Modern CentsModern Cents

Transparent, Advice-Only Pricing

What it costs to work with us.

Flat fees, agreed in writing before you sign on. No assets-under-management charges. No product commissions. No referral kickbacks. You pay us for advice — that's the entire business.

Two people sharing a quiet conversation over coffee — the kind of unhurried, no-pressure meeting our pricing model is built for.
Flagship offering Cross-border ready

Comprehensive Planning

An ongoing planning partnership that adapts as your life and the rules change — domestic or cross-border.

Why choose Comprehensive Planning?

Retirement Planning gives you a focused income and drawdown plan. Comprehensive Planning is for when retirement is only one part of the picture — and you want a planner helping you make connected decisions throughout the year.

  • Coordinate tax, cash flow, investments, insurance, retirement, and estate decisions instead of planning each area in isolation.
  • Revisit the plan as jobs, markets, family needs, tax rules, or cross-border circumstances change.
  • Get ongoing implementation support, accountability, and coordination with your accountant, lawyer, and other professionals.

What's included

  • A dedicated planner who gets to know your family, your goals, and the story behind the numbers — and stays with you year after year.
  • Regular meetings throughout the year delivering planning analysis and recommendations across all six financial planning disciplines — financial management, insurance and risk management, investment planning, tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning.
  • A planner who sees your full picture — cash flow, tax, investments, retirement, insurance, and estate — so the advice you get reflects how the pieces fit together, not just one slice at a time.

This is our highest-touch engagement. We meet frequently throughout the year and work closely alongside you — walking you through the implementation of every planning recommendation, not just handing them over.

Starting fees

Individual

$3,000

one-time plan development fee

Cross-border Individual*

$4,500

one-time plan development fee

Couple

$4,500

one-time plan development fee

Cross-border Couple*

$6,000

one-time plan development fee

Monthly retainer — Individual

$199

per month thereafter

Monthly retainer — Couple

$250

per month thereafter

Monthly retainer — Cross-border or corporate complexity

$330

per month thereafter

*Cross-border includes U.S. citizens, Green Card holders, and clients with U.S.-based accounts or Social Security benefits.

How it's priced

Domestic Comprehensive Planning starts at $3,000 for individuals or $4,500 for couples. For cross-border Comprehensive Planning, the one-time plan development fee starts at $4,500 for individuals or $6,000 for couples. In either case, the monthly retainer begins in month two and supports an ongoing planning relationship—not a fixed set of meetings to rush through. It covers implementation support, planning updates, and coordination as your needs evolve for as long as we work together. Fees are scoped to your complexity and quoted in writing before you sign on. No assets-under-management fees, no product commissions, ever.

Applicable complexity fees are added to the starting fee and can include:

  • U.S. citizen or Green Card holder, including Social Security and U.S. retirement accounts
  • U.S. working visa while resident in Canada
  • Social Security pension for a non-U.S. tax filer
  • U.S. retirement accounts for a non-U.S. tax filer
  • Other non-U.S. foreign pensions
  • Other foreign accounts
  • Canadian rental properties
  • Foreign rental properties
  • Foreign personal-use properties, such as a cottage, condo, or home
  • Executive compensation
  • Professional corporation
  • Incorporated small business or consultant
  • Sole proprietor
  • Holding company (HOLDCO)
  • Operating company with a sole shareholder
  • Operating company with multiple shareholders
  • Family trust
  • Multiple operating companies, holding companies, or trusts

Exact fee depends on scope. Quoted in writing before you commit.

Explore comprehensive planning

More focused engagements

Cross-border ready

Retirement Planning

A coordinated retirement plan for Canadians — and for those with cross-border assets and pensions.

What's included

  • Retirement income projection across all sources: RRSP/RRIF, TFSA, non-registered, pensions, CPP, OAS, U.S. SS where relevant.
  • Withdrawal-order strategy designed to minimize lifetime tax and avoid OAS clawback.
  • CPP, OAS, and U.S. Social Security timing analysis.

