Membership Terms and Policies

Our Standard Planning Cycle and Membership Policies & Terms

Our mission is to make on-going, long-term financial planning accessible for people of all ages and incomes. To do this, we scale our fees based on income. In the case of our subsidized rates, this represents a significant net loss to our organization if Members only stay on for a short time (we have dedicated one-time rates available for those with short-term intentions). We are willing to take this financial risk because it is part and parcel of what we do and who we are as an organization – we believe strongly in the benefits of affordable, long-term financial planning for sustained impact and behavioral change.

We charge monthly to make it affordable and predictable for our Members. This is a deliberate decision that actually costs Community Ladders more money in transaction fees, but we feel it is far better for our Members in terms of cash flow management.

• Members are bound by no contract, and can leave at any time.
• Members who stay less than 6 months will be asked to pay the remaining balance on our one-time fee rate (for example, if your one-time rate based on income would have been $150 and you have only paid $100 at the time of departure, we will ask you to pay the remaining $50). One-time rates are generally equivalent to the first 6 months of planning. This protects the organization from people using long-term membership rates to circumvent our one-time rates.
  • Members who stay less than 6 months and do not pay their remaining balance will be ineligible for any services from Community Ladders or its future affiliates.  They cannot join as Members or use our one-time services.
• Members who stay less than 2 years and pay subsidized rates:
  • Subsidized rates are currently anything below $40/individual and $60/couple.
  • A memberbutilizing subsidized rates will be allowed to leave Community Ladders and return once as a long-term member. However, the second time s/he will not be eligible for subsidized rates and will have to pay the then-standard rate. If s/he leaves a second time before the 2 year mark, s/he will never again be eligible for long-term Membership.
• Members who leave after two years or more – Two years completes our long-term planning cycle, and a member may leave Community Ladders and return later without penalty or prejudice.
  • As we expand into our role as a consumer protection organization over the coming years (in particular negotiating for better and safer financial products), we expect to offer a low-cost, non-planning membership category that would allow Members to stay a part of the Community but not utilize planning services.

Appointment Cancellations

• Scheduled appointments missed or not canceled at least 24 hours in advance will incur a ‘missed appointment fee:’
  • $35 for weekends and weeknights (appointments from 5:00 onward)
  • $25 for weekdays

Outstanding Payments

• Failure to pay outstanding fees for services provided for more than 60 days will result in the individual or couple being prohibited from using any Community Ladders services in the future. Community Ladders will allow several opportunities for the individual to pay their outstanding bill, and may offer a payment plan or extended repayment schedule as the situation warrants.