Why does Selanis publish its fees when most firms don't?
Short answer: Published fees let you understand scope and cost before committing. One Private Wealth Management relationship, with Blueprint ($3,000) and Life ($8,000) as planning entry points. Blueprint is complimentary at $1M+ managed by Selanis; Life at $2M+. Ongoing management uses a tiered, blended schedule starting at 1.00% on the first $1M and declining to 0.30% above $10M. Fee-only: no commissions, no product payments, no lock-in.
Written and reviewed by Anthony Walsh, Selanis. Last reviewed 2026-10-07.
Why it works this way
Opacity in this market is not an accident. A large part of the advice industry serving Americans abroad is paid through commission inside products — offshore savings plans, insurance-linked investments, structured notes — where the cost is real, substantial and never invoiced.
A published fee lets you do the arithmetic before you speak to anyone. If a $3,000 engagement prevents a PFIC position, a badly sequenced move or a twenty-five-year commission product, the comparison is not close, and you can reach that conclusion on your own.
The same argument applies to the process, which is why all seventeen steps are published too. Price and process together are enough to decide whether to book a call. That is the intended effect.
A tiered schedule matters more than it sounds. A flat percentage doubles your cost when the portfolio doubles, though the work barely changes. Declining bands share that scale with the client.
The expensive mistake: Comparing a visible fee to an invisible one
A published $3,000 fee looks expensive beside an adviser whose advice is described as free. It is not free — it is paid from the product, usually more, usually for longer, and usually with a penalty for leaving.
What to do
- Read the full fee page before booking anything — Every number is at /our-fees, including the five management bands.
- Ask any adviser what they earn if you say no — The answer separates client-paid advice from product-paid advice faster than any brochure.
- Ask for twenty-year cost in cash, not percentages — Including fund and platform charges. Then compare two numbers.
| Engagement | Fee |
|---|---|
| Complimentary Fit Conversation | Free |
| Blueprint | $3,000 fixed; Complimentary with $1M+ managed by Selanis |
| Life | $8,000 fixed; Complimentary with $2M+ managed by Selanis |
| Ongoing management | 1.00% first $1m, 0.75% $1–3m, 0.60% $3–5m, 0.45% $5–10m, 0.30% above $10m |