Schaeffer Financial

What Schaeffer Financial does

Schaeffer Financial, LLC is a privately held, family-owned registered investment advisor headquartered at 4612 Great Oak Road, Rockville, Maryland, with a 35+ year operating history (founded circa 1989; firmographics note 1980). The firm operates a fee-based financial planning and investment advisory practice staffed by seven associates, including three CFP-certified family members (Karen P. Schaeffer, Richard W. Schaeffer, and Kaitlin Schaeffer Yardley), two additional CFP-certified professionals, one FPQP-designated associate, and one associate. Service lines span comprehensive financial planning, ongoing investment management, retirement readiness, risk management through insurance, estate planning, tax planning, and charitable giving strategies.

The firm's technology stack is built on the LPL Financial platform for securities execution and regulatory infrastructure, with Schwab and Fidelity serving as custodians for client assets. The firm publishes a suite of static, web-based educational assets — 27 financial calculators, magazine-style flipbooks covering financial management, Social Security/Medicare, higher education funding, investing basics, tax planning, and estate planning, plus an educational video library. No proprietary software, APIs, mobile applications, or AI/ML capabilities are disclosed. The firm is SEC-registered as an RIA, with FINRA/SIPC coverage provided through LPL Financial.

Schaeffer Financial generates revenue through recurring investment advisory fees and standalone financial planning engagements executed under multi-year Investment Advisory and Financial Planning Agreements; specific fee schedules are not publicly disclosed and clients are directed to Form ADV Part 2A. The go-to-market is sales-led and community-led, anchored by Karen P. Schaeffer's recurring lecturing engagements at 30+ federal agencies (DoD, Treasury, HHS, NASA, NIH, Census Bureau, Defense Logistics Agency, and others) and at Financial Planning Association, Institute for Financial Planning, and College for Financial Planning conferences, supplemented by the online educational resource library. The firm targets federal government employees as its primary segment, with secondary specialization in G-IV visa holders and intergenerational wealth transfer clients.

Name

Schaeffer Financial

Legal name

Schaeffer Financial, LLC

Website

https://schaefferfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Schaeffer Financial is a family-owned, fee-based registered investment advisor in Rockville, Maryland, providing personalized financial planning and investment advisory services primarily to federal government employees, with secondary specialization in G-IV visa holders and intergenerational wealth transfer clients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Planning Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD), Financial Coaching & Budgeting Advisory (FSAEAAAH)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Rockville

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. Investment Advisory Fees: Fee-based investment advisory services where the firm provides ongoing investment management and financial planning advice. Securities are offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC.
2. Financial Planning Services: Comprehensive financial planning services including cash flow management, asset allocation, retirement readiness, risk management through insurance, estate planning, and tax planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Schaeffer Financial is a family-owned, fee-based registered investment advisor providing comprehensive personalized financial planning and ongoing investment advisory services. Core services include cash flow management, asset allocation, retirement planning, investment management, risk management through insurance, estate planning, tax planning, and charitable giving strategies, with securities offered through LPL Financial.

Product overview

Schaeffer Financial is a family-owned, full-service, fee-based financial planning firm offering a unified advisory service model with integrated educational tools. The core offering is personalized financial planning and investment advisory services, supplemented by a suite of proprietary web-based calculators and flipbook publications covering topics including retirement planning, tax strategies, estate planning, college funding, and insurance. The firm specializes in serving federal government employees, foreign nationals on G-IV visas, and intergenerational planning needs, with over 35 years of operating history.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Services

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• LPL FinancialcoreTechnology or IntegrationSecurities are offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. LPL Financial is one of the nation's leading financial services companies and a publicly traded company (ticker: LPLA). The firm provides the technology platform and regulatory infrastructure for securities transactions.
• SchwabcoreTechnology or IntegrationSchwab serves as a custodian for client accounts. Current clients can access their Schwab accounts through the client portal with technical support available at 1-800-515-2157.
• Fidelity InvestmentscoreTechnology or IntegrationFidelity serves as a custodian for client accounts. Current clients can access their Fidelity accounts through the client portal with technical support available at 1-877-208-0098.

Scale indicators2 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Tech-enabled financial planning firm delivering fiduciary advice to consumers via a digital platform with CFP® professionals. Emerging peer representing the digitally-native competition Schaeffer may face in serving mass-affluent clients.
• Empower Personal Dashboard (formerly Personal Capital): Hybrid digital wealth manager combining free financial tools with paid advisory services, targeting affluent consumers seeking tech-enabled planning. Comparable as an emerging tech-enabled advisory competing for the same HNW individuals Schaeffer serves.

Direct peers

• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National fee-based RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment advisory, and tax services to individuals, families, and institutions. Comparable in providing fee-based, advisor-led planning across intergenerational and HNW segments.
• Commonwealth Financial Network: Large independent broker-dealer and RIA platform supporting affiliated financial advisors across the U.S. Comparable as a fee-based advisory firm ecosystem sharing custody and back-office infrastructure similar to Schaeffer's LPL relationship.
• Wealth Enhancement Group: Independent wealth management firm offering financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals, with a roll-up acquisition strategy. Comparable as a fee-based RIA competitor pursuing scale through advisor recruitment.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large independent fee-based financial planning and investment management firm serving individual investors, with notable employer-sponsored workplace advisory relationships. Comparable given its emphasis on objective, fee-based advice and broad personal-finance planning.
• Carson Group: National RIA platform serving independent financial advisors and their clients with wealth management, financial planning, and coaching services. Directly comparable business model as a fee-based advisory firm serving individual clients through partner-advisor relationships.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax strategy to individuals and families. Direct peer as a similarly-positioned, advice-first, fee-based RIA without proprietary products.
• Creative Planning: One of the largest independent, fee-only RIAs in the U.S. offering comprehensive financial planning and investment management to individuals and families. Direct peer given overlapping full-service, fee-based RIA model targeting HNW households.

Broad incumbents

• Thrivent Financial: National not-for-profit financial services organization offering faith-aligned financial planning, investment advisory, and insurance products to individuals and families. Broader incumbent competing for the same HNW/household financial planning wallet.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Schaeffer Financial