Intrinsic Financial Design

What Intrinsic Financial Design does

Intrinsic Financial Design Group is a privately held, independent financial advisory firm headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, serving individual clients and families, with a particular focus on those navigating life transitions such as divorce, loss of a partner, and retirement. The firm was originally founded by Stephen (Steve) Waechter in 1980 and was rebranded under its current name in 2018 when Sophia Lanting, his daughter and a CFP® and CDFA® professional, took over as Founding Partner and Wealth Advisor. The practice is structured as a small, predominantly woman-led team (1-10 employees, 3 named professionals) operating from a single office and is self-positioned as a rarity in the industry as a woman-led, mom-run financial planning firm.

The firm offers a comprehensive suite of wealth management services, including Comprehensive Financial Planning, Investment Management, Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Education Planning, Business Succession Strategies, Risk Management, Post-Retirement Income Planning, and Charitable Giving Strategies. Two specialized service lines — Divorce Financial Planning (delivered by a CDFA®-certified advisor) and Loss of a Loved One Planning — differentiate the firm around specific client life events. Underlying technology is entirely third-party: eMoney powers client-facing financial planning pages, Investor360 provides account aggregation, statements, document sharing, and secure messaging, OnceHub handles scheduling, and Microsoft Teams hosts the firm's webinar series. Securities and advisory services are offered through Commonwealth Financial Network, a third-party broker-dealer and registered investment adviser, making this a service affiliation rather than an ownership relationship.

The business model is asset-based recurring advisory fees tied to household AUM under a tiered (declining) fee schedule, billed annually. Go-to-market is direct, sales-led advisory engagement: a 3-appointment financial planning process over 6-8 weeks with ongoing check-ins, supported by content marketing (blog, resource center, financial calculators) and a webinar series co-hosted with major institutional partners. The client base is a horizontal, long-tail set of affluent individuals and families concentrated in the Greeley, Colorado region, with no disclosed customer logos, AUM figures, or revenue.

Name

Intrinsic Financial Design

Legal name

Intrinsic Financial Design Group

Website

https://intrinsicfdg.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Intrinsic Financial Design Group is a privately held, woman-led independent financial advisory firm in Greeley, Colorado, offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and specialized divorce and loss-of-loved-one planning to individual clients and families navigating life transitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management & Financial Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA), Retirement Planning & Long-Term Financial Planning Tools (FSAGADAI), Family Wealth & Multi-Generational Planning RIAs (HNW/UHNW-lite) (FSAAACAH)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Greeley

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. Asset Management Fees: Asset-based fee for managing client funds; fee schedule is dependent on the amount of funds managed for the household and generally decreases as the dollar amount goes up.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Intrinsic Financial Design Group is a private wealth advisory firm that delivers comprehensive, values-based financial planning for individuals and families navigating life transitions. Its core offering combines financial planning, investment management, retirement, estate, tax, education, risk management, and business succession planning under a fiduciary model, with specialized services for divorce and loss-of-a-loved-one situations.

