A fiduciary financial advisor is legally and ethically required to act in your best interest at all times — not just recommend something that's "suitable" for you. This distinction is important because not all financial professionals are held to the same standard. Some advisors are only required to offer products that are suitable for your general situation, even if a better or lower-cost option exists.

At Planning for Good, every member of our team operates under a fiduciary duty. That means our advice is driven by what's best for you, not by sales commissions or product incentives. We believe you deserve an advisor who is unambiguously on your side.

CFP® stands for CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ — a credential issued by the CFP Board that represents one of the highest standards in personal financial planning. To earn and maintain the CFP® designation, advisors must complete rigorous coursework, pass a comprehensive exam, accumulate thousands of hours of professional experience, and commit to ongoing continuing education and ethical standards.

Not everyone who calls themselves a "financial advisor" holds a CFP®. The designation signals a deep, well-rounded knowledge of financial planning topics — from retirement and tax strategy to estate planning, insurance, and investments. At Planning for Good, Karen Melo Ticas, CFP® and Peggy Haslach, CFP® both hold the designation, and our team collectively holds multiple advanced credentials across specialties.

Fee-only advisors are compensated exclusively by their clients — through flat fees, hourly rates, or a percentage of assets managed. They do not receive commissions for recommending products.

Fee-based advisors, like our team at Planning for Good, may charge planning fees and asset management fees and may also be licensed to offer insurance or investment products that carry a commission. This is a hybrid model — and it's important to us that we're fully transparent about it.

Because we are affiliated with Cambridge Investment Research, we have access to a broad range of investment products and insurers — with no proprietary products to push. Cambridge has no in-house mutual funds, annuities, or bank products, which means our recommendations are guided by your needs, not inventory. We always disclose how we're compensated so you can evaluate our advice with full information.

We believe in transparent, easy-to-understand pricing. Here's how our fees work:

Financial Planning Fee: All new clients begin with a comprehensive financial plan. The minimum planning fee is $2,500, and the fee may be higher depending on the complexity of your situation. This fee covers a full discovery process, plan development, and a planning meeting to review your strategy. Existing clients are typically re-engaged for a full plan update every 2–3 years as their life circumstances evolve.

Investment Advisory Fee: If you choose to have us manage your investments, we charge an annual advisory fee based on the value of assets under management. Our fee schedule is tiered — meaning the more you invest with us, the lower your effective rate. Our all-in fees (planning + investment management + platform costs) are benchmarked against industry averages and remain competitive at every asset level.

We're happy to walk you through exactly what you'd pay for your specific situation — no pressure, no obligation.

Absolutely — and it's one of the things we're most proud of. Planning for Good has served the LGBTQ+ community since our founding, and we understand that LGBTQ+ individuals and couples often face financial planning considerations that don't show up in standard checklists.

From benefits coordination for same-sex couples to estate planning for non-biological family structures, naming beneficiaries across complex relationships, and navigating Social Security strategies — we know these details matter and we approach them with both expertise and care. We are an affirming, inclusive practice, and many members of our team are part of the community we serve.

LGBTQ+ financial planning often involves a set of nuances that generic financial advice glosses over, including:

• Estate planning for non-traditional family structures — including non-biological children, chosen family, and unmarried partners
• Healthcare and financial Power of Attorney documents, which are especially important for LGBTQ+ individuals whose legal family ties may not reflect their chosen family
• Benefits coordination for same-sex spouses and domestic partners — including health insurance, survivor benefits, and employer benefits that may be taxed differently
• Social Security planning strategies for married same-sex couples, including spousal and survivor benefits
• Property titling and asset ownership strategies for unmarried partners or blended family situations

We take these details seriously and build them into your financial plan from day one.

Yes — blended family planning is one of our specialties. Whether you're navigating a second marriage, co-parenting across households, supporting stepchildren, or managing obligations from a previous relationship, we understand that your financial plan needs to account for people and relationships that don't fit neatly into a standard template.

We'll help you think through beneficiary designations, estate documents, insurance coverage, college funding for children from different relationships, and how to protect everyone you love — including those who might not be legally recognized as family.

