls. |
Tax Projection | N/A | Annual Tax Projection with Up to 3 Scenarios | 2 Tax Projections Per Year |
Financial Plan Portal | Access to Your Financial Planning Portal to view your personal finances and progress towards your goals. | → | → |
Ongoing Limited Financial Planning (Available After 12 Months) | Ongoing Comprehensive Financial Planning | Ongoing Premium Comprehensive Financial Planning | |
|---|---|---|---|
Recurring Monthly Fee | $146 | $293 | $384 |
Annual Review Meeting | 60 Minute Meeting | 90 Minute Meeting | 90 Minute Meeting |
Planner Assessment | Quarterly assessment of client situation with outgoing communication if necessary. | Monthly assessment of client situation with outgoing communication if necessary. | Monthly assessment of client situation with outgoing communication if necessary. |
Meetings, Emails, Phone Calls | 1 Hour of additional email or phone calls. | 4 hours of additional meetings, email or phone calls. | 8 hours of additional meetings, email or phone calls. |
Tax Projection | N/A | Annual Tax Projection with Up to 3 Scenarios | 2 Tax Projections Per Year |
Financial Plan Portal | Access to Your Financial Planning Portal to view your personal finances and progress towards your goals. | → | → |
Investment Management (Optional)
For clients who prefer to delegate portfolio management, we offer this service for an additional flat annual fee of $3,500 (billed monthly at $292).
This includes:
Buying and selling securities on your behalf
Annual 60-minute investment review
Periodic portfolio rebalancing
Tax-loss harvesting (at least once per year)
Assets custodied at Altruist Financial
This service is ideal for clients who are too busy or not yet comfortable managing their investments independently. Many eventually transition to self-managing with ongoing guidance from TFP.
Do Fees Really Matter?
Most advisors charge an annual 1% fee based on the size of your portfolio—such as a $10,000 fee on a $1M portfolio—and that number grows as your wealth grows. These fees often outpace the actual work being done and quietly drag down long-term returns.
At Taurus Financial Planning, we charge a simple flat fee that stays the same—no matter how much your portfolio grows. This means you’re scaling your wealth, not the advisor’s business.
The difference adds up.
For example, a 40-year-old with $500,000, contributing $50,000 per year and earning a 6% annual return could end up with $700,000 more over 25 years by choosing TFP’s most common flat-fee model vs. paying a 1% fee each year.
Do fees really matter? Absolutely.
How Our Pricing is Different
The way that financial advice has been monetized is messed up. Traditional advisory firms often say financial planning advice is free, but the stipulation is that you must give them control of your assets or buy whatever product they are selling. For people who just want objective advice, the typical model seems like a bait and switch. At TFP we allow clients to pay a flat fee for financial planning advice without any stipulation. If you want TFP to directly manage your investments that’s just an incremental flat fee.