Product overview

Intrinsic Financial Design Group is a predominantly woman-led financial advisory firm offering a unified suite of financial planning services. The core offering centers on Comprehensive Financial Planning, supported by Investment Management, Retirement Planning, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Education Planning, Business Succession Strategies, Risk Management, Post-Retirement Income Planning, and Charitable Giving Strategies. The firm also provides two specialized services — Divorce Financial Planning (delivered by a CDFA-certified advisor) and Loss of a Loved One Planning — addressing specific life transitions. Clients access planning tools via eMoney and manage accounts through Investor360, with webinars hosted via Microsoft Teams and scheduling through OnceHub.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Comprehensive Financial Planning Core service that aligns clients' money with their values, goals, and life priorities through a collaborative planning process involving active listening, planning, and ongoing guidance through life's transitions.
• Investment Management Portfolio management service that applies principles and strategies tailored to clients' risk tolerance, time horizon, and investment goals.
• Retirement Planning Planning service for retirement income sources including qualified retirement plans, Social Security, personal savings, and investments, structured as a 3-appointment process over 6–8 weeks with ongoing check-ins.
• Estate Planning Estate management service that enables clients to control the distribution of wealth after death, address healthcare wishes, and designate someone to manage their financial affairs if incapacitated.
• Tax Planning Tax strategy and preparation service covering tax bill management, tax-efficient investing, and coordination with clients' CPAs and attorneys.
• Education Planning Planning service for education expenses, including 529 college savings plans, account fundamentals, investment options, and qualified education expenses.
• Business Succession Strategies Strategy service for business owners planning the transition of business ownership and control.
• Risk Management Insurance strategy service protecting families from the financial consequences of life's events, including personal insurance, liability insurance, and life insurance.
• Post-Retirement Income Planning Planning service for income during retirement, including strategies for sustainable withdrawals and managing healthcare costs.
• Charitable Giving Strategies Strategy service for supporting charitable causes while optimizing tax benefits, including donor-advised funds and charitable foundations.
• Divorce Financial Planning Specialized planning service for individuals going through divorce, led by a CDFA-certified advisor, covering analysis of retirement plans, real estate, businesses, trusts, and inheritance to set realistic expectations and educate clients on their financial life post-divorce.
• Loss of a Loved One Planning Compassionate guidance service for individuals navigating finances after the loss of a loved one, including review of accounts, assets, income sources, and immediate next steps.
• Financial Calculators Interactive financial planning tools available through the firm's resource center for various planning calculations, supporting the broader advisory offering.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Commonwealth Financial NetworkcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecurities and advisory services offered through Commonwealth Financial Network, member FINRA and SIPC, a Registered Investment Adviser. Fixed insurance products and services are separate from and not offered through Commonwealth.
• T. Rowe PriceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted Market Outlook 2026 webinar providing economic outlook, investment implications, and asset allocation viewpoints.
• Columbia ThreadneedleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted webinar on emotional investment decisions and protecting against making poor investment decisions.
• TransamericaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCohosted Medicare overview webinar providing information on costs, best coverage, and enrollment strategies.
• JP MorganminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosted July Wisdom Wednesday webinar providing 2026 market midyear check-in overview.
• Colorado Financial Planning AssociationminorOthersProfessional organization membership for staying sharp through industry development and networking.
• Women of CommonwealthminorOthersProfessional network within Commonwealth Financial Network supporting women in the financial industry.
• CFP® CommunityminorOthersProfessional community of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® professionals for continued education and best practices.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Independent broker-dealer/RIA and Intrinsic's core service affiliate providing custody, compliance, supervision, and back-office support. Included as an enabling partner rather than a competitor, since Intrinsic's entire operational stack runs through Commonwealth.

Broad incumbents

• Creative Planning: Large independent RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, retirement, estate, and tax planning to affluent households. Overlaps with Intrinsic across nearly every service line but at vastly greater scale and with a national footprint.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement planning for affluent households. Comparable in service breadth and target client to Intrinsic, but operates at significantly greater scale with hybrid digital+advisor delivery.
• Mercer Advisors: National RIA specializing in comprehensive wealth management, retirement, estate, and tax planning for households and trusts. Directly comparable service mix and affluent target segment as Intrinsic, but with an M&A-rollup scale advantage.
• Carson Group: RIA support and partnership platform providing independent advisors with technology, back-office, and growth resources. Comparable firm model to Commonwealth-affiliated RIAs like Intrinsic, particularly in how it enables advisor-led practices to scale comprehensive financial planning.
• Focus Financial Partners: RIA aggregator and partnership platform supporting independent advisor firms with capital, operations, and M&A roll-up. Comparable as an alternative scaling path for firms like Intrinsic seeking acquisition-led growth.
• Northwestern Mutual: Large incumbent providing comprehensive financial planning, insurance, retirement, and investment services. Overlaps with Intrinsic on retirement, estate, education, and risk management planning but at massive scale and through captive advisor model.
• Empower (formerly Personal Capital): Hybrid digital+advisor wealth management platform serving affluent households with planning, investment management, and retirement tools. Represents the digital-first competitive benchmark Intrinsic faces from tech-enabled incumbents.

Emerging players

• Ellevest: Woman-focused financial planning and investment platform explicitly built around female clients and life transitions including career breaks, divorce, and retirement. Highly comparable to Intrinsic's woman-led, transition-focused positioning.
• Facet Wealth: Digital-first RIA providing comprehensive financial planning through a remote advisor model targeting affluent households. Represents the technological/delivery model that traditional RIAs like Intrinsic compete against as client expectations shift digital.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Intrinsicfdg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/intrinsicfdg

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Intrinsic Financial Design