Investment Management

Fee-Only Investment Management

Goals first, plan second, investments third. As fee-only fiduciary financial planners, every recommendation reflects your goals, your tax situation, and your timeline. No commissions. No conflicts of interest. Just financial advice aligned with your best interest.

The Circle of Wisdom: Knowledge leads to Action, Action leads to Knowledge. By Carl Richards, Behavior Gap.
CFP + CFA Designated Planning + Investment Expertise*
100% Fee-Only Fiduciary*
25+ Years Investment Management*

Fee-Only Fiduciary

No commissions. No financial products to sell. No conflicts of interest. Your interests only.

CFA & CFP Credentials

Held to the highest standards in investment analysis and certified financial planner practice.

Transparent Fee Structure

One advisory fee based on assets under management. No hidden charges. No transaction costs.

Why Fee-Only Matters

Fee-only financial advisors earn compensation solely from the fees their clients pay. There are no commissions on mutual funds, annuities, life insurance, or other investment products. No revenue sharing from brokerage platforms. No incentive to recommend one financial product over another. This structure eliminates the conflicts of interest that are built into the fee-based advisor and commission-based brokerage models.

Fee-based advisors, by contrast, may charge an advisory fee and also earn commissions from selling financial products. That dual compensation creates conflicts of interest that are difficult for clients to detect. A fee-based advisor recommending an annuity may be acting in your interest, or may be collecting a commission. You cannot always tell the difference.

FamilyVest operates as a fee-only fiduciary under Farther Finance Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. The fiduciary standard requires us to act in our client's best interest at all times. This is a legal obligation, not a marketing claim. We hold no proprietary investment products, earn no referral fees, and accept no commissions of any kind. Every piece of financial advice we deliver is free from the compensation conflicts that compromise the brokerage and fee-based models.

Our fee structure is straightforward: a single percentage-of-assets advisory fee based on your assets under management. No flat fee minimums, no hourly rate billing, no retainer surprises. Unlike layered AUM fees at some firms, one fee covers investment management, financial planning, retirement planning, and ongoing coordination. You always know what you pay and why.

Portfolio Construction

One account. Multiple strategies. Coordinated tax management.

The Farther Unified Managed Account holds all strategies in a single structure with coordinated management across every position. This is investment management designed for your complete financial plan, not a collection of disconnected accounts.

Core Portfolios

Globally diversified model portfolios across equity, fixed income, and multi-asset allocations. ETF-based core holdings averaging 0.06% expense ratio, with individually held bond SMAs for income customization. Macro-informed tactical tilts and threshold-based daily rebalancing keep your portfolio aligned without the drag of high-cost mutual funds or packaged investment products.

Direct Indexing

Separately managed accounts owning individual stocks. Security-level tax-loss harvesting, factor-based construction using DFA methodology, and custom screens without sacrificing diversification. Direct indexing generates after-tax alpha through 30x more harvesting opportunities via daily monitoring, a capability unavailable in standard mutual funds or ETFs.

Alternative Investments

Access to private equity, private credit, and real assets through vetted managers. Minimums from $10,000 across 100+ funds, with quarterly liquidity options. Alternatives are integrated directly within the UMA alongside your core portfolio, not siloed in separate accounts.

Tax Management & Coordinated Planning

Tax drag is one of the most controllable costs in investing. We manage it in coordination with your full financial picture: asset location across account types, tax-loss harvesting at the security level, tax-free income optimization, and tax-efficient portfolio transitions. Investment decisions connect back to your retirement planning, estate coordination, business exit strategy, Social Security timing, and insurance review. Every client starts with a financial plan that builds the Investment Policy Statement, the document that governs how your portfolio is managed.

Institutional Platform

Farther: the scale behind your portfolio

Your wealth management relationship stays at FamilyVest. Portfolio execution, trading, and reporting run through Farther, one of the fastest-growing registered investment advisor platforms in the country.

$15B+

Assets under management1

100+

Wealth managers nationwide2

5,000+

Client households served2

#1

Financial services, 2025 Inc. 50003

CapitalG-Backed Infrastructure

$118M in venture capital raised, including a $72M Series C led by CapitalG (Alphabet's growth fund) at a $542M valuation. That investment funds the technology, trading systems, and compliance infrastructure your portfolio runs on.

