Liberty Financial Group

What Liberty Financial Group does

Liberty Financial Group, Inc. is a privately held, fee-only, fiduciary financial planning and investment advisory firm founded in 1981 and headquartered in a single office in Elm Grove, Wisconsin (Milwaukee metro area). The firm serves individual households — with an emphasis on pre-retirees ages 40–55, including employees in healthcare and education — through an integrated service offering that spans retirement planning, financial life planning, investment management, tax planning and preparation, estate planning, insurance analysis, college funding, and cash-flow planning. Its stated compensation model is exclusively client-paid fees for time, planning advice, and portfolio management; the firm sells no products, accepts no commissions, and operates strictly under the fiduciary standard.

The firm does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its operating stack consists of third-party SaaS tools, including the Advyzon Client Portal for client account access, Acuity Scheduling for meeting booking, and My Schwab for custodial account access. Investment management is executed by human advisors using a value-tilted, diversified, total-portfolio approach that incorporates client real estate, business interests, employer plans, and personal assets, with downside-protection strategies such as long-short, merger arbitrage, managed futures, and tactical asset allocation. The team of approximately 5–6 includes President/CEO Shannon Nook (with the firm since 1995 and currently President of the Financial Planning Association of Wisconsin), Associate Advisor Michael Wesolowski (joined February 2025), Research Analyst Grant Beck (CIMA-certified, joined 2023), Client Service Manager Renee Kietzmann (joined 2017), and Client Service Specialist Jaydon Wargin (joined 2018), with founder Tom Wargin transitioned to a consultant role after his 2023 retirement.

The go-to-market model is sales-led and relationship-driven: free initial "Get to Know You" meetings, educational workshops (including Medicare Lunch & Learn sessions), community engagement (Habitat for Humanity, Children's Hospital of Wisconsin, Walk to End Alzheimer's), and client referrals drive acquisition. Content marketing is delivered via The $trategist newsletter, the Notes from Elm Grove blog, and social profiles on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Instagram, X, Vimeo, Tumblr, and Yelp. Pricing is structured around an ongoing advisory agreement with quarterly reviews and a retainer-based financial planning engagement, with tax preparation as an optional add-on service. The firm has no parent company, no subsidiaries, and has received no external institutional investment.

Name

Liberty Financial Group

Legal name

Liberty Financial Group, Inc.

Website

https://lfgwi.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Liberty Financial Group is a privately held, fee-only fiduciary financial planning and investment advisory firm in Elm Grove, Wisconsin, founded in 1981. It serves individual households in the Milwaukee area — especially pre-retirees ages 40–55 in healthcare and education — with retirement, investment, tax, and financial life planning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Planning & Investment Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Elm Grove

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. Fee-Only Financial Planning & Advisory Services: Liberty Financial Group is paid exclusively by clients — no commissions, referral fees, or outside compensation. The firm charges for time, planning advice, and portfolio management. They offer two primary working relationships: an ongoing advisory agreement (with quarterly summary reports and ongoing financial reviews) and a retainer-based agreement (with pre-paid financial planning reviews). Tax preparation is offered as an optional service.
2. Investment Management / Portfolio Management: Ongoing asset and investment management services provided as part of the advisory relationship. The firm manages investments in a diversified, value-oriented manner with a total portfolio approach. Revenue is derived from ongoing advisory fees charged to clients for portfolio management.
3. Tax Preparation Services: Optional tax preparation service offered to clients, not required as a condition of advisory services. Allows the firm to closely understand clients' complete returns and enhance financial planning. Revenue from this service is supplementary to the core advisory relationship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Liberty Financial Group is a fee-only, fiduciary financial planning and investment advisory firm serving individual clients. The firm delivers retirement planning, financial life planning, investment management, tax planning, and tax preparation services through ongoing advisory agreements and retainer-based engagements. The firm charges for time, planning advice, and portfolio management—accepting no commissions, referral fees, or product-based compensation.

Product overview

Liberty Financial Group is a fee-only, fiduciary financial planning firm offering a unified suite of advisory and planning services. The firm does not sell products or accept commissions, operating exclusively under the fiduciary standard. Its core service portfolio encompasses financial planning, retirement planning, financial life planning, investment management, and tax planning/tax preparation services. These services are delivered through ongoing advisory agreements and retainer-based engagements, incorporating quarterly summary reports and financial reviews. The firm also provides a client portal (Advyzon) and access to financial calculators for client use.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Annex Wealth Management: Wisconsin-based fee-only RIA serving individuals and families with retirement, investment, and financial planning services. Highly comparable in geography (Wisconsin/Milwaukee focus), fiduciary model, and target clientele (pre-retirees and retirees), though larger in scale than LFG.
• SVA Wealth Management: Wisconsin-based wealth management firm offering financial planning, investment management, and tax services to individuals and businesses. Comparable in regional Midwest focus, fiduciary model, and full-service planning approach.
• Ronald Blue Trust: Fee-only Christian-affiliated RIA providing financial planning, investment management, and tax/estate services to individuals. Closely comparable in fiduciary model, comprehensive service offering, and values-driven approach to financial life planning.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Digital-first fee-only RIA delivering financial planning and investment management via remote advisors and technology. Comparable in fee-only fiduciary model and target individual clients, but competing via a tech-enabled, lower-fee delivery model.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only RIA supporting independent advisors with practice management, technology, and investment research. Comparable fiduciary model and target clientele (mass-affluent to high-net-worth individuals); relevant as a potential acquirer/partner given LFG's small-team profile.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., providing fee-only financial planning and investment management to individuals through workplace and direct channels. Comparable in fiduciary model and full-service planning, but with national scale and employer-sponsored distribution.
• Carson Group (Cetera): Large RIA platform providing coaching, technology, and back-office support to affiliated advisory firms. Comparable in client-facing wealth management and financial planning services, with a partner/firm model relevant to LFG's succession planning trajectory.
• Schwab Wealth Advisory: Schwab's fee-based advisory service providing investment management and financial planning through CFP®-assigned advisors. Comparable in fee-based advisory model and individual client focus, but with national scale, integrated custody, and digital delivery.
• Fisher Investments: Large global investment management firm serving individual high-net-worth investors. Comparable in fee-based investment management for individuals, but operates at far greater scale with institutional investment process.
• Creative Planning: Large national fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services. Comparable in pure fee-only fiduciary model and full-service planning offering, but operates at much greater scale across multiple U.S. locations.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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 Liberty Financial Group