Virtual Financial Advisor in Utah | A Real Person, Not a Robo

Ryan Hammett, virtual financial advisor serving all of Utah from Layton

The Search You Just Ran

Two Very Different Things Answer to "Virtual Advisor"

Search for a virtual financial advisor in Utah and you get two kinds of results that look alike and could not be more different. One is software — a robo-advisor that builds you a portfolio from a questionnaire, trades it automatically, and never learns your name. The other is a person who happens to meet you over video instead of across a desk.

Kimberlite is the second kind. I'm Ryan Hammett, and before I ever advised anyone on money, I spent nearly twenty years in the jewelry business — starting behind a counter at Zales in the Park City Outlets. Two customers could walk out with the same ring. What they remembered was whether someone took the time to explain the difference between what they were looking at, whether anyone asked what the occasion actually was, and whether that same person was still standing there when they came back. The product almost never sets you apart. The service does.

A robo-advisor is the product without the person. And for some people, that's genuinely fine — I'll say more about that below, including the part where the robo is cheaper. But if what you wanted when you typed "virtual advisor" was advice from an actual human being, delivered wherever in Utah you happen to live, that is exactly what this firm was built to do.

The counter is a video call now. The standard behind it hasn't changed. Meetings happen over video, by phone, or in person around Layton. And because Kimberlite is a registered investment adviser with the Utah Division of Securities, everything on this page applies to one state: Utah.

No Office Required

How Working With a Virtual Advisor Actually Works

01

A 30-minute intro call — complimentary, no pitch

We talk about your situation and whether working together makes sense. If it doesn't, I'll say so on the call. Schedule it here — hours are Monday through Saturday, 9 to 6, by appointment.

02

Onboarding with zero paperwork

The advisory agreement and account opening are both e-signed online. Nothing arrives by mail, and you never have to visit an office. Your accounts are opened in your name at Altruist Financial LLC, a qualified custodian — Kimberlite never holds client money itself.

03

A written plan, not a questionnaire score

Every client gets a written Investment Policy Statement — what we're doing, why, and the rules we'll follow when markets get loud. It's the document we come back to, together, every quarter. See what the engagement covers.

04

You approve every trade

Management is non-discretionary: nothing moves in your account without your yes. This is the sharpest honest difference from a robo-advisor, which trades without asking — that's the whole point of one. Here, the point is the opposite.

05

Quarterly reviews — in writing, then face to face

Every quarter you get a written portfolio review, and then we walk through it live over video with screen sharing, so you're looking at the same page I am. Between reviews, your accounts are visible anytime through the Altruist app.

What you give up over video is a handshake. What you keep is everything else — and if you're along the Wasatch Front and want to meet in person around Layton, we do that instead.

The Part a Salesman Would Skip

Why Pay 1.50% When a Robo-Advisor Charges 0.25%?

Robo-advisors typically charge around 0.25 percent per year. Kimberlite's investment management starts at 1.50 percent per year on the first $500,000 and steps down in blended tiers to 0.85 percent — the full schedule is published, to the dollar, on the pricing page. On a $250,000 portfolio, that's roughly $625 a year for the robo versus $3,750 here. I'm not going to pretend that gap doesn't exist. I'd rather tell you what it buys.

The robo's fee buys real things: automatic rebalancing, tax-loss harvesting, and discipline at very low cost. Robos are genuinely good at what they do. What they do is narrow. My fee buys a person who knows your whole situation — the 401(k), the business, the house, the question you're embarrassed to ask — who explains every recommendation before acting, asks permission before every trade, and answers the phone when the market has a bad month. Judgment, context, and accountability, from someone with a fiduciary duty to you and a name you can look up.

And here is the concession, plainly: if your balance is smaller, your situation is simple, and you never want to talk to a human being about money, a robo-advisor is probably the right answer. Paying six times more for judgment you don't plan to use isn't wisdom; it's a subscription you'll resent. If you want advice without ongoing management, there are also hourly ($275/hr) and flat-fee planning options that don't involve an asset-based fee at all. The clients who belong here are the ones whose lives have stopped fitting on a questionnaire.

