How I Get Paid
One of the most common questions I receive, even after people have read through the fees on my website, is a simple one: so… how do you actually get paid?
It's a fair question. Financial services has a long history of making fees confusing, burying costs in fine print, and leaving people unsure whether their adviser is truly working for them. I want to put that to rest, clearly and completely.
I get paid one way. By you.
My only source of income from your portfolio is the advice fee. That's it. There is no other revenue stream, no side arrangement, no kickback from a fund manager, and no commission from a product provider.
When I recommend a fund, a platform, or a strategy, there is nothing in it for me other than the advice fee you've already agreed to. That single fact changes everything about the advice you receive, because it means the only way I do well is if you do well.
Why this matters
In many parts of the financial services industry, advisers earn commissions or receive payments from the products they recommend. That creates a conflict. If an adviser earns more by placing you in one fund over another, how confident can you be that the recommendation is genuinely in your best interest?
I've structured my business to remove that conflict entirely. I don't receive commissions. I don't receive soft-dollar benefits. I don't receive volume bonuses from fund managers or platform providers.
My advice fee is the beginning and the end of how I earn from our relationship.
What about fund rebates?
Some fund managers offer rebates. This is essentially a discount on their fees when assets are held through certain platforms. When those rebates are available, I pass every cent of them directly back to you. They reduce the cost of investing in that fund, and they belong in your pocket, not mine.
This is another area where the industry hasn't always been transparent. Some advisers retain rebates as additional revenue. I don't, and I never will.
A quick breakdown of the fees involved
There are three layers of cost when you invest through me, and I want to be upfront about each one.
The advice fee is what we’ve just been taking about. This is the fee you pay me. It covers your personalised strategy, portfolio design, implementation, ongoing monitoring, regular reviews, and unlimited access to me as your adviser. For investment services, this is up to 1.0% of your portfolio value. For KiwiSaver, it's up to 0.75%.
The platform administration fee is up to 0.25%, charged by Consilium WRAP, the custodial partner that securely holds your investments. This fee goes to them, not to me. They provide you with a login so you can view your balance, generate performance reports, tax reports etc.
Underlying fund fees are charged by the fund managers themselves and vary depending on which funds are in your portfolio. I work to keep these as low as possible, and as I mentioned, any available rebates come straight back to you.
Both the advice fee and the platform administration fee are tax-deductible, which reduces your net cost further.
All fees are calculated and deducted by the custodian from your cash account. No invoices are sent to you.
If any other costs arise, such as brokerage on a share trade, they are minimal and I will always disclose them to you in writing before anything happens. No surprises, ever.
Independence isn't just a word
Being paid solely by my clients is a deliberate choice. It means I can recommend whichever funds, platforms, and strategies are genuinely the best fit for you without worrying about how it affects my income. It means when I sit across from you, we are on the same side of the table.
I don't work for a bank. I don't work for a fund manager. I work for you.
Still have questions?
If anything about my fees or how I'm compensated is unclear, I'd genuinely welcome the conversation. Full transparency isn't just part of my service, it's the foundation of it.
