What Respond.com does

Respond.com Inc. is a privately held online marketplace, founded in 1998 in Silicon Valley and currently headquartered in Fairfax, Virginia, that connects purchase-ready consumers with vetted financial advisors. Since 2008, the company has operated exclusively in the financial services vertical, offering a free matching service that pairs individual consumers seeking retirement planning, investment management, and wealth management guidance with 2-3 pre-screened financial advisors offering free initial consultations. Advisors are vetted based on industry experience, clean five-year compliance records, and fee-only or fee-based compensation structures; commission-only advisors are excluded. The company is privately owned by TEOCO (acquired in 2003) and is SEC-registered as an investment adviser, with operating offices in the United States and India.

The company's product portfolio centers on the Respond.com matching platform plus seven specialized sub-brands: WiserAdvisor.com (investor education and advisor directory), PaladinRegistry.com (advisor research and vetting), RetirementPlanning.net (retirement-focused content), FinancialAdvisor.net (general advisor directory), FinancialPlanners.net (fee-only planner directory), Indyfin.com (verified reviews and credential validation), and RothIRA.org (Roth IRA-specific education). Each brand functions as both a content/SEO asset and a lead generation channel funneling consumer traffic into the core matching service. The platform historically hosted 60+ directories for industry leaders including Verizon SuperPages and Martindale-Hubbell, evidencing a long-standing platform-as-a-service heritage.

Respond.com generates revenue by charging financial advisors marketing fees to participate in the matching network and receive qualified consumer referrals; the service is free for consumers. The company does not resell consumer personal information, which it positions as a privacy differentiator. There is no disclosed API, mobile application, or AI/ML-based matching technology. With 11-50 employees and no disclosed revenue or funding activity since a 2002 round of $45 million, the company operates as a mature, stable SMB-scale lead generation platform under long-term private ownership.

Name

Respond.com

Legal name

Respond.com Inc.

Website

http://www.respond.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Respond.com is a privately held online marketplace that connects individual consumers seeking financial advice with vetted, fee-based financial advisors. Operating since 1998 and owned by TEOCO since 2003, it runs seven financial content brands and charges advisors marketing fees for qualified referrals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisor Marketplace / Lead Generation

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Loan Brokers (6163)

akta.pro primary industry

Lead Generation, Comparison & Marketplace Platforms (Financial Products) (FSAEAMAM)

akta.pro secondary industry

Price Comparison, Deals, Cashback & Loyalty Shopping Platforms (BPAMAGAH)

Keywords

• Financial advisor matching
• Lead generation platform
• Financial advisor directory
• Retirement planning resources
• Advisor vetting service

Headquarters

HQ city

Fairfax

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisor Lead Generation: Respond.com generates revenue by charging financial advisors marketing fees to participate in their matching network. Advisors pay for leads/referrals generated through the platform when consumers submit requests seeking financial advice. This is the primary revenue stream, with the service being free for consumers.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Respond.com operates an online lead generation and matching marketplace that connects individual consumers seeking financial advice with vetted financial advisors. The platform is free for consumers and generates revenue by charging financial advisors marketing fees to participate in the network and receive qualified referrals. The company operates seven brand properties (WiserAdvisor, Paladin Registry, RetirementPlanning.net, FinancialAdvisor.net, FinancialPlanners.net, Indyfin, and RothIRA.org) that provide financial education content, advisor directories, and matching services.

