How We Work

Project-Based Financial Planning

Get expert analysis and clear recommendations for a specific financial decision or question—one-time fee, no ongoing commitment.

Ongoing Comprehensive Planning

Partner with us year-round through quarterly meetings and planning software access to keep your financial plan on track as life changes.

Specialized Estate Planning Services

Protect your family and assets with a complete, attorney-reviewed estate plan customized to your state’s laws.

At Black Hills Financial Planning, we believe financial planning should be about education, clarity, and building a strategy that works for your life—not about pushing products.

We offer three distinct services, tailored to your specific needs and stage in your financial journey.

Option 1: Project-Based Financial Planning

  • Best for: People facing a specific financial decision or wanting to evaluate their options before taking action.

    What You Get:

    • Comprehensive analysis of your specific situation
    • Multiple scenario modeling using professional planning software
    • Written recommendations with clear action steps
    • Typically 1-2 meetings to review findings and answer questions

    Investment: Varies

    Common Projects:

    • “Should I buy an annuity, and if so, which type?”
    • “When can I realistically retire?”
    • “How do I structure my business owner retirement plan?”
    • “What’s the best strategy for my pension decision?”
    • “How should I handle this inheritance?”
    • “Does my current financial plan actually work?”

    If you choose to implement recommended products through us, we can credit a portion of your planning fee toward ongoing services.

Option 2: Ongoing Comprehensive Planning

  • Best for: People who want a financial partner to help them navigate life’s changes and keep their plan on track year after year.

    What You Get:

    • Full access to RightCapital planning software with real-time updates
    • Quarterly meetings (in-person or virtual) to review progress and adjust strategies
    • Continuous planning across all areas: retirement projections, tax optimization, insurance analysis, estate planning coordination, and more
    • Email and phone access between meetings for questions
    • Proactive recommendations as tax laws, markets, or your life circumstances change

    Investment: $400-$500/quarter ($1,600-$2,000/year)

    Special rates available for existing clients who’ve worked with us on product implementation.

    Benefits of Working with a Planner Using RightCapital

    • Visual Clarity: Understand your finances with clear, interactive visuals and dashboards.

    • Interactive Planning: Instantly model retirement ages, Roth conversions, or income changes and see the results.

    • Tax Optimization: Strategically plan withdrawals and conversions to reduce lifetime taxes.

    • Holistic Integration: Combine budgeting, investments, insurance, and estate planning into one view.

    • Transparent Access: Secure client portal and mobile app for viewing progress, tasks, and documents anytime.

    • Real-Time Collaboration: Plans can be updated live during meetings for immediate insight.

    • Accurate Data: Automatic aggregation ensures your plan reflects current accounts and transactions.

    • Personalized Strategy: Advice aligned with your unique goals, values, and lifestyle priorities.

    • Time & Cost Efficiency: Streamlined technology means more focus on you, not paperwork.

    • Peace of Mind: A living plan that adapts to life’s transitions, ensuring long-term stability and confidence.

    What Ongoing Planning Covers:

    • Annual financial plan reviews and updates
    • Retirement income distribution strategies
    • Social Security optimization analysis
    • Tax planning and coordination with your CPA
    • Insurance needs assessment and periodic reviews
    • Estate planning coordination (annual reviews to identify when updates are needed)
    • Major life transition guidance (career changes, business sales, inheritance, etc.)
    • Beneficiary designation reviews and updates

    Note: Estate plan creation or major revisions through our FWP network (~$2,500) are available as an additional service when needed.

Option 3: Estate Planning Services

  • Best for: People who need to create or update their estate plan to protect their family and assets.

