Questions we get asked
If yours is not here, ask it. We would rather answer it now than have you wonder.
Do you only work with pastors?
Pastors and ministry households are our focus and most of our practice. It is not a rule.
We do work with people outside ministry where there is a fit. Usually it starts with someone connected to a pastor we already serve. A grown child, a board member, a spouse whose work is outside the church. The clergy-specific pieces simply will not apply to you, and the rest of the work is the same work.
Fit runs both directions, and we will tell you on the first conversation whether we are the right firm for you. If we are not, we will say so and point you in a better direction.
How are you paid?
By our clients, and by nobody else. We are fee-only. We receive no commissions, no sales loads, no revenue sharing, and no compensation of any kind from any product company, insurer, or custodian.
Fee-only does not mean conflict-free, and we would rather say that than let you assume otherwise. Our ongoing fee is based on the assets we manage, so we have a financial reason to want more of your money under our management. Our conflicts are disclosed in our Form ADV and described plainly on our fees page.
What does it cost to work with you?
The Pastor Retirement Checkup is $599 for an individual and $799 for a married couple, one time.
If you want us ongoing, that relationship carries two fees and you pay one of them, not both. If we manage $100,000 or more for you, it is 0.90% on the first $500,000, nothing between $500,000 and $2,000,000, and 0.40% above that, so the fee is $4,500 a year anywhere from $500,000 to $2,000,000. If we manage less than $100,000, it is a flat $199 a quarter, or $249 for a couple, and investment management is included at no charge. There is no minimum.
Hourly is $400, or $300 if you are already a client. Work that needs real analysis, a business, a parent's estate, a spouse's equity compensation, is quoted as one fixed number before it starts. The full picture is on our fees page.
Do you manage the money, or just advise on it?
We manage it. If you enter an ongoing relationship, you open accounts in your own name at an independent custodian, you own them, and you can see everything in them at any time. You give us written authority to place trades in those accounts so you are not the one executing them.
Your money is held by the custodian, not by us. We never take possession of it, and we cannot move it anywhere except between your own accounts. Our fee is deducted from your account with your written authorization, and you get an itemized statement every quarter showing exactly how it was calculated.
Do I have to do the Checkup first?
It is where nearly everyone starts, and we recommend it. It lets you see actual work before you decide anything about a relationship, which is the opposite of how most advisory firms ask you to decide. If your situation makes a different starting point obviously better, we will say so on the intro call.
Does the Checkup fee count toward anything if I become a client?
No. It is its own engagement and it stands on its own. You are paying for a piece of work and you get that piece of work either way.
Is there a minimum to become a client?
No. There is no minimum and no asset requirement, and that is on purpose. A pastoral couple with two W-2 incomes and a church plan can hire this firm. If we manage less than $100,000 for you, or nothing at all, you pay the flat planning fee and investment management is included at no charge.
Do you manage my church retirement plan?
No, and we do not bill on it either. A 403(b)(9) or denominational plan usually cannot be managed by an outside adviser. We will advise on it as part of your planning, at no additional cost, and we do not include it in any fee calculation.
That is worth saying plainly. Our fee is based on the assets we manage, so we would earn more if that money moved to us. We do not bill on church plan assets precisely so that leaving them in place costs us nothing, and any recommendation to move money out of one comes with our reasoning in writing, including what it costs you.
Can you help if I opted out of Social Security?
Yes, and it is one of the most common situations we see. Under current law a Form 4361 exemption is irrevocable and the ministerial earnings it covers never build Social Security or Medicare credit, so the work is planning around it rather than undoing it. The Medicare side deserves particular attention and usually gets none.
There is pending legislation. The Clergy Act, H.R. 227, passed the House on April 27, 2026 by a vote of 350 to 5 and would open a limited two-year window to revoke. Its Senate companion has not moved. It is not law, we do not plan as though it were, and we will tell you if that changes.
Will my housing allowance continue in retirement?
The honest answer is that it depends on your facts and that part of it is genuinely unsettled. Distributions from a church retirement plan can in practice be designated as housing allowance for a retired minister, and many denominational plans do this. But the IRS has expressly declined to issue rulings on that treatment, so anyone telling you it is guaranteed is telling you more than is known.
What we can do is plan carefully, keep the money where the capability exists, and avoid the moves that would remove the possibility entirely. Talk with a qualified tax professional about your own situation.
Do you prepare tax returns?
No. We plan around your tax situation, we review your return each year in writing for our ongoing clients, and we will get your CPA whatever statements and documents they need. We do not prepare returns and we do not draft legal documents.
Do you sell insurance or annuities?
No. We review insurance coverage as part of planning and we earn nothing from any of it. There is no product we can sell you, which is a structural fact rather than a promise about our character.
Where are you located, and does that matter?
We are in Middle Tennessee and we work with ministry households across the country by video. Meeting virtually is how the practice is built, not a concession. It also means you are not choosing your advisor from whoever happens to be nearby.
What if I just have one question?
We offer hourly engagements at $400 an hour, scoped and estimated in writing before we start. We will tell you honestly if the Checkup would serve you better for similar money, which is often the case.
Can I get a one-time plan instead of an ongoing relationship?
Yes. The Checkup is the standard version of that. For situations that go past it, we scope one-time engagements and quote them as one fixed number in advance. Half is due when you approve the scope and the rest on delivery.
What is a fiduciary, exactly?
It is a legal duty to act in your best interest and to put your interests ahead of our own. As a Registered Investment Adviser we carry that duty. It is worth asking any advisor whether they are a fiduciary at all times and in writing, because some are fiduciaries for part of a relationship and something else for the part where a product is sold.
How do I check you out?
Please do. Our Form ADV is available on request and at adviserinfo.sec.gov under CRD No. 327568. We are registered in the State of Tennessee. Registration does not imply any particular level of skill or training, and you should not treat it as an endorsement.