Michael J. Liersch

The fees for our services depend on: (1) whether services are accessed through the workplace or directly, (2) the scope of services authorized by the plan fiduciary for workplace services, (3) the level of service chosen, (4) how you became a client, and/or (5) whether services were first accessed before Nov. 1, 2018.

Professional Management fees are calculated as a percentage of Assets Under Management. Wrap fee clients pay a wrap fee, which includes most transaction costs and fees to a broker-dealer that has custody of these assets. The wrap fee does not include certain account and securities-related costs, including those embedded in the mutual funds and ETFs the model is invested in.

We also earn fixed fees if you access Online directly, and a one-time fee of $800 for financial plan development, which can be waived in part or in whole. When accessing Online Advice through the workplace, you do not pay fees directly. Instead, fees are paid by the plan, the plan sponsor or the plan provider. Please see Items 5 and 14 of our ADV on our website for more detailed information about our fees and costs.

You will pay fees and costs whether you make or lose money on your investments. Fees and costs will reduce any amount of money you make on your investments over time. Please make sure you understand what fees and costs you are paying.

When we act as your investment adviser, we have to act in your best interest and not put our interest ahead of yours. At the same time, the way we make money creates some conflicts with your interests. You should understand and ask us about these conflicts because they can affect the investment advice we provide you. Here is an example to help you understand what this means. Our planners have an economic incentive to encourage you to invest money through them, since this increases their compensation (because they are paid in part based on the assets they manage). While we do not believe this is a material conflict, you should be aware of this. Please see our ADV on our website for more detailed information about our conflicts of interest.

Our Planners are required to act in your best interest and not put our interests ahead of yours. Planners in our offices are paid a percentage of the fees we earn from assets under our management (AUM), and new planners are initially paid a salary until they are eligible for fees based on AUM. You will pay fees and costs whether you make or lose money on your investments. Our planners are eligible to receive additional payments and/or a higher percentage of those AUM fees based on: (1) bringing additional assets or new clients to the firm; (2) retaining existing clients; or (3) obtaining referrals for new clients from existing clients. These additional payments create a conflict of interest where a planner is motivated only to increase AUM. For additional information, please see ADV on our website for more detailed information about Client Referrals and Other Compensation. Top-performing planners also receive potential deferred incentive compensation tied to firm performance. Advisors in our National Engagement Center are paid a salary and an annual bonus based on firm and individual performance and are eligible for variable compensation that is not tied to the sale of specific products. Neither planners nor advisors are compensated based on client complexity, time spent with clients and products in which the client is invested in, nor do they receive commissions on any investments our clients may invest in through the firm.