SHJ Wealth Advisors

What SHJ Wealth Advisors does

SHJ Wealth Advisors (legal name Sharkey, Howes & Javer, Inc.) is a privately held, fee-only, SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered in Denver, Colorado. Founded in the early 1990s by Eileen M. Sharkey, Lawrence E. Howes, and Joel B. Javer, the firm operates as a fiduciary with no commissions and no product sales, serving individual clients and families across the United States. The firm delivers customized financial planning (retirement, tax, estate, insurance, college, employee benefits, and stock option analysis) alongside active investment management, and extends into employer-sponsored retirement plans via the SHJ401k online platform and ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) investment portfolios.

The firm's offering is built on a five-step client engagement process — discovery call, consultation, information gathering, plan and investment strategy development, and ongoing adjustment — delivered by a multigenerational team of CFP® professionals. Investment management includes risk tolerance assessment, portfolio design, implementation, ongoing market/economic analysis, rebalancing, and tax management; custodial services are provided through Charles Schwab, and the client portal runs on Orion Advisor. Marketing and thought leadership are driven by a bi-weekly "Inside the Economy" video series and an active blog, with client acquisition predominantly referral-based.

SHJ makes money through recurring, subscription-style fees: ongoing investment management fees tied to assets under management, financial planning and advisory fees, and fees from employer-sponsored retirement plan consulting via SHJ401k. The 13F filing of 2026-04-08 reports approximately $744M in reportable AUM (derived from a $10.19M, 1.37% position in IDEF), placing the firm in the small-to-mid RIA segment by AUM. There are no public funding rounds, no disclosed revenue, and no parent company or private equity involvement; ownership has transitioned to next-generation advisors following the retirements of co-founders Sharkey (2020) and Javer (October 2025), with Karlton D. Childress serving as President and Managing Director.

Name

SHJ Wealth Advisors

Legal name

Sharkey, Howes & Javer, Inc.

Website

https://shjwealthadvisors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SHJ Wealth Advisors is a fee-only, SEC-registered fiduciary RIA in Denver providing customized financial planning and active investment management to individual clients and families across the United States, with employer-sponsored retirement plans via its SHJ401k platform.

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 industries

Retirement & Distribution Planning RIAs (401(k)/IRA/Pension Rollovers) (FSAAACAE), Family Wealth & Multi-Generational Planning RIAs (HNW/UHNW-lite) (FSAAACAH), Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Financial planning advisory
• Investment management services
• Retirement plan consulting
• Fiduciary financial advice

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Planning and Advisory Fees: As fee-only financial advisors, SHJ Wealth Advisors is compensated directly by clients for advice, plan implementation, and ongoing management of their investments. The transparent fee structure with no commissions and no product sales allows advisors to serve clients objectively.
2. Investment Management Fees: Ongoing investment management services including portfolio monitoring, rebalancing, and tax management. Fees are charged based on assets under management.
3. Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan Services: SHJ401k platform allows business owners to create and manage 401(k) plans online with ongoing consulting and objective advice.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SHJ Wealth Advisors provides fee-only financial planning and investment management services to individual clients and families across the United States from its Denver, Colorado headquarters. Core offerings include customized financial planning covering retirement, tax, estate, insurance, college, and stock option planning, alongside active investment management with portfolio design, monitoring, rebalancing, and tax-loss harvesting. The firm also operates the SHJ401k platform for employer-sponsored retirement plans and offers ESG investment portfolios.

Product overview

SHJ Wealth Advisors offers a comprehensive suite of wealth management and financial planning services delivered through a multi-advisor team of Certified Financial Planners. The core offering consists of Investment Management Services and Financial Planning, which work together as the primary client engagement model. Supporting these are the SHJ401k platform for employer-sponsored retirement plans, ESG Investment Portfolios for socially responsible investing, the Inside the Economy video series for client education and market insights, and an ongoing Wealth Management Process that guides clients through a five-step engagement lifecycle from discovery through ongoing plan adjustment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SHJ401k: An online platform allowing business owners to create and manage a 401(k) plan, with SHJ providing ongoing consulting and objective advice for employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Products and services

• Investment Management Services Active investment management service including risk tolerance assessment, portfolio design, investment selection, implementation, ongoing market and economic analysis, portfolio monitoring and adjustments, rebalancing, and tax management for individual clients and families.
• Financial Planning Customized financial planning covering retirement planning, retirement distribution income planning, college planning, tax planning, insurance planning, estate planning guidance, employee benefits analysis, and stock option analysis for individual clients and families.
• SHJ401k Platform Online platform allowing business owners to create and manage 401(k) plans, with SHJ providing ongoing consulting and objective advice for employer-sponsored retirement plans.
• ESG Investment Portfolios Socially responsible investment portfolios that screen companies based on environmental, social, and governance non-financial indicators, including ESG 401(k) plans for individual investors and businesses.
• Employer-Sponsored Retirement Plan Advisory Advisory and consulting services for employer-sponsored retirement plans including 401(k) and profit-sharing plans, offered through the SHJ401k platform with ongoing consulting and objective advice for small business owners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research suggests clients may receive at least 3% in additional net returns from financial planning, portfolio management, and guidance services.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Carson Group: Fee-only wealth management and advisory firm with deep 401(k) and employer-sponsored retirement plan services, serving individual clients and small business owners. Directly comparable to SHJ's core planning and SHJ401k offerings.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only, fiduciary RIA with a multigenerational team of CFP professionals serving individuals and families nationwide. Highly comparable to SHJ on business model, fee structure, and target client base.
• Ronald Blue Trust: Fee-only, fiduciary advisory firm staffed by CFP professionals serving individuals and families with comprehensive financial planning and investment management. Comparable in mission, structure, and service model to SHJ.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Fee-only, nationally distributed RIA providing financial planning, investment management, retirement plan consulting, and tax/estate services to individuals and institutions. Mirrors SHJ's offering breadth and target client base.
• Creative Planning: Large fee-only, fiduciary RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan services to individuals and businesses. Closely aligned with SHJ's service stack and fiduciary model.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Tech-enabled, fee-only RIA serving individuals and families through virtual CFP-led planning. Represents a digitally native variant of SHJ's model, competing for the same fee-conscious planning client.
• Charles Schwab Wealth Advisory: Schwab's fee-based advisory solution offering financial planning and investment management, leveraging Schwab's institutional custody and brand. Highly relevant given SHJ's existing Schwab custody relationship.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: Large, established fee-only RIA combining advisor-led financial planning with proprietary technology and a strong retirement plan services practice. Comparable to SHJ on fiduciary positioning and 401(k) capabilities, but at significantly greater scale.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., supporting thousands of independent RIAs and financial advisors with custody, technology, and practice management. Many LPL-affiliated advisors compete directly with SHJ for the same client segments.
• Fisher Investments: Large global investment management firm serving individuals and institutions with portfolio management services. Comparable to SHJ on active management philosophy and individual client focus, though it operates at vastly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/shwj
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sharkey-howes-&-javer
• Xx.com/SHJWealth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 SHJ Wealth Advisors