    What You Get:

    • Comprehensive estate plan customized to your state’s laws
    • Attorney-reviewed legal documents including:
      • Revocable living trust
      • Pour-over will
      • Financial power of attorney
      • Healthcare power of attorney
      • Living will/advance directives
    • Educational consultation to help you understand how your plan works
    • Personal delivery and review session (in-person or virtual)
    • Guidance on funding your trust and updating beneficiaries

    Investment: Approximately $2,500

    Through our partnership with Foundational Wealth Partners, we provide access to white-glove estate planning services with licensed document preparers. Every plan is attorney-reviewed and state-specific to ensure your documents are legally sound and accomplish your goals.

    Common Estate Planning Needs:

    • Avoiding probate for your family
    • Protecting assets for minor children
    • Planning for incapacity (who makes decisions if you can’t?)
    • Reducing estate taxes and administrative costs
    • Ensuring business succession planning
    • Protecting beneficiaries from creditors or poor decisions
    • Coordinating beneficiary designations across all accounts

    Estate planning can be purchased as a standalone service or combined with our financial planning offerings.

Our Process

 

Step 1: Discovery Consultation (Free)

We start with a 30-45 minute conversation to understand your situation, answer your questions about how we work, and determine which service option makes sense for you. No pressure, no obligation—just a conversation.

Step 2: Engagement

Once you decide to work with us, we’ll gather the necessary information and schedule your first planning meeting.

  • Project-based work: Typically completed within 2-3 weeks
  • Estate planning: Plan delivery within 10-12 weeks after information gathering
  • Ongoing planning: Comprehensive plan built in the first month, then quarterly meeting rhythm established

Step 3: Implementation & Support

We provide clear recommendations and help you implement them. If products like insurance or annuities make sense for your situation, we can facilitate those. If you need specialized expertise beyond estate planning (tax preparation, investment management, business valuation), we’ll coordinate with your existing professionals or connect you with trusted partners in our network.

Why We Work Differently


No Traditional Office
We meet clients in private conference spaces throughout the Black Hills region. This keeps our overhead low and allows us to focus resources on delivering value and personalized service to our clients.

Education-First Philosophy
We’re not here to sell you something. We’re here to help you understand your options and make informed decisions. You’ll never feel pressured.

Access to National Expertise
Through our affiliation with Foundational Wealth Partners, we have access to a national network of specialists—estate planning professionals, CPAs, and product experts—when your situation requires it.

Planning Software Included
Our ongoing planning clients get full access to RightCapital, one of the industry’s leading planning platforms. You can log in anytime to see your retirement projections, run “what-if” scenarios, and track your progress.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Do I have to buy products to work with you?

No. Our planning fees and estate planning services are separate from any product implementation. Some clients use us purely for planning and implement strategies elsewhere—that’s completely fine.

Can I combine services?

Absolutely. Many clients start with project-based financial planning, add estate planning to protect their family, and then transition to ongoing planning as their situations become more complex. We’re flexible.

What if I already have a financial advisor?

We’re happy to provide a second opinion, project-based analysis, or estate planning services. Many clients use us for specific expertise (like business owner planning, annuity evaluation, or estate planning) while maintaining their existing advisor relationships.

What if I already have an estate plan?

We can review your existing estate plan (usually during project-based planning or as part of ongoing planning) and help you determine if updates are needed. Many older estate plans lack modern provisions or haven’t been updated for current tax laws or life changes.

Do I need to update my estate plan over time?

Yes. Life changes—marriages, divorces, births, deaths, moves to new states, major asset changes—often require updates. Ongoing planning clients receive annual estate plan reviews to identify when updates are needed. If you purchase estate planning as a standalone service, we recommend reviewing it every 3-5 years or after major life changes.

How do you get paid?

We’re transparent about compensation:

  • Planning fees: You pay us directly for financial planning services (project-based or ongoing)
  • Estate planning: A portion of the estate planning fee compensates us for education and coordination; the remainder covers document preparation and legal review
  • Insurance/annuity products: If you choose to implement these solutions through us, we earn commissions from the insurance carriers

We’ll always disclose our compensation and never let it influence what’s truly in your best interest.

Are you ready to take the next step?

Book Now