Description of Services and Fees
Consolidated Planning Corporation is a registered investment adviser based in Atlanta, Georgia. We
are organized as a C corporation under the laws of the State of Georgia. We have been providing
investment advisory services since 1976. Michael L. Hines is our firm's principal owner.
The following paragraphs describe our services and fees. Refer to the description of each investment
advisory service listed below for information on how we tailor our advisory services to your individual
needs. As used in this brochure, the words "we," "our," and "us" refer to Consolidated Planning
Corporation and the words "you," "your," and "client" refer to you as either a client or prospective client
of our firm.
Financial Planning Services
Our financial planning process includes services such as cash flow management, education funding
strategies, retirement analysis, liability management, tax minimization, executive compensation/
benefits analysis, and estate planning. We offer both comprehensive and modular financial planning
services. Modular planning may concentrate on the details of a specific aspect of your financial
situation, such as college funding, a portfolio allocation, or retirement analysis. Note that these
services focus only on a certain area of your needs and your overall situation may not be fully
addressed due to limitations established.
During our first meeting, you will be provided with a current ADV Part 2A, ADV Part 2B brochure
supplement and our privacy policy statement. We will disclose any material conflicts of interest that
could reasonably impair the rendering of unbiased and objective advice. In this meeting, we will
discuss your financial needs and goals, and understand your vision for the future. In preparation for
this meeting, we may request you to bring copies of documents such as tax returns, pay stubs,
insurance policies, employer benefits, investment and retirement accounts, statements of assets and
liabilities, business agreements and estate documents.
After this meeting, we develop a letter of engagement that outlines the scope of services that we can
provide to address your needs. Additionally, it will also include the fees to complete your plan. We
generally charge a negotiable fixed fee of from $500 to $20,000 for financial planning services based
on your circumstances and the complexity of the services requested; however, there may be certain
circumstances where we offer financial plans for individuals requiring highly complex financial planning
with fees up to $100,000. Additionally, we are able to provide financial planning services based on our
hourly rate of $275. Generally, we require that you pay half the estimated fee upon execution of the
letter of engagement with the balance due on completion of the contracted services. In the event of
early termination, you will be billed for the hours worked at a rate of $275 per hour. If the initial deposit
is greater than the amount billed, then you will be refunded the difference. If the initial deposit is less,
then you will be billed the difference. However, in special circumstances, other fee-paying
arrangements may be negotiated. In either case, services to be provided, the applicable fee and fee-
paying arrangements are agreed upon in advance of services rendered and will be clearly set forth in
the executed financial planning agreement.
As needed, we will conduct follow-up meetings for reviewing and or collecting additional information.
Once such information has been studied and analyzed, a financial plan designed to achieve your
expressed financial goals and objectives is produced and presented to you.
You are under no obligation to act on our financial planning recommendations. Should you choose to
act on any of our recommendations, you are not obligated to implement the financial plan through any
of our other investment advisory services. Moreover, you may act on our recommendations by placing
securities transactions with any brokerage firm.
Upon delivery of the initial financial plan, we will offer an annual retainer service that may include
periodic meetings to review your progress towards stated goals. For retainer services, we generally
charge a quarterly fee determined on a case-by-case basis predicated on the scope and complexity of
the required services. Such fees are payable quarterly in arrears. The letter of engagement signed
between you and our firm will detail the scope of the services to be provided and the applicable fees.
Either party may terminate the letter of engagement within five (5) days of entering into the agreement
without penalty. After the five-day period, either party may terminate the agreement by providing
written or verbal notice to the other. If you request termination verbally, we will send you a letter of
confirmation evidencing the effective termination date of the planning process. Upon such termination,
we will refund any unearned fees to you.
Please note: Changes in tax laws or regulations may occur at any time and as financial advisors we do
not render advice on tax or legal matters. You should discuss any tax or legal matters with the
appropriate professional.
Portfolio Management Services
Persons associated with our firm are registered representatives of Raymond James Financial
Services, Inc. ("RJFS") a licensed full-service securities broker/dealer under federal and state
securities laws, located in St. Petersburg, Florida, and member of FINRA/SIPC. RJFS is affiliated with
Raymond James & Associates, Inc. ("RJA"), a member of FINRA/New York Stock Exchange/SIPC,
which offers custodial and administrative services to investment advisors.
Ambassador Program
We offer the Ambassador Program to clients. The Ambassador program is a wrap fee investment
advisory account offered and administered by RJA. We will manage your account on a discretionary
(provided certain qualifications are met) or non-discretionary basis according to your objective.
Ambassador offers you the ability to pay an asset-based advisory fee which includes transaction costs
within the advisory fee, in lieu of a commission for each investment transaction within the account. RJA
receives a portion of the fee. The client is provided with quarterly portfolio summaries and performance
analyses. This type of account can be utilized to buy, sell, or otherwise trade stocks, bonds, mutual
funds (at net asset value), exchange-traded funds (“ETFs”), options and preferred stocks. There are no
transaction charges in Ambassador accounts. (For further information, refer to the RJA Wrap Fee
Program Brochure). If you participate in our wrap fee program, you will pay our firm a single fee, which
includes our money management fees, certain transaction costs, and custodial and administrative
costs. We receive a portion of the wrap fee for our services. We are the manager, but not the sponsor
of the Ambassador Program. RJA is the sponsor of the Ambassador program and as such, in addition
to receiving our disclosure brochure, you will also receive RJA 's wrap fee brochure and other
disclosures. The overall cost you will incur if you participate in the Ambassador wrap fee program may
be higher or lower than you might incur by separately purchasing the types of securities available in
the program. We are also provided discretionary authority with respect to choosing which program the
client will be invested in.
