Ford Financial Group

What Ford Financial Group does

Ford Financial Group is an independent, privately held financial advisory firm headquartered in Fresno, California, with a secondary office in Carmel. Founded in 1987 by Carole Ford and her husband Jim Ford, the firm operates as a relationship-based practice serving individuals, families, and small-to-mid-sized business owners primarily in California's Central Valley and coastal markets. Its core offerings include Financial Life Planning, Private Wealth Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, and Business 401(k) Solutions, supplemented by Insurance, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Investment Management, and Lifestyle Financial Guidance. The firm emphasizes a team-based, personalized advisory model led by partners and supported by associate advisors and client service staff, with a total team of approximately 16 people.

The firm's underlying technology is non-proprietary: it relies on industry-standard financial planning software accessed through its partnerships with LPL Financial (broker-dealer and custodian, Member FINRA/SIPC) and Perennial Investment Advisors, LLC (registered investment advisor), along with a cobranded RightCapital client portal. It does not offer a mobile app, public API, or proprietary platform. Content marketing assets include the FFG Financial Insights Podcast, a resource center with calculators (retirement savings, RMD, life insurance, 401(k), mortgage), and a topical blog — used as top-of-funnel lead generation feeding free discovery calls and consultations.

The business model is a traditional AUM-fee and commission advisory practice. Revenue is generated from advisory fees on assets under management, securities commissions through LPL Financial, insurance product commissions, and 401(k) plan services. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured around personalized engagements rather than fixed tiers, with a free introductory consultation as the entry point. Go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: discovery calls, content marketing, and referrals convert prospects into long-term advisory clients, with no self-serve or productized offering.

Name

Ford Financial Group

Legal name

Ford Financial Group

Website

https://fordfg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Independent financial advisory firm in Fresno and Carmel, California, providing financial life planning, retirement, investment, estate, tax, and insurance services to individuals, families, and small businesses, affiliated with LPL Financial and Perennial Investment Advisors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management and Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

Keywords

• Financial advisory services
• Retirement planning services
• Wealth management advisory
• Estate planning services
• Investment management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Fresno

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisory Services: Revenue generated through advisory fees, likely based on assets under management (AUM), and commissions on securities transactions through their relationship with LPL Financial. The firm also offers insurance products and may earn commissions on those.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Ford Financial Group is a private, independent financial advisory firm that delivers personalized financial life planning, retirement planning, private wealth investment, estate planning, tax planning, insurance, and employer-sponsored 401(k) solutions to individuals, families, and small/mid-sized business owners. Services are delivered by a team of CFP, ChFC, and AIF certified advisors with securities offered through LPL Financial and investment advice offered through Perennial Investment Advisors, LLC.

Product overview

Ford Financial Group is a financial advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of wealth management and planning services. The core offering includes Financial Life Planning, Private Wealth Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, and Business 401(k) Solutions, supported by specialized services in Insurance, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Investment Management, and Lifestyle Financial Guidance. The firm also provides educational resources including the FFG Financial Insights Podcast and a suite of Financial Calculators for retirement savings, life insurance needs, RMD estimation, and investment planning. Services are delivered through a team of licensed financial advisors operating from offices in Fresno and Carmel, California, with securities offered through LPL Financial.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Life Planning

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• LPL FinancialcoreOthersSecurities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA & SIPC. Financial advisors are registered representatives with LPL Financial. The firm provides trading operations, custodial services, and regulatory infrastructure for the advisory practice.
• Perennial Investment Advisors, LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationInvestment advice offered through Perennial Investment Advisors, LLC, a registered investment advisor separate from LPL Financial. Some advisors hold Series 66 with both LPL and Perennial Investment Advisors. Microsoft 365 online booking systems are branded under Perennialia.com.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only RIA with a financial planning-led model and multiple advisors across offices, similar to Ford Financial Group's structure. Comparable in offering comprehensive wealth management, retirement, and estate planning to individuals and families through a team-based approach.
• Edelman Financial Services: Fee-based RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, retirement, and investment management to individual investors and families. Comparable service model with team-based advisor delivery, though at significantly larger scale.
• Carson Group: RIA platform supporting multiple independent advisor teams under a unified brand, with comparable services in financial planning, retirement, and investment management. Similar partnership/LPL-style infrastructure model though at much larger scale.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Digital-first flat-fee RIA offering financial planning and investment management to mass-affluent clients through remote advisors. Competes for the same individual investor and family segment but with a technology-led, lower-fee delivery model that pressures traditional AUM-based practices.
• Wealthsimple: Digital wealth management platform offering automated and advisor-assisted investment management, retirement, and tax planning. Although primarily Canadian-focused with growing U.S. presence, it represents the emerging digital-first competitive threat to traditional RIA business models.

Broad incumbents

• Northwestern Mutual (Private Client Group): Large financial services firm offering investment management, retirement planning, insurance, and estate planning through a national advisor network. Directly comparable services to Ford Financial Group's full-stack offering but with much larger scale and brand recognition.
• Fisher Investments: Large investment management firm primarily focused on portfolio management for high-net-worth individuals. Overlaps with Ford Financial Group's investment management offering but at much larger scale and with a more institutional-style approach to portfolio management.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large national RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, retirement, estate, and tax planning to individuals and families. Operates as a broader incumbent in the same RIA category Ford Financial Group competes in, but at materially larger scale and geographic footprint.
• Personal Capital (Empower Personal Dashboard): Hybrid digital-human RIA combining proprietary planning tools with human advisors, serving individual investors with comprehensive wealth management. Competes for similar affluent clientele but with stronger technology integration and broader scale.
• Creative Planning: Large fee-only RIA providing comprehensive wealth management, retirement planning, estate planning, and tax services. Same core service offering as Ford Financial Group but operating as a much larger broad-incumbent firm with national reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ErinandNik
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/in/eredmond
• Xx.com/FordFinancial

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Ford Financial Group