Direct answer
These options solve different problems.
Treating them as interchangeable is how a firm ends up with an unused course, another software subscription, or a project with no clear owner.
| Model | Best when | What you buy | Main tradeoff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consultant | You need a defined assessment, plan, build, integration, or change project. | Scoped expertise and a deliverable or implementation. | Usually requires a defined scope and a larger one-time commitment; ongoing access may require a separate engagement. |
| Course | You or the team need a shared foundation or stable skill. | Structured lessons, examples, and exercises. | Requires time to complete and may not address the firm's specific tools or current decision. |
| Software | A recurring task is clear and a product already handles it well. | Ongoing access to a repeatable capability. | Requires setup, review, and vendor management; it only helps when the repeated task is clear. |
| Office Hours | One person faces recurring but varied AI questions and wants a human sounding board. | Two consultation hours per month plus brief text and email questions. | Provides no deliverable and is a poor fit for team-wide access, implementation, or questions that need regulated professional advice. |
No row wins by default. A good purchase matches the current job.
Seven questions
Answer these before buying.
- Is this a one-time project, a skill to learn, a repeated task, or a stream of changing decisions?
- Do we need advice, instruction, software, implementation, or a deliberate combination?
- Who owns the work after the purchase?
- What information will the provider or product receive?
- What review, permissions, records, or approvals does the use require?
- What should be different after 30 or 90 days?
- What happens if we stop paying or the person who led the purchase leaves?
Combinations
Two options can work together.
- A course establishes common vocabulary; software handles one approved task.
- Office Hours helps frame a decision; a consultant takes over when it becomes an implementation project.
- A consultant configures a product; the firm owns the process and vendor relationship afterward.
- Software handles the repeated task; focused training helps people use it consistently.
The combination still needs one owner, a known data path, and a clear review process.
Office Hours fit
Where this membership fits, and where it does not
Good fit
Several small decisions
One RIA owner, financial advisor, or planner wants to compare tools, prompts, workflows, training ideas, or AI developments over time.
Good fit
Direct access matters
The member wants to talk with the same person and remains comfortable making the final decision.
Not included
A fixed deliverable or team pool
Implementation, integrations, audits, custom builds, custom training, and shared company hours need a different scope.
Not included
Professional approval
Office Hours does not provide legal, compliance, investment, tax, accounting, or cybersecurity advice and does not approve a use for the firm.
Current membership
$299 per month for one named RIA owner, financial advisor, or financial planner. It includes two consultation hours, brief questions by text or email, and direct access to Christopher Baker. If he cannot answer a call, he returns it no later than the next business day. The membership is month to month. Unused consultation time does not roll over.
Do not send sensitive client data, account credentials, private keys, or regulated records through ordinary phone, text, or email channels.
A teammate may join a relevant conversation, but the membership cannot be shared across the company. Implementation may be scoped and quoted separately when the work is a fit.
Questions
Common buying questions
Is Office Hours the same as hiring an AI consultant?
No. A consultant usually works toward a defined project outcome. Office Hours provides recurring access for questions and decisions. A build, integration, audit, or custom training engagement needs a separate scope.
Is a course the better value?
It can be when the topic is stable, the buyer will finish the material, and structured instruction is the main need. It may not fit a time-sensitive decision tied to the firm's specific tools and constraints.
When should I buy software first?
When the task is clear, repeated often enough to matter, and the product survives a realistic trial. Confirm the data path, controls, review burden, and exit plan before buying.
Can the firm share one Office Hours membership?
No. It belongs to one named individual. A teammate may join a relevant conversation, but the hours and access are not a company-wide pool.
Do I need to buy any of these?
Not always. If the use case is rare, low value, poorly defined, or already handled well, keep the current process.