Firm standard

• Core Planning, LLC is paid only by clients (AUM, flat, hourly, subscription).
• We do not accept commissions, trails, revenue-sharing, platform/kickback payments, or any sales-related compensation: not one penny may flow to Core or its owners, or to IARs through Core.
• Key distinction: if any owner of Core Planning, LLC operated in any way other than Fee-Only, then Core itself would lose Fee-Only status because economic benefit could then flow to IARs.
• We have tight controls to ensure that Core Planning, LLC. remains Fee-Only.

Individual advisor standard (who may say “Fee-Only”):

• An IAR may operate as and call themselves Fee-Only if they (and their related parties) receive no sales-related compensation in connection with their advisory work.
• If an IAR personally has a commission earning OBA (e.g., insurance), that IAR cannot use “Fee-Only.”
• IARs of Core Planning are not related parties of other IARs of Core Planning.

Why other advisors’ OBAs don’t change this:

• “Fee-Only” is assessed at the person (and their related parties), not by activities of other IARs.
• Commission OBAs of other IARs are separate businesses: separately branded, contracted, and paid; they provide no economic benefit to a Fee-Only IAR or to Core.
• As long as no commissions reach Core and no benefit reaches the Fee-Only IAR (or their related parties), that IAR’s Fee-Only status stands, regardless of another advisor’s OBA.

Quick tests for IARs:

• If you (or related party) get any commissions/trails/rev-share → not Fee-Only.