Starting fees

Individual

From $3,500

per project

Cross-border Individual*

$4,500

per project

Couple

From $4,500

per project

Cross-border Couple*

$5,500

per project

*Cross-border includes U.S. citizens, Green Card holders, and clients with U.S.-based accounts or Social Security benefits.

How it's priced

Domestic Retirement Planning starts at $3,500 for individuals or $4,500 for couples. For cross-border Retirement Planning, the project fee starts at $4,500 for individuals or $5,500 for couples. Couples are priced together since drawdown decisions are coordinated across both spouses' accounts.

Service details
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Compare engagements

All three, side by side.

A quick read across the three ways we work together — useful if you already understand the model and want to pick the engagement that fits.

Attribute
Flagship
Comprehensive Planning
Retirement Planning
Ad hoc Consultation
Who it's for
  • •Households who want an ongoing planner in their corner — not a binder that goes stale.
  • •Cross-border families (U.S. citizens in Canada, Canadians with U.S. assets, dual residents) whose situations need coordinated attention as the rules and their lives shift.
  • •Canadians at any retirement stage — already retired, within 5–10 years of retirement.
  • •Anyone with a defined-benefit pension election or commuted-value decision in front of them.
  • •Someone with questions about a specific topic they want to talk through.
  • •U.S. citizens new to Canada, or Canadians with U.S. assets, needing a quick read on their situation.
What's included
  • A dedicated planner who gets to know your family, your goals, and the story behind the numbers — and stays with you year after year.
  • Regular meetings throughout the year delivering planning analysis and recommendations across all six financial planning disciplines — financial management, insurance and risk management, investment planning, tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning.
  • Retirement income projection across all sources: RRSP/RRIF, TFSA, non-registered, pensions, CPP, OAS, U.S. SS where relevant.
  • Withdrawal-order strategy designed to minimize lifetime tax and avoid OAS clawback.
  • 60-minute video meeting with a Certified Financial Planner.
  • AI-generated meeting notes summarizing our discussion, your to-dos, and any links or resources we covered.
Deliverable

An adaptive plan that evolves with you — small, focused next steps as life happens, refreshed continuously rather than handed over once and shelved.

A clear, written retirement income plan you can implement — with the year-by-year tax implications mapped out and a concrete drawdown sequence.

AI-generated meeting notes that summarize our discussion and your to-dos post-meeting, including any relevant links or resources we discussed.

Pricing structure

Domestic Comprehensive Planning starts at $3,000 for individuals or $4,500 for couples. For cross-border Comprehensive Planning, the one-time plan development fee starts at $4,500 for individuals or $6,000 for couples. In either case, the monthly retainer begins in month two and supports an ongoing planning relationship—not a fixed set of meetings to rush through. It covers implementation support, planning updates, and coordination as your needs evolve for as long as we work together. Fees are scoped to your complexity and quoted in writing before you sign on. No assets-under-management fees, no product commissions, ever.

Domestic Retirement Planning starts at $3,500 for individuals or $4,500 for couples. For cross-border Retirement Planning, the project fee starts at $4,500 for individuals or $5,500 for couples. Couples are priced together since drawdown decisions are coordinated across both spouses' accounts.

Flat hourly fee, paid in advance. Domestic and cross-border questions are priced separately. No product sales, no commissions, no hidden fees.

Cross-border ready Yes Yes Yes

Swipe to see all three engagements.

What's never on the bill

No AUM fees. No commissions. No surprises.

Every engagement is quoted in writing before you sign on. The exact dollar figure depends on your complexity — number of accounts, cross-border footprint, business interests — but the structure never changes.

No product sales

We don't sell mutual funds, segregated funds, or insurance.

No AUM fees

Your fee doesn't grow just because your portfolio does.

No referral kickbacks

When we point you to a lawyer or accountant, we're not paid for it.

Pricing questions

What people ask about how Modern Cents charges.

Straight answers on flat fees, what's never on the bill, and how to get an exact quote for your situation.

Want a fee quote for your situation?

Book a complimentary 30-minute call. We'll discuss your situation, recommend the right engagement, and quote the exact fee in writing before you commit to anything.

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