You authorize and direct RJA as custodian to deduct asset-based fees from your account; you further
authorize
and direct the custodian to send a quarterly statement to you which shows all amounts
disbursed from your account, including fees paid to Consolidated Planning Corporation. You may also
incur charges for other services provided by RJA, not directly related to the execution, and clearing of
transactions including, but not limited to, IRA custodial fees, safekeeping fees, interest charges on
margin loans, and fees for legal or courtesy transfers of securities.
Your Ambassador agreement may be terminated by you or us at any time upon providing notice
pursuant to the provisions of the agreement. In the event of termination of your agreement, we will
refund to you the prorated portion of the fee for the quarter of termination. There is no penalty for
terminating your agreement.
A full description of the fees, transaction costs and services are provided in the Ambassador
agreement and RJA’s Wrap Fee Program Brochure.
Portfolio Management Fees
Portfolio management fees are individually tailored to each client and do not exceed 1.75% annually.
Factors considered in determining the fees charged generally include, but are not limited to, the
complexity of the client’s portfolio; assets to be placed under management; anticipated future assets;
related accounts; portfolio style; account composition; and/or other special circumstances or
requirements. The specific fee schedule will be identified outlined in the advisory agreement between
the client and the Adviser.
IRA Rollover Recommendations
For the purpose of complying with the DOL's Prohibited Transaction Exemption 2020-02 ("PTE 2020-
02"), when applicable, we are providing the following acknowledgment to clients. When we provide
investment advice to clients regarding their retirement plan account or individual retirement account,
we are a fiduciary within the meaning of Title I of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act and/or
the Internal Revenue Code, as applicable, which are laws governing retirement accounts. The way we
make money creates some conflicts with client interests. We operate under an exemption that requires
we act in the clients’ best interest and not put our or our employees’ interests ahead of the clients.
Under this exemption, we must:
• meet a professional standard of care when making investment recommendations (give prudent
advice),
• never put our or our employees’ financial interests ahead of the clients when making
recommendations (give loyal advice),
• avoid making misleading statements about conflicts of interest, fees, and investments,
• follow policies and procedures designed to ensure that we and our employees give advice that
is in the clients’ best interest,
• charge no more than is reasonable for services, and
• give the clients basic information about conflicts of interest.
We benefit financially from the rollover of the clients’ assets from a retirement account to an account
that we manage or provide investment advice, because the assets increase our assets under
management and, in turn, our advisory fees.
Selection of Other Advisers
We may recommend that you use the services of a third-party money manager ("TPMM") primarily
offered through RJFS to manage all, or a portion of, your investment portfolio. After gathering
information about your financial situation and objectives, we may recommend that you engage a
specific TPMM or investment program. Factors that we take into consideration when making our
recommendation(s) include, but are not limited to, the following: the TPMM's performance, methods of
analysis, fees, your financial needs, investment goals, risk tolerance, and investment objectives. We
will monitor the TPMM(s)' performance to ensure its management and investment style remains
aligned with your investment goals and objectives.
We do not charge you a separate fee for the selection of other advisers. We will share in the advisory
fee you pay directly to the TPMM. The advisory fee you pay to the TPMM is established and payable in
accordance with the brochure provided by each TPMM to whom you are referred. These fees may or
may not be negotiable. Our compensation may differ depending upon the individual agreement we
have with each TPMM. As such, a conflict of interest exists where our firm or persons associated with
our firm has an incentive to recommend one TPMM over another TPMM with whom we have more
favorable compensation arrangements or other advisory programs offered by TPMMs with whom we
have less or no compensation arrangements.
You are required to sign an agreement directly with the recommended TPMM(s). You may terminate
your advisory relationship with the TPMM according to the terms of your agreement with the TPMM.
You should review each TPMM's brochure for specific information on how you may terminate your
advisory relationship with the TPMM and how you may receive a refund, if applicable. You should
contact the TPMM directly for questions regarding your advisory agreement with the TPMM.
Sub-Advisory Services
When a sub-adviser is retained by the Adviser on behalf of a client, there will be additional fees
associated with said sub-adviser services. This will require a separate Agreement outlining the costs
and services of said sub-adviser. Each client will be provided with the sub-adviser’s ADV Part 2A and
advisory agreement to review the sub-adviser’s fees, calculations, and methodology.
If any brokerage fees, custodian charges, and/or transaction ticket charges associated with managing
the sub-advisor account are charged by the custodian, they will be passed directly to each client’s
account. Should this occur, the Adviser will not receive any portion of such commissions, transaction
charges or brokerage fees, from the custodian or from the sub-adviser.
Types of Investments
We primarily offer advice on mutual funds and ETFs. Refer to the
Methods of Analysis, Investment
Strategies and Risk of Loss below for additional disclosures on this topic.
Additionally, we may advise you on various types of investments based on your stated goals and
objectives. We may also provide advice on any type of investment held in your portfolio at the inception
of our advisory relationship.
You may request that we refrain from investing in particular securities or certain types of securities.
You must provide these restrictions to our firm in writing.
Assets Under Management
As of December 31, 2023, we provide continuous management services in client assets on:
Discretionary client assets............................................................$1,387,359,839
Non-discretionary client assets.......................................................$188,247,336
Assets under advisemen
t1...............................................................$396,160,422
Total .......................................................................................$1,971,767,597
1 Assets under advisement represent assets in which we have neither discretionary authority nor responsibility for arranging
or effecting the purchase or sale of recommendations provided to and accepted by the ultimate client. Inclusion of these
assets will make our total assets number different from assets under management disclosed in Item 5.F of our Form ADV Part
1A due to specific calculation instructions for Regulatory Assets Under Management.