The Scholar Method
A rigorous, collaborative process built around the complexity of your financial life. Every option in your plan has been analyzed, modeled, and stress tested with you, side by side, so the strategy that emerges reflects your situation, your priorities, and what matters most to you.
A method, not a template.
Your financial plan is the visible output of a structured analytical process that happens before any recommendation reaches you. Multiple scenarios are modeled. Assumptions are stress tested. Tradeoffs across tax, investment, and estate decisions are quantified.
What sets this work apart is a willingness to sit with complexity rather than simplify it away. The result is a strategy shaped by the specific intricacies of your situation, examined from every angle that matters.
Inside The Scholar Method
Every engagement begins with The Scholar Method, a comprehensive flat-fee engagement that typically ranges from $10,000 to $30,000 based on the complexity of your situation.
The Household Balance Sheet
- A complete inventory of every account, entity, and asset
- Equity compensation, real estate, and business interests organized in one place
- Debts, insurance, and estate documents mapped to your full picture
- A working framework that surfaces the connections between everything
The Efficiency Review
- An analysis of your account structure and asset location
- Identification of where you can simplify and consolidate
- Review of risk exposure across your overall financial architecture
- Recommendations for structural changes with a focus on long-term value
- Team review of opportunities a single advisor may miss
The Stress Test
- Custom modeling against cash flow needs and liquidity constraints
- Scenario testing for market shocks and economic downturns
- Stress testing for large unexpected expenses
- Analysis of where your plan holds up and where it might fail
- Team evaluation of stress test failures and alternative paths
The Strategic Framework
- Specific recommendations across investments, tax, estate, and long-term goals
- Short-term action items and long-term strategic direction
- Clear reasoning tied to the analysis behind every recommendation
- Pressure-testing by the full advisory team before delivery
The Implementation Bridge
- A working session walking through your plan together
- Multiple options laid out with tradeoffs discussed openly
- The reasoning behind each path explored in detail
- Decisions made with full context, not handed to you in a binder
One method. Two ways to work together.
Signature Coaching Program
The Signature Coaching Program begins with The Scholar Method and continues as an ongoing advisory relationship.
Who it’s for Clients with multi-layered financial decisions who want a dedicated advisory team year-round. This includes business owners planning an exit, executives with concentrated stock, and families coordinating wealth across generations. See our case studies for more examples.
What you receive
- The Scholar Method
- Semi-annual strategy meetings
- Quarterly check-ins
- Annual Scholar Method renewal, included
- Direct access to your advisory team year-round
- Joint coordination calls with your CPA, attorney, and other advisors
- Exclusive webinars and economic reports
- Complimentary access for you and 2 guests to our annual Personal Wealth Conference
What it costs
- The Scholar Method: $10,000–$30,000 initial engagement, based on complexity. Annual renewals included in your monthly retainer.
- Custom monthly retainer based on complexity, typically between $1,500-$5,000/month
Who you work with Stephan Shipe, PhD, CFA, CFP® as your lead advisor, supported by our advisory team.
The relationship A long-term partnership that evolves with your financial life.
Limited Scope Engagement
The Limited Scope Engagement begins with The Scholar Method and continues with hourly advisory access for 12 months.
Who it’s for Early-career professionals, adult children of current clients, and others who do not currently have the financial complexity to benefit from ongoing advisory.
What you receive
- The Scholar Method
- 12 months of hourly advisory access for one off questions and implementation support
What it costs
- The Scholar Method: $10,000–$30,000, typically at the lower end of the range for less complex situations
- Hourly advisory access at $385/hour during your 12-month period
Who you work with A member of the Scholar advisory team.
The relationship A defined 12-month engagement. To begin a new limited scope engagement, renewals typically cost 70–80% of the original Scholar Method fee, to unlock another 12 months of hourly access.
The Decisions Inside The Scholar Method
Investment Decisions and Oversight
- Asset allocation across all account types
- Asset location and tax efficiency
- Rebalancing strategy
- Concentrated positions
- Alternative investments
- Analysis of competing investment options
- Account structure and coordination
Tax Considerations
- Roth conversions
- Tax loss harvesting
- Charitable giving and gifting strategy
- Required Minimum Distributions
- Tax-efficient withdrawal sequencing
- Coordination with your CPA
Equity Compensation Planning
- Stock options, RSUs, and deferred compensation
- 10b5-1 plans
- Tax planning around vesting and exercise
Cash Flow and Life Decisions
- Cash flow strategy
- Mortgages, student loans, or other liabilities
- Real estate and large purchase decisions
- Windfall and inheritance planning
Retirement and Legacy
- Retirement income design
- Social Security timing
- Education savings and 529 strategy
- Multigenerational wealth transfer
- Estate planning coordination
Specialized Situations
- Business valuation, sales, and exits
- Secondary income planning
- Risk management and insurance review
- Cross-border and international tax
Independent advice, by design.
Your fee is determined by the complexity of your situation, not the size of your portfolio. A simpler picture results in a smaller fee. A more involved one calls for more rigor, and the fee reflects that.
As a flat-fee fiduciary advisor, we accept no commissions, no asset-based fees, and require no transfer of your investments or control of your portfolio. Your advisory team is compensated only by you, which means your situation and your priorities are the only things shaping the advice you receive.
What’s Next?
Every engagement begins with a brief intake form so your advisory team can prepare ahead of time and align the conversation to your financial picture and goals. From there, you receive a tailored proposal built around your specific situation, walked through with you in detail so every question is answered before any commitment is made.