A Discovery Call is a quick, 10–15 minute phone or video conversation — no preparation needed, no commitment required. The goal is simply to make sure there's a high-level fit before either of us invests more time.

We'll ask a few questions about what you're looking for and share a brief overview of what we do and who we serve. This is also a good moment to flag anything that may be outside our scope — for example, we focus on comprehensive financial planning and investment management, and we don't provide standalone tax preparation, legal services, or debt management. If your primary need falls into one of those areas, we'll do our best to point you toward someone better suited to help.

If it sounds like a good fit on both sides, we'll invite you to a complimentary Initial Consultation via Zoom — about an hour long — where we get into the details: what our planning process looks like, how we work, and what it costs. That's the real getting-to-know-you conversation, and there's still no obligation at the end of it.

Our planning process is event-driven and built for real life — not a one-time binder that collects dust. Here's how it typically unfolds for new clients:

• Discovery Call — A quick 10–15 minute conversation to confirm high-level fit.
• Complimentary Initial Consultation — About an hour via Zoom to go deeper on your situation, our process, and what it costs.
• Engagement & Data Gathering — You'll receive our planning agreement and a secure client portal (powered by eMoney) to share your financial information with us.
• Plan Development — Our team analyzes your full financial picture and builds a personalized strategy.
• Planning Meeting — We walk you through your recommendations together and answer your questions.
• Implementation — We can help you execute the plan and implement recommendations at your discretion. This step is not required, and depending on the scope, may involve additional fees.

Most clients work with us on an ongoing basis after their initial plan, combining investment management with renewed planning services over time. Planning for Good is not a subscription or retainer service — clients who want to stay connected and maintain access to their eMoney client portal are welcome to renew planning services, typically no less than every 2–3 years, with the type of plan and fee varying based on what you need at that point.

Yes, Planning for Good is a fully virtual practice. Our team works remotely, and we meet with clients via video — which means we can serve clients anywhere in the country. Our roots are in Massachusetts, and with the recent addition of our West Coast team based in the Seattle area, we are truly a bi-coastal firm serving clients across New England, the Pacific Northwest, and nationally.

We find that virtual meetings are actually better for most clients — no commute, no parking, and the flexibility to meet at a time that works for your schedule. Many clients tell us they feel more comfortable and focused in their own space.

We don't have a strict minimum investment requirement, but we do want to be upfront: all new clients begin with a comprehensive financial plan, with a minimum planning fee of $2,500. This ensures that the clients we take on are ready to engage meaningfully in the planning process — and that we can dedicate the time and attention your situation deserves.

In many cases, yes — and we believe the best financial outcomes happen when your advisory team is aligned. For clients engaged in more advanced or complex planning, we are happy to collaborate with your CPA on tax planning strategies, coordinate with your estate attorney on beneficiary designations and trust structures, and make sure everyone is working from the same playbook.

That said, active coordination with outside professionals requires additional time and is typically reserved for engagements where the scope and fee reflect that level of service. For core financial planning, we'll still make sure your recommendations are clearly documented so you can share them with your CPA or attorney on your own.

If you don't yet have a CPA or estate attorney and need one, we can often point you toward trusted professionals in our network.

We want to be transparent about a few things so you know exactly what to expect from us — and what we need from you — during times like these.

We don't participate in market timing. Our trading platform through AssetMark can take anywhere from several hours to several days to process portfolio changes. Attempting to react quickly to headlines rarely works in investors' favor, and our platform is intentionally designed for thoughtful, deliberate action — not reactive trading.

We cannot accept investment or trade instructions by email. This is a regulatory requirement, not a preference. Any instructions must be communicated directly — either by phone, in a live conversation, or through a signed form we've agreed upon in advance. If you send us an email asking us to make a change, we will call you. We won't act on the email alone.

Most importantly: please call us. If you're feeling uneasy, anxious, or tempted to make a change — that's exactly what we're here for. This is a significant part of what you pay us to do. Your feelings are completely valid, and we genuinely want to hear from you. Before any decision is made, we want to talk through your full picture — your resources, your preferences, and the long-term strategy we built together. Our focus will always be on diversification, thoughtful planning, and staying the course.

We're here. Don't hesitate to pick up the phone.