What's the difference between financial planning and investment management?

The plan decides what the money is for, how much risk you can take, and what to do about taxes, insurance, and your estate. Investment management carries out the investment part of the plan. At Belmont they come together, for one fee.

How often is the plan updated?

At least once a year, and whenever something changes: a sale, a new entity, a birth, a death, a move. You don't wait for an annual meeting to ask a question.

Do I need a plan if I already have a CPA and an attorney?

Often, yes. Each of them handles their piece well. The plan is the document where the pieces meet, and we’re the people responsible for how they fit together, working with your CPA and attorney rather than around them.

How much does a financial plan cost?

It’s included in one advisory fee based on the assets we manage: 1.00% a year on the first $1 million, with lower rates above it. For example, $1 million under management costs $10,000 a year, about $2,500 a quarter. The plan, the investment management, and the tax and estate coordination are all part of it. The full schedule is on our Work With Us page.

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A written financial plan for business owners and families in St. Louis.

A financial plan is a set of decisions, written down, with the numbers behind them. Here is what ours includes and how we build it.

Schedule a conversation How we work and what it costs

The point of it

What a financial plan is for

Most people have the pieces: accounts, insurance, a will, a CPA. What they don't have is one document showing how the pieces fit and what to do next. The plan is that document, and we're the people responsible for keeping it true.

What the plan covers

Six parts, one set of numbers

This is what you get: a written document, not a login. Every part uses the same numbers, so a decision in one shows up in the others.

Belmont Private WealthWhat you receive

Your written plan · contents

Where you stand todayp. 1
Cash flow and savingsp. 3
Taxes: the next twelve monthsp. 5
Investments: one allocationp. 7
Insurance and estatep. 9
The businessp. 11
Recommendations, in orderp. 13

Illustrative. Your version is written for you.

Cash flow and savings

What comes in, what goes out, what the business pays you, and how much needs to be saved and where.

Taxes

The decisions in the twelve months before a return: entity, compensation, retirement contributions, gifts, and timing. Coordinated with your CPA.

Insurance

Life, disability, liability, and key-person coverage, reviewed against what you'd actually need. We advise; we don't sell policies.

Investments

One allocation across every account, with the plan deciding how much risk, not the market.

Estate

Titling, beneficiaries, and documents, matched to what you want to happen. Coordinated with your attorney.

The business

Entity structure, owner compensation, the company retirement plan, and the eventual exit, treated as part of the household, not apart from it.

How we build it

Four rules we don't break

Start with questions, not products

What is the money for, when, and for whom? The answers shape every recommendation. Nothing gets bought before they're clear.

Use your real numbers

Statements, returns, and payroll, not estimates. A plan built on round numbers gives round answers.

Write it down

Every recommendation, in plain English, with the math behind it, so you can read it without us in the room.

Keep it current

A plan that isn't updated is a historical document. We revisit it at least yearly and whenever life changes.

Timing

When planning matters most

A plan is useful any time. It's most valuable just before something big:

Starting, buying, or restructuring a business
A sale, a buyout offer, or any other liquidity event
Retirement within the next ten years
An inheritance, a trust distribution, or a large gift, in either direction
A change in the family: marriage, divorce, a birth, a death, a move

If one of these is on the horizon, the first conversation is worth having now. The plan is step three of our five-step process.

Common questions

What people in St. Louis ask about financial planning

What's the difference between financial planning and investment management?: The plan decides what the money is for, how much risk you can take, and what to do about taxes, insurance, and your estate. Investment management carries out the investment part of the plan. At Belmont they come together, for one fee.
How often is the plan updated?: At least once a year, and whenever something changes: a sale, a new entity, a birth, a death, a move. You don't wait for an annual meeting to ask a question.
Do I need a plan if I already have a CPA and an attorney?: Often, yes. Each of them handles their piece well. The plan is the document where the pieces meet, and we’re the people responsible for how they fit together, working with your CPA and attorney rather than around them.
How much does a financial plan cost?: It’s included in one advisory fee based on the assets we manage: 1.00% a year on the first $1 million, with lower rates above it. For example, $1 million under management costs $10,000 a year, about $2,500 a quarter. The plan, the investment management, and the tax and estate coordination are all part of it. The full schedule is on our Work With Us page.

Next step

Start with a conversation

Bring the questions you've been meaning to ask. We'll tell you plainly what a plan would cover and what it would cost.

Speak with a founder

Thirty minutes with a founder. No homework.

Quarterly Recap

Get the Quarterly Recap

Our quarterly market update, in plain English. One email a quarter, no sales pitch.