Only Fee-Only

Hosted by Broc Buckles and Peter Ciravolo

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Episodes

173

Latest episode

Oct 2026

Language

EN-US

About the show

This podcast interviews fee-only financial planners to learn about how they are helping their clients and serving their specific niches.

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60 recent

October 22, 202629 min

#173 - The Personal CFO Approach: Financial Planning for Business Owners with Seth Shepherd

In this episode of the Only Family Podcast, we sit down with Seth Shepherd, founder of Pillar Wealth in Franklin, Indiana. Seth shares his journey from working at Charles Schwab to taking the leap and starting his own independent, fee-only wealth management firm. We discuss what motivated him to make the transition, the challenges of building a business, and how his approach to financial planning has evolved over the years. We also dive into how Pillar Wealth serves business owners by going beyond traditional investment management, focusing on tax planning, estate planning, insurance, and helping clients make better financial decisions. Seth shares his thoughts on building meaningful client relationships, growing a firm without sacrificing service, and using technology and AI to improve efficiency. Whether you’re a financial advisor considering independence, a business owner, or simply interested in the financial planning industry, this episode offers some great insights! Thanks for tuning in, and be sure to subscribe for more conversations like this! Connect with Seth: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seth-shepherd-cfp%C2%AE-710569141?utm_source=share_via&utm_content=profile&utm_medium=member_ios Website: https://pillarw.com

October 15, 202633 min

#172 - The Review Meeting Is the Client Experience with Brendan Frazier

You run the review meeting, the small talk lands, and nobody complains. Still, you walk away wondering if the client truly sees your value, or if they’d leave the moment a hungrier advisor shows up. We dig into why that happens and how to fix it with Brendan Frazier, host of the Human Side of Money podcast, who sees the review meeting as the anchor of the entire client experience. Brendan explains the real job of a review: prove value, justify the fee, deepen trust, and earn referrals. He breaks down the three questions every client needs answered: Do you understand my situation? How am I doing? Am I going to be okay? We also cover “closeness communication bias,” the quiet way advisors lose touch with long-time clients, and why making clients feel known comes from curiosity and intentional questions, not natural charm. For busy advisors, Brendan shares how to stay present across back-to-back meetings with buffers, energy protection, and a “one client” mindset. He also offers a simple shift that changes the tone fast: review progress before planning forward, so clients feel momentum instead of constant pressure. If this episode helps, subscribe, share it with another advisor, and leave a review. What’s one change you’ll make in your next review meeting? Podcast: The Human Side of Money LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brendanfrazier/ Music in this episode was obtained from Bensound.

October 8, 202622 min

#171 - Advisors Do Not Need More Tech They Need Better Decisions - Taylor Stewart

Most financial planning software is great at math and oddly bad at the part clients remember: walking out of a meeting knowing what to do next. We sit down with returning guest Taylor Stewart, a fee-only financial advisor and founder of Kerdora, to talk about building planning software that translates complexity into clarity without drowning people in charts, portals, and projections they never asked for. Taylor shares how Kerdora has evolved since his last visit, including what changed after a major pivot and why being fully bootstrapped lets the product follow advisor and client needs instead of a sales-driven roadmap. We get candid about what it takes to turn a “cool tool I built for myself” into a real SaaS business, why UX and trust matter more when the client actually sees the output, and why core financial planning software is one of the hardest categories in fintech to get right. We also dig into AI in financial planning and the trap it creates: you can build almost anything, so choosing what not to build becomes the real work. Taylor lays out a simple North Star for product decisions: does it help clients understand their financial life, and does it materially change the decision they should make today? Along the way, we talk projections, Monte Carlo fatigue, “do this, get that” advisor tools, and how to resist shiny object syndrome while still improving your tech stack. If you care about better client communication, decision-first planning, and practical advisor tech, hit subscribe, share this with another advisor, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Taylor's Social and Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-stewart/ https://www.kerdora.com/ Taylor@kerdora.com Music in this episode was obtained from Bensound.

September 24, 202627 min

#170 - From Dental School Debt to Practice Exit: Planning with Ryan DiFabrizio

Dentists face an unusual financial timeline: years of student debt and delayed earnings, followed by a sharp increase in income and a lot of decisions to make at once. In this episode, we sit down with Ryan DiFabrizio of Wealth FD to talk about how his firm helps dentists navigate that transition. Ryan explains why good planning starts with the decisions dentists face early in their careers: managing student loans, evaluating associateship offers, planning for taxes, and preparing for eventual practice ownership. We also discuss why Wealth FD tracks clients’ spending and uses projections to help them make decisions based on their actual numbers. Then we turn to the other end of the career: selling a practice and adjusting to life after years of saving and building. Ryan shares how ongoing planning helps dentists feel confident about retiring, spending, and giving. We close with his advice for newer financial planners on gaining experience and finding a firm where they can grow. If you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe and share it with a dentist or financial advisor who would find it useful. Ryan's Social and Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryandifabrizio/ https://wealthfd.com/ Music in this episode was obtained from Bensound.

September 16, 202628 min

#169 - Healthcare, Insurance, and Building a Stronger Financial Plan - Cole Craven

A major change in health insurance premiums can reshape an early retirement plan—especially when decisions are based on outdated information. In this episode, Cole Craven from Move Health joins us to explain what’s happening across health insurance and Medicare. We clear up common misconceptions about ACA marketplace tax credits, pre-existing conditions, and guaranteed coverage. We also discuss the role risk management plays in financial planning, from medical expenses and disability to liability protection and umbrella insurance. Finally, we talk about making these conversations easier, choosing partners you trust, and why the best recommendation is sometimes confirming that a client already has the right coverage. If you want to make healthcare and risk-management planning clearer for your clients, this episode is for you. Move Health's Website: https://movehealth.io/ Cole's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cole-craven/ Music in this episode was obtained from Bensound.