Product overview

Respond.com operates as a unified platform ecosystem comprising a core lead generation and matching platform (Respond.com) paired with seven specialized sub-brands targeting different segments of the financial advisory market. The core Respond.com platform provides the foundational matching technology and consumer connection services, while the subsidiary brands extend coverage across investor education (WiserAdvisor), advisor research (PaladinRegistry), retirement planning (RetirementPlanning.net, RothIRA.org), advisor discovery (FinancialAdvisor.net, FinancialPlanners.net), and advisor validation with reviews (Indyfin). Each brand functions as both a content resource and lead generation channel, all funneling consumers through Respond's free match service to connect with vetted financial advisors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WiserAdvisor: Online platform helping investors find vetted financial advisors with tools, calculators, and educational content
• Paladin Registry
• RetirementPlanning.net
• FinancialAdvisor.net
• FinancialPlanners.net
• Indyfin
• RothIRA.org

Products and services

• Respond.com A lead generation and advisor matching platform that connects consumers seeking financial advice with vetted financial advisors. The platform offers a free match service providing consumers with financial tips, guides, and verified client reviews.
• WiserAdvisor.com
• PaladinRegistry.com A free online financial research tool enabling investors to explore detailed information about financial advisors and advisory firms, featuring a directory of member advisors who passed a stringent vetting process, research reports, and a match service for interviewing up to 3 financial advisors.
• RetirementPlanning.net An online resource focused on retirement planning, providing comprehensive information on saving, budgeting, investing, and spending wisely. Includes a blog covering IRAs, 401ks, Social Security, Estate Planning, and a free match service with retirement advisors offering initial consultations.
• FinancialAdvisor.net An online directory of registered financial advisors and digital guide helping consumers understand financial advisor roles, services, designations, and costs, with tools and resources for navigating advisory services and connecting with pre-screened registered advisors.
• FinancialPlanners.net An online guide for financial planning and directory of financial planners and advisors, providing financial articles and blog posts, with access to vetted fee-only or fee-based advisors (commission-only advisors excluded).
• Indyfin.com An online investor experience platform enabling consumers to find, research, and connect with financial advisors. Provides verified client reviews and ratings, independent validation of advisor credentials and work history, and a personalized match service for comparing up to 3 advisors with no obligation to hire.
• RothIRA.org A comprehensive online guide focused on informing consumers about Roth IRAs and retirement planning, covering Roth IRA creation, withdrawal rules, distribution, and comparisons with traditional IRAs. Offers retirement calculators, regularly updated articles, and a free financial advisor match service.

Quantifiable outcome

• Consumers can connect with and interview up to 3 financial advisors with no obligation to hire
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Investopedia: Massive financial education and content platform owned by Dotdash Meredith; competes for the same content/SEO real estate as Respond's brand portfolio and indirectly for consumer attention before advisor matching.
• Morningstar: Investment research and advisor data platform with a public-facing advisor directory and matching services; an incumbent competitor in connecting consumers with investment professionals.
• Bankrate: Long-standing financial comparison and content platform owned by Red Ventures; competes with Respond across financial content, advisor directories, and consumer lead generation.
• Finder: Consumer comparison platform spanning financial products, credit cards, and advisor-related content; competes with Respond for SEO-driven financial-intent traffic and lead generation.

Direct peers

• NerdWallet: Public consumer finance platform with advisor matching, content, and comparison tools across financial products; competes head-to-head with Respond's multi-brand content and matching model.
• SmartAsset: Operates a leading financial advisor matching marketplace connecting consumers to vetted advisors across multiple specialties; directly competes with Respond's core matching service at significantly larger scale.
• WiserAdvisor: Respond.com's own sub-brand and the most direct representation of its core advisor matching product; included here as the proprietary anchor brand within Respond's portfolio.

Emerging players

• Harness Wealth: Digital platform matching high-net-worth individuals with vetted financial advisors and tax professionals; overlaps with Respond's premium tier of advisor matching.
• Zoe Financial: Curated fee-only financial advisor matching platform with rigorous vetting standards closely resembling Respond's vetting model; an emerging competitor in the same fee-only advisor niche.
• Moneywise: Personal finance content and comparison platform that competes with Respond's brand properties for SEO traffic across retirement and financial planning keywords.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/respondcom
• Facebookfacebook.com/respondcom
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/respond_2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds2 records

Investors10 records

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 Respond.com