Preferred Planning Associates

What Preferred Planning Associates does

Preferred Planning Associates (PPA) is an independent, fee-based financial planning and wealth management firm headquartered at 263 Regency Ridge Drive in Centerville, Ohio. Founded circa 1994, the firm operates as a team of licensed financial advisors affiliated with Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a privately held independent broker-dealer and Registered Investment Advisor (FINRA/SIPC member) that provides regulatory and operational infrastructure; PPA and Cambridge are separately owned and not affiliated. Advisors deliver personalized financial planning across retirement, investment, estate, education, contingency, and 401(k) rollover planning for individuals, families, and businesses, with a stated commitment to unbiased, objective advice free of insurance or investment company ownership.

The firm runs a sales-led, relationship-driven distribution model through approximately ten named advisors across seven Ohio offices (Centerville, Morral, Akron, Sandusky, Middletown, Oxford, Anna), serving as independent business owners who also serve members of partner institutions such as Vacationland Federal Credit Union. The primary technology stack is the standard broker-dealer infrastructure provided through Cambridge Investment Research, supporting securities trading, advisory, and client relationship management; no proprietary technology platform is disclosed. Revenue is generated primarily through fee-based recurring advisory fees on financial planning and wealth management services, with additional compensation flowing from securities transactions and advisory services through the Cambridge affiliation. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and operates within standard independent broker-dealer industry conventions.

PPA's stated differentiators are independence, multi-decade community roots in the Dayton market (seed planted in 1986), BBB accreditation, and fiduciary-style credentials including the Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) designation held by principal officers James Kirkland (President) and Becky Kirkland (Vice President). The firm is registered to serve clients across 28 U.S. states, although operational concentration remains in Ohio. Owner-operators control the firm directly with no parent company, no funding rounds, and no disclosed M&A activity.

Name

Preferred Planning Associates

Legal name

Preferred Planning Associates

Website

https://ppaohio.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Preferred Planning Associates is an independent, fee-based financial planning and wealth management firm headquartered in Centerville, Ohio, serving individual investors, families, and credit union members across Ohio and 28 U.S. states through licensed advisors affiliated with Cambridge Investment Research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Financial Advisory Services

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF), Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE), Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG), Education Funding Planning (College/529) (FSAEAAAF), Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Chesterville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fee-Based Financial Planning and Wealth Management: The firm specializes in fee-based financial planning and wealth management services, charging clients for comprehensive financial advice and portfolio management. Revenue is generated through advisory fees rather than transaction-based commissions, aligning advisor incentives with client outcomes.
2. Securities and Investment Advisory Services: Securities are offered through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. (Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC) and investment advisory services through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. The firm receives compensation through these affiliated entities for securities transactions and advisory services provided to clients.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Preferred Planning Associates is an independent, full-service financial planning firm that delivers fee-based financial planning and wealth management to individuals, families, and businesses. Services include retirement planning, investment portfolio management, estate planning, education planning, contingency planning, risk management, and 401(k) rollover assistance, with securities execution and custody handled through broker-dealer Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.

Product overview

Preferred Planning Associates is an independent, full-service financial planning firm offering comprehensive advisory services. The firm provides fee-based financial planning and wealth management, including retirement planning, estate planning, education planning, investment portfolio management, risk management, and contingency planning. Services are delivered through a team of financial advisors who provide personalized, unbiased advice to individuals, families, and businesses. The firm operates as independent business owners aligned with broker-dealer Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Fee-Based Financial Planning Comprehensive fee-based financial planning for individuals, families, and businesses, covering goal definition, personalized solution design, and ongoing monitoring and revision of the financial plan across changing life seasons.
• Wealth Management Ongoing portfolio and wealth management services that align investment strategies with long-term client goals.
• Retirement Planning Retirement-focused financial planning including 401(k) rollover assistance, designed to help individuals and families prepare for and transition into retirement.
• Estate Planning Estate planning advisory services to help clients organize assets, beneficiaries, and transfer strategies as part of their overall financial plan.
• Education Planning Education-focused financial planning to help families fund college and other long-term educational goals.
• Investment Portfolio Management Active investment portfolio management and ongoing portfolio revision aligned to client goals, delivered by licensed advisors.
• Contingency Planning Contingency planning to help clients prepare for unexpected life and financial events.
• Risk Management Advisory Risk management advisory to help clients identify and address financial risks, including insurance-related considerations, within their overall plan.
• 401(k) Rollover Assistance Assistance with rolling over 401(k) plans into managed retirement portfolios as part of the firm's retirement planning service.
• Securities Brokerage Services Securities trading and execution offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc. (Member FINRA/SIPC), enabling access to a wide variety of financial products.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCambridge Investment Research is a privately held independent broker-dealer (Member FINRA/SIPC) that provides the regulatory and operational infrastructure for PPA's securities business. Securities offered through Cambridge allow PPA's advisors to access a wide variety of financial products and services. Cambridge also provides investment advisory services through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors. This partnership enables PPA to maintain independence while leveraging institutional resources.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Edward Jones: Large national advisor network focused on individual investors and small-business retirement plans; comparable to PPA in client-segment focus, geographic community presence, and fee-based comprehensive planning delivery model.
• Cetera Financial Group: Independent broker-dealer with a network of financial advisors; comparable to PPA in operating model (independent advisors, OSJ supervision, fee-based advisory) and in serving mid-market individual investors.
• Commonwealth Financial Network: Privately-held independent broker-dealer ranked in the IBD top tier; comparable to PPA because it serves fee-based independent planners pursuing the same independence value proposition across multiple U.S. states.
• Cambridge Investment Research: PPA's affiliated independent broker-dealer and itself a large IBD; comparable because its thousands of independent financial advisors operate under the same independence-and-OSJ model that PPA uses, providing direct peer benchmarks for advisor productivity and economics.
• Northwestern Mutual: Comprehensive financial planning provider with a large field force serving individuals on retirement, estate, and education planning — overlapping with PPA's services and individual-investor target market at larger scale.
• Ameriprise Financial: Diversified wealth management firm with a large franchise of independent advisors providing comprehensive financial planning to individuals and families — directly overlapping with PPA's retirement, estate, education, and wealth planning service mix.
• LPL Financial: The largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S.; comparable to PPA because both serve independent financial advisors operating under an IBD umbrella with FINRA licensing, OSJ supervision, and a fee+commission hybrid revenue model.
• Raymond James Financial Services: Independent contractor channel of Raymond James serving independent financial advisors with multi-state licensing; comparable to PPA in advisor-channel structure, retirement/wealth planning focus, and community-driven marketing.

Direct peers

• Fisher Investments: Large independent RIA focused on portfolio management for individual investors; comparable to PPA at the high end of the wealth management market in offering fee-based, conflict-minimized advisory services to retail investors across multiple U.S. states.
• Focus Financial Partners: Leading partnership model for independent RIAs and wealth managers; comparable to PPA because its constituents and acquisition targets are sub-scale independent advisory firms similar in profile that pursue multi-state fee-based planning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Preferred Planning Associates