August 26, 202632 min

#168 - From Broker-Dealer to Fee-Only RIA - Carmine Corino

If you’ve ever thought, “I like my clients, so why do I feel stuck at my firm?” this episode is for you. We sit down with Carmine Carino, founder and CEO of Cornerstone Planning Group, to talk about why advisors leave insurance and broker-dealer environments for independent, fee-only RIAs. Carmine shares the story behind his book Broken Dealer , the common frustrations that lead advisors to make a change, and how to know when you’re actually ready to go independent. We also talk about Carmine’s own experience launching an RIA in 2020, the challenges that came with it, and what he’s learned about building and growing a firm. From there, we get into scaling without burning yourself out. Carmine explains his idea of “growth by elimination,” why creating more capacity often means doing less, and how delegation, client segmentation, ideal client profiles, and a strong culture can help you build a better business. If you’re thinking about going independent or simply want to grow your firm with less chaos, there’s a lot to take away from this conversation. Websites: https://www.carminecorino.com/ https://www.cornerstoneplanninggroup.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/carminecorino/

August 7, 202622 min

#167 - 100 Great Clients: Building the Practice You Actually Want - Andrew Damcevski

What does a successful financial planning firm actually look like? For Andrew Damcevski, founder of AJD Wealth Management, the answer isn’t building the biggest firm possible. It’s working with 100 great clients, providing a high level of service, and building a business that gives him control over his time. In this episode, Andrew joins us to talk about his path from starting in the insurance world and moving to the fee-only world, starting and selling a firm, and eventually launching AJD Wealth Management. We get into the value of learning sales early in your career, the realities of starting from scratch, why keeping your personal expenses low can give new firm owners more runway, and the tradeoffs between building a large enterprise and intentionally staying small. Sometimes the goal isn’t a bigger practice. It’s building the practice you actually want. Andrew's website: ajdwealth.com Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-damcevski-cfp%C2%AE-tpcp%C2%AE-4832b365/ Music in this episode was obtained from Bensound.

July 23, 202626 min

#166 - Becoming the Advisor He Couldn't Find: Ethan Kok's Fee-Only Journey

What happens when a Dow Chemical employee turned real estate investor can't find a financial planner willing to look at his whole picture? He becomes one himself. In this episode of Only Fee Only, Peter and Broc talk with Ethan Kok, owner of Sage Wealth Planning. Ethan shares how his search for real financial advice as a young investor in Midland, Michigan opened his eyes to the fee-only model — and ultimately pulled him out of a corporate career and into financial planning. He breaks down how he built his early client base by mastering Dow's complex employee benefits, why offering flat-fee planning to clients without big portfolios is an opportunity most advisors miss, and what he learned from purchasing Sage from its founder, including why the transition plan matters just as much as the purchase price. Ethan also talks about his team's shared passion for tax planning, how his appreciation for insurance planning has grown over the years, the "downer meeting" his firm uses to help clients get real about life insurance and estate planning, and his advice for anyone at a big company thinking about a career change into this profession. Ethan's Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ethan-kok/ Music in this episode was obtained from Bensound.

July 16, 202629 min

165 - Equity Compensation & Flat-Fee Financial Planning with Marcel Miu

Your clients may have millions in company stock and still struggle with the decisions that matter most: exercise now or later, hold or sell, diversify or stay concentrated. In this episode, we sit down with Marcel Miu , founder of Simplify Wealth Planning in Austin, Texas, to discuss how advisors can help clients navigate equity compensation while building a successful advisory firm. Marcel shares his journey from JP Morgan and Cohen & Steers to launching his own fee-only RIA, and why technical expertise alone isn't enough to grow a business. We discuss the realities of client acquisition, how marketing has evolved, why LinkedIn isn't the opportunity it once was, and why advisors need multiple marketing channels instead of relying on a single strategy. We also explore flat-fee financial planning versus AUM, particularly for tech professionals whose investment portfolios may be simple but whose planning needs are anything but. Marcel explains why a flat-fee model often creates better alignment, how to set clear expectations, and how to determine whether a client is the right fit. Marcel's Social: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcel-miu/ Music in this episode was obtained from Bensound.

July 9, 202630 min

#164 - Why Real Estate Agents Need Financial Planning | Cody Hawkins, PeaceLink

A $10,000 commission check can feel like a reset button—until the next closing gets delayed. In this episode, we're joined by Cody Hawkins, Lead Planner at PeaceLink Financial Planning, to discuss why his firm specializes in helping top-producing real estate agents navigate the unique financial challenges that come with variable income and running a business. We discuss: Why lifestyle creep can become a major challenge for successful agents How to create predictable cash flow despite inconsistent income Common tax mistakes 1099 professionals make The importance of quarterly tax payments and proper business structure Why liquidity matters just as much as building long-term wealth How PeaceLink helps clients separate business and personal finances Cody also shares his path into financial planning, how PeaceLink found its niche serving real estate professionals, and why focusing on systems instead of chasing the next commission helps clients build lasting financial confidence. Whether you're a financial advisor looking to better serve business owners or a real estate professional trying to create more stability, this episode is full of practical takeaways. Cody's Linked and Website: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cody-hawkins-cfp%C2%AE-5129a217a/ https://www.peacelinkfp.com/ Music in this episode was obtained from Bensound.