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No cost. No pitch. No minimum balance, ever.
Most advisors won’t return your call unless you have
$250,000. I don’t work that way.
Fifteen minutes on the phone. We figure out what you
need. If I’m not the right fit, I’ll tell you.
Every price I charge is published below. No consultation required to see it.
Financial Advisor Fees in Tampa
Every fee I charge, published before you call me
Most advisor websites tell you to “contact us to discuss fees.” I think that’s backwards. You should know what something costs before you spend an hour of your life on a sales call about it.
So here is the entire fee schedule. Flat prices for project work, an hourly rate for one-off questions, and a published rate for ongoing management. No asset minimum. No commissions. No products sold to you.
What I charge
Five ways to work together. The first three you can book and pay for below. The last two are quoted in writing after we’ve talked, because the price depends on what you actually need.
One Hour With an Advisor
One hour, one topic, one straight answer. Bring the question that’s been sitting on your mind: the 401(k) you never rolled over, the allocation you’re not sure about, the offer you don’t know how to evaluate.
No ongoing commitment. No assets required. If we run past the hour, additional time is $275 per hour and only with your written approval first.
/ Hour
Second Opinion Review
You already have a plan, an advisor, or a portfolio you inherited from someone else’s decisions. This is a professional read on whether it’s working.
One meeting, plus a written summary of what I found and what I’d change. Not a full financial plan — a clear-eyed second look, in writing, that’s yours to keep whether or not you ever work with me again.
Financial Roadmap
Two hours of structured work. I collect your full picture, analyze where you actually stand, and build the sequence for getting where you’re going.
This is the foundation a complete plan is built on, and it’s the right starting point if you already know you want the full engagement.
Our pricing list
Complete Financial Plan
$1,000 to $2,500
Everything reviewed together: cash flow, insurance, investments, education funding, retirement, estate, and tax, with specific recommendations and an order to execute them in.
Three meetings: discovery, strategy, delivery
The final fee depends on complexity and is quoted to you in writing before any work begins. You will never receive an invoice for a number you haven’t already agreed to.
Ongoing Portfolio Management
$550 setup + 1% annually
For clients who want the portfolio managed rather than reviewed. A one-time $550 setup fee, then 1% of assets under management per year, billed quarterly.
No minimum account size. Investments are selected from stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs based on your objectives and risk tolerance, not from a product shelf I’m paid to sell from.
How financial advisors charge, and what each model actually costs
There are four common fee models in this industry. Here’s what each one costs and where its conflicts sit, including the two I use.
A percentage of your assets
Commissions
Hourly
Flat fee per project
A percentage of your assets
The most common model. The advisor charges a percentage of what they manage for you, usually around 1% per year, billed quarterly and deducted directly from the account.
On a $500,000 portfolio, a 1% fee is $5,000 a year. On $1,000,000, it’s $10,000 a year. The fee rises as the account rises, whether or not the amount of work does.
I use this model for ongoing portfolio management, at the rate published above. It makes sense when someone genuinely wants the portfolio handled month to month. It makes less sense when what you actually needed was two hours and a written answer, which is why I also offer that.
Commissions
The advisor is paid by the company whose product you buy. You don’t write a check, so it can feel free. It isn’t; the cost is built into the product and typically doesn’t appear as a line item on your statement.
The structural problem is that the advisor’s pay depends on which product you end up in. I don’t use this model. I don’t sell products, I don’t receive commissions, and no third party pays me for your business.
Hourly
You pay for the time you use, the way you’d pay an attorney or a CPA. Good for a specific question. Less good for open-ended work, because neither of you knows the final number when you start.
Flat fee per project
One price, agreed before the work starts, for a defined deliverable. You know the cost, I know the scope, and neither of us is watching a clock.
This is my primary model. The Second Opinion Review, the Financial Roadmap, and the Complete Financial Plan are all priced this way.
What I don’t charge
No asset minimum.
There is no portfolio size below which I’ll decline to work with you.
No commissions and no product sales.
No third party pays me for recommending anything.
No custody of your money.
Your assets stay at your own custodian, in your own name.
No surprise overages.
Additional time is $275 per hour, and only after you’ve approved it in writing.
Your five-day refund
You may terminate the engagement and receive a full refund of prepaid fees within five business days of signing. No reason required, no penalty, no portion withheld.
I publish that here for the same reason I publish the prices: you should not have to find it in a document after you’ve already paid.
Who you’re hiring
Blade Financial, LLC is a state-registered investment adviser based in Tampa, Florida. I’m Sam Blade: owner, principal, and Chief Compliance Officer. As a registered investment adviser, I’m held to a fiduciary standard, which means I’m obligated to act in your best interest and to disclose conflicts of interest rather than manage around them quietly.
Before you pay me anything, you’ll receive my Form ADV Part 2A brochure, the disclosure document filed with regulators covering fees, services, conflicts, and disciplinary history, and you’ll acknowledge receiving it in writing.
What I don’t do
I’d rather you know this before you pay than after.
I don’t prepare tax returns, though I’ll coordinate with the person who does. I don’t draft legal documents; I’ll tell you when you need an estate attorney and what to ask them for. I don’t sell insurance, so when a recommendation involves it, I’ll tell you what to buy and send you elsewhere to buy it.
Common questions
It depends on the model. Advisors charging a percentage of assets typically charge around 1% per year, which is $5,000 annually on a $500,000 portfolio. Hourly advisors in this market generally run $200 to $400 an hour. Flat-fee financial plans commonly range from roughly $1,000 to $5,000 depending on complexity. My own rates are published above: $275 per hour, $500 for a second opinion review, $550 for a roadmap, and $1,000 to $2,500 for a comprehensive plan.
No. There is no minimum portfolio size to work with me.
No. I don’t receive commissions, and no company pays me to recommend its products.
You’ll receive my Form ADV Part 2A and the engagement agreement to review and sign as part of checkout, then a confirmation email with everything you signed and a copy of the brochure attached. I’ll reach out within one business day to schedule. Call my cell if you do not hear from me 313-529-0244
Yes. Full refund of prepaid fees within five business days of signing, no reason required.
Fee-only means the advisor is paid only by clients. Fee-based means the advisor is paid by clients and by commissions from products they sell. The two terms sound nearly identical and mean substantially different things. Blade Financial is fee-only.
Yes, within limits. I’m registered in Florida. In other states I can generally serve up to five clients before registration in that state is required, and a handful of states apply stricter rules. Tell me where you live and I’ll confirm before we begin.
Yes. Blade Financial is a registered investment adviser, which means I’m held to a fiduciary standard by law and obligated to act in your best interest. I’m also fee-only: no commissions, no product sales, and no third party pays me for recommending anything.
The titles aren’t legally defined, which is why the distinction is confusing. What matters is the standard someone is held to and how they’re paid. Blade Financial is a registered investment adviser, held to a fiduciary standard, paid only by clients.