Give every studio the same project brief.
An RIA website proposal is easier to compare when each provider is pricing the same pages, writing, article migration, publishing setup, review process, and support. Record the launch requirements first. Then ask each studio to identify what its fee includes, what your firm supplies, and what is priced separately.
Use the list below for a new firm or an established advisory business replacing its website. A published starting price helps you choose whom to approach. Your actual proposal should describe the work your firm will receive.
| Input | Write down |
|---|---|
| Firm and audience | The approved firm name, whom you serve, the services you offer, and whether you are launching or replacing a site. |
| Pages and content | The launch page list, advisor bios, service pages, article count, downloads, existing brand assets, and who writes each item. |
| Connected services | The booking, client portal, forms, analytics, and supported integrations that need to work at launch. |
| Review and timing | Your decision maker, designated reviewer, target date, available feedback windows, and dependencies outside the studio's control. |
| Budget and care | The initial investment range, ongoing support needs, expected publishing cadence, and account arrangements your firm requires. |
For a first site, the new RIA website plan covers the launch itself. For a replacement, use the advisor platform migration guide to inventory what needs to move.
Check the commitments in the proposal.
Name the deliverables.
Look for the actual pages, writing responsibilities, design scope, mobile treatment, and agreed revision process. If the firm needs a new identity or more than the existing brand assets, identify that work and its fee explicitly.
Count the content that moves.
List the existing articles, biographies, PDFs, images, publication dates, and URLs. Identify what you own or have permission to reuse. Agree which addresses remain and which require a relevant redirect.
See how your team will publish.
Ask for a demonstration using the content your firm actually publishes. Record the editable fields, access, draft handling, who authorizes publication, and what still requires a developer. The advisor publishing guide provides a practical test.
Assign review and launch approval.
Name who supplies the final facts and disclosures, who reviews each version, and who authorizes the domain connection. Ask how requested changes are recorded and how the reviewer sees the complete draft. A developer's implementation does not replace your firm's approval.
Separate first draft from live launch.
A draft date means a version is ready to review. A launch date also depends on approved content, account access, tests, and authorization. Ask what must be ready before the production clock starts and what happens when a dependency changes.
Put ownership and exit terms in writing.
Identify the project files supplied after full payment, account administrators, licensed content, recurring software, and handoff process. Confirm what another developer could maintain and which third-party services must remain active.
Define acceptance and post-launch support.
Agree who checks desktop and mobile pages, forms, notification delivery, booking and client-portal links, migrated content, and redirects. Separate routine changes from new work. Record the support contact, response target, deployment target, and cancellation terms.
Compare the build and recurring costs together.
Ask for the build fee, required monthly care, optional services, third-party charges, and treatment of additional work. A CMS included in the build and a maintained publishing service are different arrangements.
TMN's Essential Website starts at $2,250 for a focused website using an existing brand and usable content. Full Site Rebuild starts at $3,750. Custom Studio Build starts at $5,000. The full-site options include a client-owned CMS for agreed content when needed. New RIA engagements include separately billed managed hosting and care at $100/month from the agreed launch.
Illustrative first 12 months after launch: a $3,750 build plus 12 months of $100 RIA Site Care totals $4,950 before taxes, optional services, third-party charges, and additional scoped work. This is starting-price arithmetic, not a quote for every advisory firm.
The optional Managed Publishing Portal starts at $100/month. Its final scope and monthly price are confirmed before activation. It is separate from base care and from the included client-owned CMS. Compare the full advisor website cost guide and RIA Site Care terms before choosing.
Ask to see the review process in completed work.
For Parks Wealth Partners, every page was submitted for Osaic's advertising review and clearance was forwarded before TMN connected the domain. The value of the example is the observable sequence: a complete draft, firm review, clearance, then launch.
For an existing article library, the Hilpan Moxie case study documents 29 articles retained at their original addresses. Ask any prospective provider for relevant work and the part it actually delivered.
Make the next decision easy to act on.
Before booking, resolve open scope items and identify the next person who needs to approve the project. Supply the current website, page and article counts, available brand materials, and the date you want to work toward. Do not put passwords, transfer codes, client records, or confidential financial information into a public inquiry.
At TMN, Essential and Full first drafts typically target 72 hours after kickoff and materials. Custom Studio first reviews typically target 7 to 10 days. Suitable ready projects may qualify for an accelerated launch. Actual availability, scope, access, and review conditions are confirmed before booking.
Questions before choosing a provider.
Is a starting price a quote for our entire project?
No. A starting price describes the entry scope. Your proposal should name the actual pages, content, migration, integrations, review requirements, and selected ongoing services before you commit.
Does an RIA website need a monthly CMS subscription?
Not necessarily. TMN includes a client-owned CMS for agreed content when needed with Full Site Rebuild and Custom Studio Build, with no monthly CMS fee. Required third-party services and base RIA care are separate. The optional maintained publishing portal is a different monthly service.
Is RIA managed hosting and care part of the engagement?
Yes. New TMN RIA engagements include separately billed managed hosting and care at $100/month from the agreed launch. Care is month to month with no minimum term or cancellation fee. Existing client agreements remain unchanged.
Who approves the website before launch?
The firm and its designated reviewers approve the facts, disclosures, content, and final release. TMN prepares and implements the agreed website work. It does not provide legal or compliance approval.
Can we keep our existing brand and articles?
Often, yes. Identify the approved brand assets and content your firm owns or can reuse. The proposal should specify the migration inventory, retained addresses, redirects, and any rewriting or additional work.