Keep clients devoted

She doesn’t charge extra for this service. “Whether I do the plan or not, my income doesn’t change,” she says. “But doing it helps me understand my clients’ needs and also to build relationships. My clients call me for everything.”

That’s also because Sherwood’s services extend beyond the office.

“A lot of times I bring lawyers to clients’ houses and sit with them,” she says. “Clients are more comfortable when I’m there as their advocate. And I always visit clients for our regular meetings. Going into their homes shows me what’s important to them.” For instance, she uses pictures and other evidence of grandkids to broach estate planning. She’ll say, “I see toys around the house, so obviously you spend a lot of time with them and want to take care of them. Have you ever thought about leaving them money?”

Sherwood adds many grandparents leave money to parents instead, thinking they’ll pass it on. But that doesn’t always happen, so she suggests direct gifts, like putting money in trust for university tuition or buying a first house as well.

To make her model viable, Sherwood needs clients with at least $250,000 to invest, though her advertised minimum is $100,000.

Another advisor who includes tax and estate services in wealth plans is Serena Cheng, a Toronto-based advisor with Richardson GMP. Her fee, a percentage of AUM, includes quarterly meetings, a comprehensive needs assessment and scenario modelling.

But if clients require a detailed analysis from tax and estate experts—a review of wills, family trust creation, corporate restructuring—she usually charges separately “because it wouldn’t be fair to offer a more rigorous service model to one client over another.” Fees typically run between $1,500 and a few thousand.

Cory Daly, president of Daly Financial Group in Regina, Sask., also charges clients for tax and estate plans to underscore the value of what he’s providing. He primarily works with business owners and professionals with net worths of at least $2 million.

Often, after his clients see the complexity and customization of their plans, he says they move their investment accounts over to him.

23% of clients would be willing to pay a fee or write a cheque to their advisors for formal, written financial plans.

2013 Advisor Group Salary Survey, n=999.

Explaining those fees

Daly admits prospects are surprised when they see the initial cost of his tax and estate plans. But, he notes, “Wealthy clients appreciate separating advice from product because they don’t want to pay for what they’re not asking for.”

Regardless, if a prospect says his fees are too high, “I reply, ‘Relative to no charge? Absolutely. If you can go down the street and get this technical aspect for free, I would, too. But if you went to a lawyer or accountant, you’d be paying $250 to $400 an hour for some of what I’m providing.’ I also show prospects sample plans so they know what strategies I use.”

When prospects see benefits, fees aren’t an issue. “If someone’s estate liability is $2 million, and I can get her insurance to fund that liability at 30 cents on the dollar, I’ve saved her millions,” he says.

Cheng agrees, saying clients have never objected to the cost. “The reason it usually makes sense for someone to pay is because he’s paying too much in taxes right now. When a person comes to me and we identify a need, he’s going to be saving tens to hundreds of thousands,” she says, adding a $1,500 bill is welcomed by clients when they know they’ll save much more and increase the effect-iveness of their portfolios.

Sherwood goes into detail about the fees coming off her clients’ investments—as well as what she does to earn those fees.

“I say, ‘Here’s how much you have with me, here’s the management fee (in dollars), this portion goes to ScotiaMcLeod and this part goes to me. That’s how I get paid for creating your financial plan, our four annual meetings, phone conversations, and bringing in specialists.’

“Then they say I’m underpaid,” she laughs.

“So why am I paying you?”

Some advisors fear referring clients to centres of influence means they’ll question your value. Not true, says Daly.

He tells clients, “I’m preparing you to minimize your time with your lawyer and accountant. You’re paying me for the ability to work through the details.” Still, he says, “I don’t want to give clients the impression I can be hired by the hour. That defeats the whole purpose of financial planning.”

Melissa Shin is the managing editor of Advisor Group.