PFM Financial Advisors
PFM Financial Advisors is a Philadelphia-headquartered, Managing Director-owned financial advisory firm founded in 1975, serving US state and local governments, higher education, healthcare, transportation, utilities, and K-12 school districts through 300+ professionals across 32 offices. Core offerings include municipal bond advisory, swap advisory, public-sector consulting, and the Synario financial-modeling platform.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersPhiladelphia, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What PFM Financial Advisors does
PFM Financial Advisors is a US-focused, employee-owned financial advisory and consulting firm headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, founded in 1975 and operating through multiple affiliated LLCs including PFM Financial Advisors LLC (registered municipal advisor with the SEC and MSRB), PFM Group Consulting LLC, PFM Swap Advisors LLC (registered with the SEC, MSRB, and CFTC), PFM Solutions LLC (operator of the Synario financial-modeling platform), and PFM Management Services LLC. The firm is 100% owned by its Managing Directors and employs 300+ professionals across 32 US offices.
The company's core offerings center on municipal bond advisory (structuring, sizing, pricing, credit analysis, and ongoing debt management), interest-rate swap and derivatives advisory, management and budget consulting for public-sector clients, and the Synario cloud-enabled financial-modeling platform used for multi-scenario planning and forecasting. It also operates specialized consulting centers focused on budget equity and innovation, and on justice and safety finance. The firm discontinued its Munite investor-relations platform but continues to provide issuer investor-relations services directly.
PFM generates revenue primarily through professional-services engagements billed under separate agreements with each affiliated entity, with Synario contributing a recurring/subscription component. It serves state and local governments, higher education institutions, healthcare providers, transportation authorities, K-12 school districts, public power and environmental utilities, special districts, state revolving funds, housing authorities, and select corporations, through a direct enterprise field-sales model executed by senior advisors who manage long-tenured client relationships across all 32 offices.
PFM Financial Advisors firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- PFM Financial Advisors
- Legal name
- PFM Financial Advisors LLC
- Website
- https://pfm.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- PFM Financial Advisors is a Philadelphia-headquartered, Managing Director-owned financial advisory firm founded in 1975, serving US state and local governments, higher education, healthcare, transportation, utilities, and K-12 school districts through 300+ professionals across 32 offices. Core offerings include municipal bond advisory, swap advisory, public-sector consulting, and the Synario financial-modeling platform.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
PFM Financial Advisors industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Municipal Financial Advisory
- NAICS
- Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282), Finance Services (6199)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory (BPAHADAB)
Keywords
Where PFM Financial Advisors is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Philadelphia
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices14 records
Markets served
PFM Financial Advisors business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Financial Advisory Services: Financial advisory services provided by PFM Financial Advisors LLC, registered municipal advisors with the SEC and MSRB under the Dodd-Frank Act. Services include structuring, sizing, and pricing municipal bond issues, debt management, credit analysis, and ongoing financial advisory.
- Swap Advisory Services: Swap advisory and derivatives services provided by PFM Swap Advisors LLC, registered as a municipal advisor with MSRB and SEC, and as a commodity trading advisor with CFTC. Includes interest rate swap analysis and hedging strategies.
- Consulting Services: Management and budget consulting provided through PFM Group Consulting LLC. Includes fiscal planning, organizational efficiency, policy analysis, and specialized consulting practices.
- Financial Modeling Platform: Financial modeling platform Synario provided through PFM Solutions LLC for strategic forecasting. Cloud-enabled platform for multi-year financial planning.
- Special District Management Services: General management and administrative services for special districts provided through PFM Management Services LLC.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
PFM Financial Advisors product offering
Product offeringCore offering
PFM Financial Advisors is a national independent financial advisory and consulting firm serving state and local governments, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The firm provides structuring, sizing, and pricing of municipal bond issues, debt management, credit analysis, swap and derivatives advisory, management consulting, and the Synario cloud-enabled financial modeling platform, delivered through 300+ professionals across 32 US offices.
Product overview
PFM Financial Advisors operates as a marketing name for a group of affiliated companies providing financial advisory, consulting, and specialized services. The core offerings include Financial Advisory Services (PFM Financial Advisors LLC) for municipal bond structuring and pricing, Consulting Services (PFM Group Consulting LLC) for budget management and operational assessments, and the Synario™ financial modeling platform (PFM Solutions LLC) for multi-scenario planning. Additional services include Swap Advisory (PFM Swap Advisors LLC), Special District Management (PFM Management Services LLC), and specialized centers for Budget Equity & Innovation and Justice & Safety Finance. The company serves government agencies, nonprofits, and purpose-driven organizations through over 300 professionals across 32 US offices.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Synario: PFM's financial modeling platform for strategic forecasting and planning
- Synopsis
Products and services
- Financial Advisory Services Financial advisory services provided by PFM Financial Advisors LLC, including structuring, sizing, and pricing of municipal bond issues, debt management, credit analysis, and ongoing advisory support for municipal issuers. Targeted at state and local governments, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations.
