Ryan Firth
- PFS
- CCFC
Mercer Street Personal Financial Services
Bellaire, TX
Contact Ryan
Ryan can help you with
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Investment Analysis
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Retirement Planning
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Employee Benefits
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Tax Optimization
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Insurance Planning
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College Planning
Ryan specializes in
- Business Owner/Entrepreneur
- Medical Professional
- Have Children or Dependents
Expertise
- Investment Analysis and Planning
- Portfolio Management
- Retirement Planning
- Benefits and Compensation Planning for Employees
- Equity Stock and Options Planning for Employees
- Tax Optimization
- Insurance and Risk Management
- Estate and Legacy Planning
- Charitable Giving
- Cash Flow Analysis
- Debt Management
- Saving and Investing for College
- Financial Behavior and Wellness Education
- Life Event Planning
- Divorce Planning
- Real Estate Planning
- Digital Assets and Currencies
- International or Cross Border or Expat Planning
- Business Finance Planning
Pricing
To prepare a personalized financial plan, as described in the section above, typically costs around $4,500 for a single person and $5,500 for a couple. Our hourly rate starts at $450 for comprehensive planning services and goes up to $900 for project planning services.
We estimate the cost of planning services based on the amount of time we anticipate meeting with you and putting together deliverables (if applicable). Complex planning needs usually require more time than basic planning needs. For example, if you are married or have a partner, own a business and/or rental properties, or utilize trusts, then your financial situation is likely a lot more complex than someone who is single and has a steady salary. Therefore, the former can expect to pay more for financial planning services than the latter.
We believe that charging for our services using a time-based method (i.e., "hourly") is the fairest and most transparent way to price our services. Many professional services are priced based on the amount of time spent working on behalf of a client (e.g., lawyers and accountants). When compared to commission or asset-based fee structures (these types of fee structures are called "fee-based" in industry parlance), time-based pricing can be significantly lower in cost than fee-based. For example, if you were to work with a traditional wealth management firm, they will usually have a minimum investment amount and typically charge 1% per year of the value of the assets they are managing for you. So, if you have a $1 million dollar investment portfolio that is professionally managed by a wealth management firm, the firm will charge you a fee of $10,000 per year--assuming your account value stays level, over a ten-year period you'll have paid $100,000! 1% may not seem like a lot, but it can be a significant drag on your investment returns over time. We do not charge asset-based fees, nor do we require account minimums.
About
Hi, I'm Ryan. I started Mercer Street Company because I believe there's an under-served market out there looking for sound, objective advice from a qualified professional who isn't looking to sell a financial product or will only work with folks based on how much money they have to invest. That was my experience when I was looking for a financial advisor to help me with my personal finances. Now, I've spent nearly two decades working as a financial consultant to businesses in various industries - a majority of that time has been in financial services. I now draw upon those professional and personal experiences to help clients address their unique financial concerns.
I am passionate about blockchain technology such as cryptocurrencies. I have been closely following this space since 2015, and in that short time, I have accumulated a wealth of knowledge that I enjoy sharing with clients and the general public.
Designations and Associations:
- American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) Personal Financial Specialist (PFS)
- Certified College Financial Consultant (CCFC)
- Member in good standing of the Global Financial Planning Institute
- Member in good standing of the AICPA's Personal Financial Planning (PFP) Section
- Texas Society of CPAs (a.k.a., TXCPA)
- Active member and volunteer with TXCPA Houston's CPAs Helping Schools Committee and PFP Committee.
- Received the Houston CPA Society's Rookie of the Year award in 2018 for contributions to the Society.
- Associate Director at the Houston Blockchain Alliance
- Certificate of AICPA's Blockchain Fundamentals for Accounting and Finance Professionals
- Member of Fee-Only Network, Garrett Planning Network and the Financial Planning Association.
- Volunteer with the Foundation for Financial Planning to provide pro bono financial planning services to individuals and families battling cancer.
Education:
- B.S. in Business Administration with an area of emphasis in Finance and M.S. in Accounting, University of Colorado - Boulder