National Reach, Local Relationship

Advisors across 15+ states on a single platform. Your FamilyVest relationship with your financial planner is personal and local. The execution, research, and operational support behind it is institutional-scale.

Common Questions

Yes. FamilyVest operates through Farther Finance Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. We are legally held to the fiduciary standard, meaning we must act in your best interest at all times. We are fee-only, meaning we earn no commissions, no referral fees, and hold no proprietary financial products.

We charge a single advisory fee based on a percentage of assets under management. There are no hidden charges, no transaction costs, and no performance fees. Unlike firms that use a flat fee, hourly rate, or retainer model, our AUM fee structure aligns our compensation directly with your portfolio's growth. Your fee covers investment management, financial planning, and ongoing coordination across your financial life.

Fee-only financial planners are compensated exclusively by the fees their clients pay. Fee-based advisors may charge a fee and also earn commissions from selling investment products like annuities, life insurance, or mutual funds. Those commissions create conflicts of interest. At FamilyVest, we are fee-only. We do not sell financial products and we do not accept commissions from any source.

We work with clients who have investable assets generally starting at $500,000, though we evaluate each relationship individually. The strategies available within the Unified Managed Account, including alternatives, have their own minimums starting as low as $10,000.

Todd Sensing holds the CFA charter, CFP (Certified Financial Planner) certification, CEPA (Certified Exit Planning Advisor) designation, and ChSNC (Chartered Special Needs Consultant) credential. The CFA charter requires passing three rigorous exams covering investment analysis, portfolio management, and ethics. The CFP certification is the standard for comprehensive financial planning practice.

It starts with a conversation. We discuss your goals, current situation, and what you need from a financial advisor. If there is a fit, we build your Investment Policy Statement, transition your portfolio with tax efficiency in mind, and begin coordinated management. Schedule an introductory call.

Most financial professionals select investments and call it planning. We build the financial plan first, then construct the portfolio to serve it. The Unified Managed Account coordinates multiple strategies with daily tax management, and every investment decision connects to your tax situation, retirement planning timeline, estate plan, and overall goals. This is wealth management built around a plan, not a product pitch.

Yes. We work directly with your existing advisors. Tax planning, estate structure, and business strategy all affect how your portfolio should be managed. We coordinate with your CPA, estate attorney, and any other financial professional involved in your situation so nothing falls through the gaps.

Related Insights

Learn More From Our Blog

What Does it Take to be a Wise Investor?

Discipline, diversification, and the discipline to avoid emotional decision-making.

How Behavioral Finance Impacts Your Goals

Understanding behavioral biases and how they affect investment decisions and long-term wealth.

How to Avoid Self-Sabotaging Your Investments

Recognizing fear and greed-driven decisions and staying committed to your plan.

How to Protect Your Nest Egg From Inflation

Constructing portfolios that grow faster than inflation and preserve purchasing power.

Related Planning Areas

Planning works best when it connects.

Retirement Planning

Income strategy, Social Security, and withdrawal sequencing.

Tax Planning

Tax-loss harvesting, asset location, and Roth conversions.

Ready to build a more coordinated portfolio?

Start with a conversation about your goals, your current setup, and where the gaps are.

FamilyVest operates under Farther Finance Advisors, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (RIA). This page is for informational purposes only and should not be construed as investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell any security. Investing involves risk, including potential loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Alternative investments involve additional risks including illiquidity and concentration risk. Advisory services offered through Farther Finance Advisors, LLC.

1 $15B+ assets under management. Source: Farther Finance Advisors, LLC proprietary data, as of October 2025. AUM figure is subject to change and may include assets in transition. Regulatory assets under management as reported on SEC Form ADV may differ. See farther.com for current figures.
2 100+ wealth managers and 5,000+ client households. Source: Farther Finance Advisors, LLC, as reported on farther.com and in company press releases, as of 2025.
3 Farther ranked #8 overall and #1 among financial services firms on the 2025 Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America, published August 2025. Ranking is based on three-year revenue growth from 2021 to 2024 and reflects historical performance during that period. It does not indicate current growth rate or future results. Inc. Magazine is not affiliated with Farther or FamilyVest. See inc.com/inc5000.