The Difference, Itemized

What an Algorithm Cannot Do

Hear the question behind the question

"Should I pay off the house?" is rarely about the house. A questionnaire scores your answers; a person asks why you're asking.

See what isn't in the account

The 401(k) at work, the rental, the aging parent, the crypto question (education-first here, exchange-traded products only — never private keys). An algorithm manages the balance it can see.

Ask before acting

Every move in your account happens only after you say yes. You are never surprised by your own portfolio.

Explain until it makes sense

Not a help article. A screen share, as many times as it takes, until you could explain the decision to someone else.

Pick up the phone in a bad market

When markets test your conviction, an algorithm sends a notification. A person talks it through with you before you do something you'd regret.

Be accountable by name

Not a support queue. One advisor, a fiduciary duty, and a public record you can check. Here's mine.

"Online" changes where we meet, not who holds your money. Client assets sit at Altruist Financial LLC, a qualified custodian, and nothing moves in your account without your approval. Kimberlite Financial Services is a registered investment adviser with the Utah Division of Securities, serving Utah residents only.

One State, All of It

An Online Financial Advisor for All of Utah — and Only Utah

The office is in Layton, and clients along the Wasatch Front or up in Park City are welcome to meet in person. But video is what makes this page true: a client in St. George or Moab gets exactly the same service — the same written plan, the same live quarterly reviews, the same trade-by-trade approval — as a client ten minutes from my desk.

The boundary is the state line, and I won't blur it. Kimberlite is registered in Utah and serves Utah. If you live anywhere in this state, distance is not a reason to settle for an algorithm.

Layton Ogden Salt Lake City Provo Park City Summit & Wasatch Counties St. George Cedar City Logan Moab Vernal Rural Utah — via video

Common Questions

Virtual Advisor FAQ

Is a virtual financial advisor as good as meeting in person?

For most of what an advisor actually does, yes. Quarterly reviews happen over video with screen sharing, so you're looking at the same written report I am while we walk through it together. And Kimberlite is virtual-first, not virtual-only — if you're near Layton and would rather sit across a table, we do that instead.

How is this different from a robo-advisor?

A robo-advisor is software: it builds a portfolio from a questionnaire and trades it automatically, without asking. Kimberlite is a person — management is non-discretionary, meaning you approve every trade before it happens, and your questions get answered by someone who knows your whole situation. Robos are genuinely good at low-cost automatic rebalancing and tax-loss harvesting; what they cannot do is exercise judgment or know you.

What does a virtual financial advisor cost?

Investment management starts at 1.50% per year on the first $500,000 and steps down in blended tiers to 0.85%, billed quarterly in arrears — never in advance. Hourly consulting is a uniform $275 per hour, and flat-fee financial planning is available separately. That is meaningfully more than a robo-advisor's typical 0.25%, and the full schedule is published on the pricing page.

Do I ever need to visit an office?

No. The advisory agreement and account opening are e-signed online — no paperwork by mail, no office visit. Meetings happen over video or phone, Monday through Saturday, 9 to 6, by appointment. In-person meetings around Layton are available if you want them, never required.

Is my money safe with an online advisor — and who holds it?

Your accounts are opened in your name at Altruist Financial LLC, a qualified custodian — Kimberlite never takes custody of your money, and you can see everything anytime through the Altruist app. Investing still carries market risk; what 'online' doesn't change is who holds the assets.

Do you only work with people near Layton?

No — anywhere in Utah. Clients along the Wasatch Front and in Park City can meet in person or by video; clients in St. George, Cedar City, Logan, Moab, Vernal, and rural Utah get identical service over video, down to the same live quarterly reviews.

Can you work with clients outside Utah?

No. Kimberlite is a registered investment adviser with the Utah Division of Securities and serves Utah residents only. If you live outside Utah, I'm not the right advisor for you — and I'd rather tell you that here than after a call.

Talk to a Person About It

Start with a complimentary 30-minute intro call — no obligation, no pressure. If a robo-advisor turns out to be the better fit for your situation, I'll tell you that on the call.

Schedule Your Intro Call

Virtual Financial Advisor in Utah — A Real Person, Not a Robo