Clune & Associates

What Clune & Associates does

Clune & Associates is an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) founded in 1987 in Chicago, Illinois, providing comprehensive wealth management and financial planning services to high net worth individuals, families, and small institutions across the United States and Canada. The firm operates from its headquarters at 980 North Michigan Avenue and a second office in Vail, Colorado, targeting affluent client segments including physicians, lawyers, corporate executives, business owners, and retirees.

The firm delivers six integrated service lines: Investment and Portfolio Management, Financial and Retirement Planning, Risk Management/Insurance Planning, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, and Charitable Gifting. Its investment methodology is grounded in capital markets science, drawing on 80+ years of financial market data, Nobel-Prize-winning economic research, and behavioral finance principles, with execution supported through custodial and investment partnerships with Charles Schwab and Dimensional Fund Advisors. The team of 1-10 employees is led by founder and Executive Chair Eileen Clune (financial planning since 1982, MBA from Kellogg/Northwestern) and President/CEO Randy Hardy (CFA, CFP, joined 2009), supported by a Wealth Management Associate and an Executive & Client Services Assistant.

The business model is fee-based advisory, likely structured around assets under management or flat financial planning fees, with revenue generated through recurring engagement. Distribution is relationship-driven via referrals and professional networks rather than digital marketing, and the firm does not operate a proprietary technology platform. Clune & Associates is privately held with no disclosed parent company, funding rounds, or institutional ownership.

Name

Clune & Associates

Legal name

Clune & Associates

Website

https://clune.biz

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Clune & Associates is an independent Chicago-based RIA founded in 1987 that provides integrated wealth management, investment, retirement, estate, tax, and insurance planning to high net worth individuals, families, and small institutions across the US and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Investment Management Advisory (RIA) (FSAEAAAB), Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Wealth Management and Financial Planning Fees: Clune & Associates generates revenue through wealth management and financial planning advisory services. As an independent RIA, they charge fees for comprehensive financial planning, investment portfolio management, estate planning, tax planning, and risk management/insurance planning services. Fee structure is likely AUM-based or flat-fee planning arrangements, though specific fee schedules are not publicly disclosed.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Clune & Associates is an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) providing comprehensive wealth management and financial planning services. Their integrated offering combines investment and portfolio management grounded in capital markets science with financial and retirement planning, risk management and insurance planning, estate planning, tax planning, and charitable gifting strategies, coordinated as a unified wealth plan for each client.

Product overview

Clune & Associates offers a comprehensive, integrated wealth management approach as a unified financial planning and investment management service. The core offering combines six distinct but interconnected services: Investment and Portfolio Management (using capital markets science and asset class investing), Financial and Retirement Planning, Risk Management/Insurance Planning, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, and Charitable Gifting. These services are coordinated to address all aspects of clients' financial well-being, with investment management based on financial science principles including diversification, portfolio structure optimization, risk/return relationships, market efficiency, and disciplined rebalancing. The firm services clients throughout the United States and Canada from offices in Chicago, Illinois and Vail, Colorado.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment and Portfolio Management Investment and portfolio management based on the science of capital markets, applying principles founded on over 80 years of financial market data, Nobel-Prize winning economic research, and behavioral finance. Includes global asset allocation, portfolio structuring, customized Investment Policy Statements, ongoing monitoring, and tax-minimizing rebalancing.
• Financial and Retirement Planning Ongoing financial planning process that organizes and integrates the major elements of clients' financial lives into a comprehensive game plan for retirement, helping clients determine retirement timing, safe withdrawal rates, required returns, and potential disruptors to retirement plans.
• Risk Management and Insurance Planning Risk assessment and insurance planning services coordinated with a network of third-party insurance providers to ensure comprehensive coverage including critical illness, disability, death, and property damage protection, customized to each client's needs.
• Estate Planning Estate planning services that work with qualified estate planning attorneys to direct distribution of assets per client wishes, ensure sufficient funds for estate taxes, avoid unnecessary probate, and minimize emotional and financial burden on beneficiaries.
• Tax Planning Tax planning process that incorporates the client's overall financial picture, working with clients' tax professionals and maximizing after-tax rate of return within portfolios as part of the integrated portfolio management approach.
• Charitable Gifting Charitable giving strategies that accommodate personal wishes and concerns, including guidance on private foundation establishment and integration of giving with clients' financial and personal goals.

Named customers5 records

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Dimensional Fund AdvisorscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDimensional Fund Advisors is an approved investment manager that Clune & Associates utilizes for client portfolios as part of their independent RIA model. DFA is described as a pioneer in the development of an investment methodology based on the science of capital markets and the relationship between risk and return, which aligns with Clune & Associates' own investment philosophy.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Creative Planning: Creative Planning is one of the largest independent, fee-only RIAs offering comprehensive wealth management to HNW clients — overlapping service offering and client segment with Clune but at significantly greater scale.
• Carson Group: Carson Group is a large, scaled RIA and wealth-management platform serving advisors and HNW clients; comparable in target clientele and holistic planning, but operates a much broader partner-firm ecosystem than a single boutique practice like Clune.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Edelman Financial Engines is a large independent RIA serving HNW and mass-affluent clients with holistic planning and evidence-based investing — comparable in fee-only structure and client focus to Clune, but with national scale and an automated/hybrid planning layer.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Mariner is a large, national independent RIA providing comprehensive wealth advisory, tax, estate, and retirement planning — comparable to Clune across the full suite of services but at substantially larger scale and geographic reach.
• Focus Financial Partners: Focus is a leading RIA aggregator partnering with many independent, fiduciary wealth management firms; relevant as a potential strategic/buyer counterpart for boutique RIAs like Clune seeking scale, succession, or capital.

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Buckingham is an independent, fee-only RIA network serving HNW clients with integrated financial planning and evidence-based investing — comparable to Clune on investment philosophy, client segment, and fee-only structure.
• Modera Wealth Management: Modera is a fee-only, independent RIA offering comprehensive wealth management to individuals and families — directly comparable to Clune in business model, client segment, and holistic service offering, though typically larger in scale.
• TCI Wealth Advisors: TCI is a boutique, fee-only RIA providing personalized wealth management and financial planning to HNW individuals and families — directly comparable to Clune in size, service breadth, and client profile.
• Halbert Hargrove Global Advisors: Halbert Hargrove is a long-standing, founder-influenced independent RIA providing fee-only wealth management to HNW individuals and families — closely mirroring Clune's boutique, relationship-driven, fiduciary model.
• Plante Moran Financial Advisors: Plante Moran Financial Advisors is an independent RIA affiliated with a larger professional services firm, providing holistic wealth management and financial planning to HNW clients — similar integrated service model to Clune.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Clune & Associates