Where credit union guidance ends and planning begins
Credit unions exist to serve their members, and most of them do it well. The savings rates are competitive, the loan terms are honest, and the service model treats the member as a person rather than a revenue line. The problem is not the credit union. The problem is the financial planning program bolted onto the side of it.
Most credit union financial advisors are employees of a third-party broker-dealer, not the credit union itself. They sit in the lobby, they wear the credit union's lanyard, and they earn commissions on the products they sell. The member assumes the advice is coming from the institution they trust. It is not. It is coming from a salesperson renting a desk.
We are independent of every credit union, every broker-dealer, and every insurance company. We charge a planning fee, we put the advice in writing, and we have no financial relationship with any product provider. The advice is ours, and it belongs to you.
What working with us looks like
First meeting — sixty minutes, in person
We meet at our office, at your home, or at your workplace. Bring your account statements, any insurance policies, and your last tax return. We ask what the household is trying to accomplish and where the gaps are. By the end of the hour we know whether we can help.
Second meeting — your written plan
We return with a written plan that covers savings allocation, retirement projection, insurance review, and the next steps. The plan is yours to keep whether or not you decide to work with us going forward.
A note on fit
When this might not be right for you
We are not the right fit for everyone. Some situations where we would say so:
- Anyone looking for an advisor who will also sell them insurance or annuity products. We do not sell anything.
- Anyone who wants guaranteed returns. We build diversified portfolios and we are honest about what markets do and do not promise.
- Anyone who prefers all financial services under one roof at the credit union. We are independent and always will be.
If that sounds like your situation, we would rather tell you now than waste your time later.
Frequently asked questions
Is the financial advisor at my credit union independent?
In most cases, no. The advisor in the credit union lobby is typically an employee of a third-party broker-dealer, not the credit union itself. That advisor earns commissions on products sold. We are fully independent — no commissions, no broker-dealer, no product sales.
Do I need a lot of money to work with a fee-only financial advisor?
No. We have no account minimum. We work with credit union members at every income level. The planning fee depends on the complexity of your situation, and we publish it in writing before you agree to anything.
Should I move my accounts out of the credit union?
Not necessarily. Credit unions are often the best place for checking, savings, and certain loans. The planning question is whether some of the money sitting in low-yield accounts should be working harder in a retirement account or an investment portfolio. We help you figure out the right allocation without asking you to leave your credit union.
I have a pension — do I still need a financial plan?
Usually, yes. A pension covers part of retirement income, but most pensions replace less than you think after inflation. The gap between pension income, Social Security, and what the household actually spends is where the planning work lives. You also need to decide when to claim Social Security relative to the pension start date, whether a joint-and-survivor option makes sense for a spouse, and how to handle the taxable income that arrives when both the pension and Social Security are running at once.
What is the difference between fee-only and fee-based?
Fee-only means we are paid only by you — no commissions, no referral fees, no product sales. Fee-based means the advisor charges fees but also earns commissions on certain products. The distinction matters because it determines whose interest the advice is built around.
Can you review the annuity my credit union advisor recommended?
Yes. We review existing products — annuities, insurance policies, investment accounts — and tell you whether they are earning their cost. We charge for the review and we have no stake in the outcome. If the annuity is good, we say so. If it is not, we say that too.
How do I know if I have enough saved for retirement?
The honest answer is that a rule of thumb will not tell you. Whether you have enough depends on when you want to stop working, what the household actually spends, what income you will have from a pension or Social Security, and how the sequence of market returns in the first five years of retirement plays out. We build the projection with your actual numbers — pension benefit, Social Security estimate, account balances, spending — and give you a range that is realistic rather than reassuring. Most credit union members we meet have either undersaved because nobody ran the math, or have been told by a product salesperson that they need more annuity income than they actually do. The projection is the conversation that clears that up.
How do I know if my credit union's life insurance is a good deal?
Credit union-sponsored life insurance programs are often group term policies, which can be competitive for members in certain age and health brackets. They can also be more expensive per dollar of coverage than what an independent agent would quote, and they are typically not portable — they end if you leave the credit union. We review the coverage alongside any other policies you carry and tell you honestly whether the premium is earning its keep or whether you would be better served applying independently.