Most compensation is advisory fees
The bulk of the firm's revenue comes from advisory fees paid by clients. These are disclosed in writing before any engagement, scaled to assets under management.
Working with a fee-based financial advisor means most of the firm's compensation comes from advisory fees, with insurance and annuity commissions disclosed up front when those apply. Here is how it works at Intercoastal Wealth Planning.
The bulk of the firm's revenue comes from advisory fees paid by clients. These are disclosed in writing before any engagement, scaled to assets under management.
Where insurance products or annuities fit a client's plan, the firm may earn a commission. We disclose the commission, the alternatives, and the rationale before recommending.
The fee-based model doesn't change the fiduciary obligation. Advisory work is held to the fiduciary standard. Insurance and annuity work is held to the suitability and best-interest standards under separate rules.
Some firms claim fee-only when they should claim fee-based. We use the fee-based label because it's accurate. Honesty about compensation is part of the fiduciary obligation.
We meet on a real cadence, usually quarterly. The plan flexes as your life and the tax code change. Most relationships span decades.
Offices in Boca Raton and Plantation, plus licensed in all 50 states. Existing clients keep us when they move.
A fee-based financial advisor earns most of their compensation from advisory fees paid by clients, but may also earn commissions on certain products like insurance and annuities when those products fit a client's plan. The fee-based label is honest. Fee-only would mean the firm earns NO commissions on any product, ever. We do earn commissions in some cases, so we use the more accurate fee-based label.
Advisory fees: Most of our compensation comes from advisory fees calculated as a percentage of assets under management. The percentage scales down as assets grow. The fee schedule is disclosed in the engagement documents and in the firm's Form ADV. Advisory work is held to the fiduciary standard.
Insurance and annuity commissions: Some clients hold life insurance, long-term care policies, or annuities. Where we're involved in recommending or placing these products, the firm earns a commission paid by the insurance carrier. We disclose the commission, the alternatives, and the rationale before any recommendation. Insurance work is held to applicable suitability and best-interest standards.
Securities and clearing: Securities transactions are processed through J. W. Cole Financial, the broker-dealer. Client assets are held at an independent custodian, not at J. W. Cole or at our firm.
Some advisor firms claim fee-only when they should claim fee-based. The distinction matters under SEC and state rules, and it matters under NAPFA's strict definition. We earn commissions in some cases, so we use the more accurate label. Misrepresenting fee status would itself be a fiduciary violation.
Bottom line: fee-based with full disclosure is honest. Fee-only with secret commissions is dishonest. Our compensation model is laid out in writing before any engagement and updated in the firm's Form ADV. See the disclosure page for the formal documentation.
Pages that explain how the broader practice works:
What being a fiduciary actually requires and how to verify it.
See the fiduciary standard →The team behind the practice and the credentials they hold.
See about our team →Where insurance and annuity work fits, and how we disclose commissions when they apply.
See insurance planning →Every Intercoastal client engages under the same fee-based, fiduciary structure:
For clients in their 40s, 50s, and early 60s coordinating the Social Security decision, Medicare timing, Roth conversion windows, and the income plan that follows.
For founders and owners. The planning runs from operating the business through eventual transition or sale.
For C-suite leaders with concentrated equity, deferred compensation, and the planning that comes with senior roles.
For clients receiving an inheritance, sudden or expected. Help making steady decisions in a moment when steady is hard.
For women in their career-building years working through equity comp, executive comp, and the planning that supports both.
For women rebuilding financial independence after divorce. Coaching, accountability, and a real plan for what's next.
For women facing financial decisions for the first time after the loss of a spouse. Patience and a step-by-step approach.
A fee-based financial advisor earns most compensation from client-paid advisory fees, but may also earn commissions on insurance and annuity products when those products fit a client's plan. The fee-based model is held to fiduciary standards on advisory work.
Fee-only means the firm earns NO commissions on any product, ever. Fee-based means most compensation is from advisory fees, but commissions on specific products like insurance and annuities can apply. Intercoastal Wealth Planning is fee-based, not fee-only. We use the accurate label.
It matters because it tells you where conflicts of interest can arise. With fee-only, there are no commission-based conflicts. With fee-based, there can be commission-based conflicts on specific products, which is why disclosure is required and why a fiduciary obligation still applies to advisory work.
Not inherently. Commissions are a compensation structure. The issue arises when commissions are hidden or when they push an advisor to recommend the wrong product. When commissions are disclosed in writing alongside alternatives, and when the fiduciary obligation still applies, the structure is workable.
Most of our advisory work is billed as a percentage of assets under management. The percentage scales down as assets grow. Specific rates are disclosed in the engagement documents and in the firm's Form ADV before any engagement begins.
Our firm's ADV Part 2A and 2B documents are available on the disclosure page. These are the formal regulatory documents that disclose fees, conflicts, business practices, and the advisor's background.
The first meeting is a conversation, not a sales pitch. We'll talk about where you are, what you're working through, and whether Intercoastal is the right fit. In person in Boca Raton or Plantation, or by video from anywhere.