- Consulting Services
Quantifiable outcome
- 500+ transactions completed for Pennsylvania local government clients
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use PFM Financial Advisors
Customer profileNamed customers16 records
Segments12 records
Ideal customer profiles8 records
PFM Financial Advisors technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
PFM Financial Advisors partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators11 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
PFM Financial Advisors competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Stifel Financial: Stifel's public finance group provides financial advisory, underwriting, and bond servicing to municipal and nonprofit issuers nationwide, competing with PFM for state, local, education, and healthcare mandates.
- Davenport & Company: Davenport & Company's Public Finance division provides financial advisory and underwriting to municipalities, schools, and nonprofits, primarily in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast — a direct regional competitor to PFM.
- Piper Sandler: Piper Sandler operates a large public finance division that provides municipal advisory, underwriting, and swap advisory services to state, local, education, and healthcare issuers — directly comparable to PFM Financial Advisors across its core verticals.
- Mesirow Financial: Mesirow's Public Finance & Municipal Advisory group provides independent financial advisory and investment banking services to state and local governments, K-12 schools, and healthcare issuers — a closely comparable independent municipal advisor.
- Loop Capital Markets: Loop Capital Markets provides municipal underwriting, financial advisory, and swap advisory to state and local government issuers, including transportation, housing, and education clients — directly competing with PFM.
- Hilltop Securities: Hilltop Securities is one of the largest full-service municipal advisors and broker-dealers in the US, providing public finance underwriting, financial advisory, and swap advisory to state and local governments — directly competing with PFM for the same municipal bond and advisory mandates.
- KeyBanc Capital Markets: KeyBanc Capital Markets' Public Sector & Investment Banking Group provides municipal advisory, underwriting, and swap services to state and local governments — a direct competitor to PFM on mid- to large-cap public finance mandates.
- Jefferies: Jefferies' Public Finance group provides municipal advisory, underwriting, and tailored financing solutions to government and nonprofit issuers, competing with PFM on larger and more complex public-sector mandates.
- Raymond James: Raymond James Public Finance serves state and local governments, public power, transportation, and education issuers with underwriting and financial advisory services, overlapping significantly with PFM's core municipal advisory franchise.
Emerging players
- Acacia Financial Group: Acacia Financial Group is an independent municipal advisory firm providing financial advisory and swap advisory to state, local, and nonprofit issuers — a smaller but functionally comparable independent advisor to PFM.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
PFM Financial Advisors social profiles
Digital presencePFM Financial Advisors financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
PFM Financial Advisors leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
PFM Financial Advisors subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries5 records
PFM Financial Advisors funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
PFM Financial Advisors M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about PFM Financial Advisors
What does PFM Financial Advisors do?
PFM Financial Advisors is a national independent financial advisory and consulting firm serving state and local governments, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. The firm provides structuring, sizing, and pricing of municipal bond issues, debt management, credit analysis, swap and derivatives advisory, management consulting, and the Synario cloud-enabled financial modeling platform, delivered through 300+ professionals across 32 US offices.
Is PFM Financial Advisors a public or private company?
PFM Financial Advisors is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was PFM Financial Advisors founded?
PFM Financial Advisors was founded in 1975. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is PFM Financial Advisors based?
PFM Financial Advisors is headquartered in Philadelphia, United States, in the North America region.
How does PFM Financial Advisors make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Financial Advisory Services are the primary driver. The others are swap Advisory Services, consulting Services, financial Modeling Platform and special District Management Services.
Who are PFM Financial Advisors's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Stifel Financial, Davenport & Company, Piper Sandler, Mesirow Financial, Loop Capital Markets, Hilltop Securities, KeyBanc Capital Markets, Jefferies and Raymond James. Acacia Financial Group is listed as an emerging player.
Does PFM Financial Advisors have an API?
No public API is recorded for PFM Financial Advisors.
What industry is PFM Financial Advisors in?
PFM Financial Advisors's product category is Municipal Financial Advisory. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHADAB, Corporate Finance & Capital Advisory. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.