About Scholar Advising
Scholar Advising is an independent fee-only investment advisory firm focused on providing individuals with virtual fiduciary financial planning services on an hourly or monthly retainer basis.
Financial advising requires a high level of trust between client and advisor. At Scholar Advising, we truly believe that each individual’s financial situation is unique. That’s why we have a team-based model, pairing each client with a dedicated advisor and drawing on the combined experience of specialists across our firm. We believe that building a strong advisor/client relationship is just the beginning, and we work together to help you move forward toward your financial goals with clarity and confidence.
The fiduciary nature of our advice is very important to our core goals managing this financial planning firm. We do not receive commissions and do not have access to your accounts. All advice you receive from Scholar Financial Advising is in your best interest and you’ll never have to question where competing incentives lie.
All of our advisors hold at minimum a Ph.D. degree in finance, and through their academic background, have decades of experience researching and teaching a wide range of financial topics. The ability to breakdown advanced financial topics is a trait that we value in our advisors and is a skillset that lends itself nicely to building plans for our clients to execute. You can view the profiles of the entire team by visiting our Meet our Team page.
What Does a Collaborative Advising Model Look Like?
Q: Who will I work with, and how is your team involved?
You will have a dedicated Financial Advisor who serves as your main point of contact, supported by an Associate Financial Advisor. Together, they guide your onboarding, gather documents, and build a deep understanding of your goals. Behind the scenes, your plan benefits from the depth and insights of this broader advisory team model that includes at least one Ph.D. and one CFP® bringing multiple perspectives and expertise to each recommendation. Excellence in relationships is also guided by our dedicated administrative and operational support staff.
Q: How does the team-based model benefit me?
Our collaborative approach gives you both personal attention and technical depth. Multiple professionals review your plan to enhance accuracy and ensure nothing is overlooked. This model supports better availability. Your Financial Advisor remains your point of contact for questions throughout the year and typically leads your annual renewal, but the broader team can step in whenever needed. This ensures continuity and quick responses, even in rare cases that your primary advisor is unavailable.
Q: How will we communicate, and what should I expect throughout the year?
Communication during onboarding is a mix of emails and calls when additional clarification is necessary. We default to Zoom presentation meetings for visual displays and a live dashboard. After that, we can tailor communication to your preferences, whether by email, phone, or Zoom. Your Financial Advisor leads presentation meetings and handles most ongoing questions, with the Associate Financial Advisor also available and supporting behind the scenes. Our process is designed to keep things clear, responsive, and connected from the first onboarding email through annual renewals and beyond.
To facilitate the financial planning process, we utilize a technology mix that allows for remote communication with clients, efficient document storage and sharing, and the use of customizable financial planning tools and software.
Our Mission
Educate. Empower. Encourage. Educate clients on the importance of financial health as well as the steps to create and maintain a stable financial future. Empower them by giving them the skills and practical knowledge necessary to make positive financial decisions. Encourage them to make the right choices by reducing behavioral biases through communication, follow-up, the creation of a long-term client-advisor relationship.
A True Fee
Only Financial Advisor
By nature of our decision to only offer hourly and monthly retainer services as a fee-only advisor, there are no conflicts of interest arising from commissions or referral fees that plague some financial services. Unlike many fee only advisors, we believe that fee only means a flat fee paid for advice. Our fee structure is based on project complexity and not on how much money a client has saved for an asset under management fee. This ensures that clients of all income and savings levels can receive financial advice and will pay a fee matched to the amount of advice needed and not be penalized for the size of their savings.
We are happy to go against the grain of the financial advising industry by providing financial advice on an flat fee basis opposed to the current norm of a percentage of Assets Under Management (AUM).
Who is a Good Fit?
The majority of our clients are DIY investors who don’t want to hand over their investments to an advisory firm or pay an Assets Under Management (AUM) fee. They are typically looking for someone to pull all the financial pieces together for them and come up with a financial plan that they can execute with updates and check-in meetings annually. Read through our Example Client Profiles to get an idea of the types of clients we work with and what issues we are working through.
For clients needing ongoing financial advisory services, we have our Signature Client Program that offers family office like services to clients for a monthly retainer fee.
Serving Clients All Over the US
We default to virtual meetings and have provided our remote financial advisory services to hundreds of clients in over 30 different states.
What’s Next?
Use the link below to choose whether you would like to fill out a form or schedule a call to receive a proposal for your financial plan. An initial call is completely free allows us to discuss whether our working together is a good fit.