Reviews - Flat Fee Financial Advisor Conference

Mike Hart

Daniel Bishop

Carrie Catlin

Bryce Andersen

Andy Panko

Al Faber

More Reviews

My biggest takeaway from the meetup was meeting and interacting with other likeminded planners. It’s great to see such a variety of planners focusing on different segments and trying to do so in a transparent manner. The event has certainly given me a push further into moving toward flat-fee. Also, discussing that even though everyone’s working towards transparency, there’s just as many ways to do that and specialties. Certainly there were a number of us working with retirees but many weren’t. Transparency isn’t just for one group of consumers or just one type of advisor.

Dwight Dettloff, flat fee advisor

Immersion 2025 provided very high value to me with actionable guidance from relatable presenters you don’t often find at conferences.

Nick Ford, flat fee advisor

Immersion is a coming together of advisors who truly want to improve the industry, not just increase their own earnings. At this event, I felt truly immersed in a community of advisors who value their clients and their fiduciary duty and who strive to provide superior service.

This was my second time attending Immersion, and both events have provided me with numerous new ideas to test, research, and potentially implement. Most industry events feel adversarial, with firms and advisors vying to prove their superiority. Immersion is a respectful and collaborative meeting of advisors seeking to improve the industry.

Maura Madden, advice only planner

Immersion 2025 was definitely worth the $300.00 ticket price. I learned about the different pricing strategies between practices and how each differentiates themselves in a crowded marketplace.

Jack Heil, hourly advisor

If Immersion had been around when I started my practice 20 years ago, we would have grown faster with all the marketing ideas that came out of Immersion and would have had a more accurate read on pricing our services competitively. That plus sharing thoughts with like-minded advisers makes Immersion an invaluable tool for the hourly, flat-fee and advice only adviser.

Stephen Wintermeir, flat fee advisor

Immersion was a great source for knowledge and inspiration from a community of peers who genuinely care about supporting each other in advancing the cause for integrity and professionalism in financial services. It was 100% worth the time and cost of the trip, and I look forward to coming back next year!

Steven Fox, advice only

Immersion 2025 was a wonderful experience, especially not having any vendors present. To be able to connect with other like-minded advisors from all over the country who believe in transparency and charging a fee for their financial services is refreshing. I believe in Sara’s mission of collaborating to allow our way of serving clients to be more visible to the consumer. I am excited for the future of this movement.

Tracy St. John, hourly planner

Testimonial: I was skeptical of Immersion at first. But as a flat fee financial planner I don’t know many other flat fee advisors. I was delighted to plug into this welcoming community, make new friends, and pick up tips and ideas I hadn’t heard elsewhere. I’ll be back!

Matthew Argyle, flat fee advisor

Immersion ’25 was well worth it – valuable insight from successful like-minded advisors.

Carrie Catlin, flat fee advisor

Immersion2025 was the best Fin Planning conference I’ve ever been to. It exceeded all expectations and I will absolutely be coming back for 2026 and beyond.

Mike Pyle, advice only planner

Immersion over delivered: on point presentations by successful peers specifically applicable to my fee model, by attendee interaction was high value, affirming and educational.

Sharon Weaver, advice only planner

Immersion is tremendously valuable for any advisors who offer, or want to offer, services on an advice-only, complexity-based, hourly or flat fee basis. The presentations, discussions and networking amongst advisors on the leading edge of positive changes in the industry is well worth the cost of attending!

Andy Panko, flat fee advisor

Immersion 2025 was a breath of integrity without posturing, camaraderie without competition, and sharing of ideas without selling. Ahhh! And no exhibitors! Imagine that! $300! Best deal ever! 1925 pricing for 2025 connections!

Myra Salzer, flat fee advisor

The experience was worth at least 1,000 times the cost. People shared their techniques for ramping up valuable flat-fee practices. Plus I got to network with terrific people.

John Belluardo

Immersion 2025 was such a valuable use of my time. A conference of individuals all focused on helping one another become better advisors. No business question is off-limits, and the collaborative dialog is worth the price of admission!

Jamie Menges, President of PDS Planning,
a flat fee advisor firm with almost $2BB in AUM

I learned so much and really enjoyed being around so many like-minded and generous people who were so giving of their time and ideas. What a movement. I know it’s a huge mountain to climb but I hope and believe that one day the transparency movement will become the standard and not the exception in the industry.

Michael Hart, advice only planner

Immersion was well worth the price paid, and helped provide clarity/confidence in the work I do, and build additional confidence as a newer planner to the industry”

Jacob Stalder, advice only planner

Dwight Dettloff, flat fee advisor

Immersion2024 Reviews

“Immersion was my favorite industry event I’ve been to. The main difference was that nobody tried to sell me anything and nobody was there to brag about how wonderful they are. In an industry where posturing is rampant and connections insincere it was refreshing to meet a group of people who just want to learn, help others, and improve the industry for everyone.”

Hourly planner

“Immersion was a refreshing gathering of like-minded advisors sharing best practices and their vision for the future of transparent financial advice. Wow – what a wonderful opportunity to interact in person with other advisors who run their businesses with a philosophy similar to mine. This was the first and largest in-person gathering of flat fee advisors! I look forward to more! It’s inspiring to learn from others who grapple with some of the same issues (e.g. pricing, technology, compliance) as they build their transparent advice businesses.”

Flat fee advisor

“Highly qualified community with a shared vision for fairness, honesty, and transparency for clients.
Helpful business content relevant to advisors who eschew AUM fees in favor of emerging fee based and flat fee structures.”

Flat fee advisor

“Attending Immersion 2024 was absolutely worth the investment of my time and money for the opportunity to collaborate with and learn from likeminded advisors who are also interested in advancing advisor transparency. This event was less polished and produced than the typical advisor conferences I’ve been to in the past- that was by design, and not at all a negative. I plan to attend in 2025!”

Advice only planner

“If you’re a Flat Fee or Advice Only advisor, you should absolutely attend the next Immersion. You’ll leave uplifted and challenged in ways that can only come from true peers.”

Flat fee advisor

“I enjoyed the Immersion experience and would call the first one a big success! It was great connecting with like-minded advisors at Immersion 2024. I left the event excited and ready to implement a couple of new ideas in my business.”

Flat fee advisor

“In 13 years as a financial advisor this was the first conference I decided to attend. When I have been around large groups of advisors before, it often seemed everybody wanted to hear themselves talk and not engage too much with the other professionals around them. This was much different. Most attendees seemed very humble, and eager to discuss best practices with their peers.”

Flat fee advisor

“The inaugural Transparent Advisors meeting was a fantastic start with many stimulating ideas not from the speakers but from the interactions with the other members of the group. The meeting exceeded my expectations!”

Flat fee advisor

“The best part was just being around quality advisors/people.”

401k consultant and fee-only advisor

“We were so thrilled to be part of a group of other transparent advisors. It truly was the first time I didn’t feel I needed to explain what we do/how we get paid to an audience of puzzled faces who respond ‘no AUM or commissions? How do you make money?’ Rather, it was a gathering of a group of extremely bright, well-informed, caring people who only want to help clients succeed at a fair price while educating them as to the costs within their financial lives.”

Flat fee advisor

Transparent Friday:

“Learning from other successful hourly and flat-fee advisors was incredibly valuable, especially hearing how they position their services and guide clients through their planning process. It was encouraging to connect with professionals who share a commitment to making financial advice more transparent, accessible, and genuinely centered on the client’s best interests.”