MY P4P AIRCRAFT
Think of my firm as a Boeing 777—built for efficiency, precision, and a smooth ride to your financial destination. But unlike a standard 777 packed with hundreds of seats, my P4P 777 is designed with intention.
I’ve removed all the seats and carefully added back only 75, ensuring that every client gets the highest level of service, comfort, and value. In my aircraft, you’re not just another passenger—you’re a priority.
75
Business Class Seats
​​A premium experience with customized financial strategies, expert guidance, and a high level of attention—because you deserve more than a one-size-fits-all plan.
The Cost of
OUR PARTNERSHIP
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Our clients engage our services in two distinct ways, each designed to complement the unique challenges and opportunities of the aviation career.
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Financial Planning
Our tailored financial guidance helps address the critical questions that pilots ponder during long layovers:
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Position Assessment: Identifying the strengths and vulnerabilities in your current financial coordinates
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Lifestyle Calibration: Quantifying both your current and future lifestyle aspirations in concrete terms
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Long-Range Forecasting: Determining whether your resources will outlast your needs or if adjustments are needed to your planning
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Navigation Priorities: Discovering your "Next Best Action" across all six key areas of financial planning, with special attention to pilot-specific considerations
The Cost: Our first year begins with a one-time $2,400 initial planning fee followed by a base monthly retainer of $175. This retainer may be adjusted based on the complexity and scope of our work together—just as flight plans adapt to changing conditions.
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INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT
As a fee-based firm, we charge approximately 1.25% for portfolios we actively manage through Charles Schwab accounts held in your name. This structure ensures that our interests align, as much as possible, with yours.
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Our Value Proposition
Our partnership only makes sense when the value we deliver managing your investments exceeds what we receive. We hope our relationship provides a clear return on investment through:
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Reclaiming your time by adding our efforts to look after your hard-earned wealth with the direction of your investment policy statement (IPS)
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Reduced risk or volatility
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Strategic tax positioning
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Potential savings on the execution of your investment plan
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Enhanced investment outcomes from behavioral management tactics
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In measurable terms, these benefits must exceed our annual fee of 1.25% (0.104% monthly)—a job we apply for each year by reviewing and reporting on the strategies you decided to implement that we tailored together to meet your unique needs.
WHAT'S A FAIR PRICE FOR FINANCIAL GUIDANCE?
What Every Pilot Should Know:
When selecting a financial professional, the fee structure isn't just a number—it's a revealing signal about the relationship you're about to enter.
Contrary to what you might expect, the economics of financial advice don't follow standard demand curves. The most exclusive money managers—those requiring nine-figure minimums—often command fees of 2% annually plus 20% of profits. Why? Because some expertise carries genuine value.
The signal worth tuning into isn't necessarily the lowest price but rather the offer of generosity. A real advisor embraces the technical complexities and emotional labor of planning and charges fairly for their commitment to your financial journey.
Your responsibility? Evaluate whether the value received exceeds the investment made. Ask yourself: Is this guidance making a measurable difference in my life? And yes—it's entirely appropriate to discuss fee adjustments as your relationship matures and the initial heavy lifting gives way to ongoing stewardship.
At Planning for Pilots, we've discovered something remarkable: as relationships deepen, our clients shift their focus from fee comparisons to the irreplaceable value of trust and strategy. They recognize that paying slightly above average secures something far more valuable—an advisor who truly understands the unique financial story.
Remember: the cheapest navigation system isn't always the one you want guiding your most precious cargo.
MORE ABOUT HILTON
All About Me
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HILTON KELLY
CRPC, CLTC, APMA​​
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It was 1997, my dad decided to shudder his business and retire. It took more than two years to wind the company down; then, my dad moved back home to northern Maine to live. Within eight months of his move north, my dad's portfolio took a hit. He and my mom suffered losses in their portfolio of nearly 70%. Do you remember the "dot com" tech crash? It was more than a kick in the gut for my dad as it hurt his pride. Their portfolio never recovered, and the financial losses limited their lifestyle options for the remainder of their lives.
That's when I started to pursue a career in the world of finance. By the end of 2000, I had my credentials and was appointed with a national financial planning company. In 2003 I became an independent contractor, and in 2004 merged my practice with another advisor to start building a firm together.
In 2019 I left the firm I helped build with Andre and founded Capital Design Private Wealth. Working with my clients is the most rewarding part of the work we do as financial professionals, and I look forward to hearing your life's story if we share a course of our time together.
