Range vs. Creative Planning

Range vs. Creative Planning: which is right for you?

Range and Creative Planning both provide financial advice, but they use different service models. This comparison looks at their planning scope, fees, minimums, investment approach, technology, security disclosures, and investor fit.

Range vs. Creative Planning: Key services

Here is a look at the key services offered by both Range and Creative Planning.

Range:

• Investment planning and portfolio management: Portfolio analysis, risk profile assessment, investment recommendations, and portfolio management, with TAMPs used for some discretionary management arrangements.
• Tax planning: Tax return review, tax analysis, tax-loss harvesting, tax projections, and tax filing in higher membership tiers.
• Retirement planning: Retirement income analysis, personalized retirement strategies, Roth conversion planning, and long-term tax planning.
• Estate, education, and insurance planning: Estate document review, education savings planning, and insurance optimization, with estate document creation included in higher tiers.
• Equity compensation, real estate, and cash flow planning: Support for RSUs, NSOs, ISOs, equity events, residential real estate decisions, investment property analysis, budgeting, and cash flow projections.

Creative Planning:

• Portfolio management: Continuous account supervision, trading when needed, and discretionary management when authorized by the client.
• Investment strategy: Portfolios may include stocks, bonds, ETFs, mutual funds, private funds, direct indexing, enhanced direct indexing, and individual stock and bond strategies, where appropriate.
• Financial planning: Comprehensive financial planning and ongoing plan updates through a dedicated advisor and internal specialists.
• Tax and estate coordination: Strategic tax planning, estate planning, wealth transfer planning, and coordination of legal and tax considerations with other professionals.
• Retirement and risk planning: Retirement planning, insurance review, and risk management as part of the broader private wealth relationship.

Main services compared:

Range vs. Creative Planning: Fees

Range and Creative Planning use different pricing structures.

Range flat subscription pricing:

Subscription fees can range from $49 to $10,000 per year.

One-time planning services can range from $800 to $2,000.

Clients can still pay other costs, such as brokerage commissions, custodian charges, third-party investment adviser fees, and mutual fund or ETF expense ratios.

Creative Planning uses an asset-based portfolio management fee schedule:

Fees are negotiable.

Clients also pay separate expenses such as custodian transaction fees, fund expenses, annuity costs, private investment costs, and other investment-related expenses.

One-time financial plans generally range from $1,500 to $15,000, with certain complex cases ranging from $5,000 to $300,000.

Range vs. Creative Planning: Minimum account sizes

Range does not disclose a specific asset minimum. The service is designed for high-income earners.

Creative Planning generally requires $200,000 in assets under management. It may waive that minimum based on facts and circumstances. Clients with assets below $500,000 may be charged a minimum management fee, which will be communicated in the client agreement documents.

Range vs. Creative Planning: Pros and cons

Pros of Range:

• Fee clarity: Clients can review annual tier pricing before joining.
• Digital planning tools: The platform includes dashboard access, account aggregation, projections, budgeting tools, and goal tracking.
• Broad planning categories: Materials support investment, tax, retirement, estate, insurance, education, equity compensation, real estate, and cash flow planning.
• Team-based access: Members can work with planners and specialists rather than relying solely on a single advisor relationship.

Cons of Range:

• Advanced services are tier-based: Some services, such as tax projections, estate document creation, and complex tax support, depend on membership tier.
• Fixed fees can still be high: The tiers run from $2,950 to $9,950 per year, so the flat-fee model may still feel costly for users with smaller balances or simpler planning needs.
• Third-party layers: Discretionary management uses TAMPs, and clients may pay TAMP, fund, custodian, or transaction costs outside the membership fee.

Pros of Creative Planning:

• Simple, Transparent Fee Structure: Creative Planning uses a tiered AUM fee schedule, starting at 1.20% on the first $500,000 and declining to 0.25% for assets over $100 million.
• Planning-led model: Financial planning, portfolio strategy, tax considerations, estate planning, and risk management are coordinated through the wealth management relationship.
• Customization options: Clients can impose reasonable restrictions, and the firm can address special situations such as low-basis stock, stock options, legacy holdings, and tax issues.

Cons of Creative Planning:

• Asset-based cost: Fees rise with managed assets under the standard schedule.
• Minimum relationship threshold: Creative Planning generally requires $200,000 in assets under management, positioning the service primarily toward higher-asset or higher-income clients.
• Additional cost layers may apply: Clients may pay separate fund, custodian, sub-adviser, private investment, legal, or tax-related costs where applicable.

Range vs. Creative Planning: Technology and security

Range’s technology is centered on its dashboard. It lists advisor messaging through the Range dashboard, financial plans, goal tracking and prioritization, membership accounts for the user and partner, and consolidated finances in the dashboard.

Creative Planning discloses client login access to wealth management accounts and states that the Creative Planning app is available for mobile use.

On security, Range discloses two-factor authentication, AES-256 encryption, encryption at rest and TLS encryption in transit. Range Advisory is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Range’s ADV states that it does not maintain custody of client funds or securities.

Creative Planning states that client assets are held with qualified custodians, including Schwab and Fidelity. For custody beyond fee deductions, it engages an independent public accounting firm to conduct an annual surprise verification examination. The firm also uses information security practices, policies, rules, and technical measures to protect personal information.

Final verdict: Range vs. Creative Planning

Range and Creative Planning both provide financial advisory services, but they structure client relationships differently.

Range may be suitable for investors who want:

• A flat annual membership fee and no asset minimum
• Digital tools for account aggregation, projections, planning, and advisor communication
• Planning across taxes, equity compensation, retirement, real estate, estate planning, and cash flow

Creative Planning may be suitable for investors who want:

• Ongoing advisor-led portfolio management under a tiered asset-based fee schedule
• A dedicated advisor supported by internal planning specialists
• Private wealth management that coordinates investments, tax considerations, estate planning, retirement planning, and risk management

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