Straightline

What Straightline does

StraightLine Group, LLC is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm headquartered in Troy, Michigan, founded in 2002 and operating under CRD no. 127401. The firm is fee-based and operates with a fiduciary standard, providing financial planning, investment advisory, portfolio management, retirement planning (including 403(b), 401(k), and 457 plans), tax planning, and estate planning services. Its client base spans individuals and families, employer-sponsored retirement plan participants, and plan sponsors, with a particular specialization in serving faculty and staff at colleges, universities, and nonprofit institutions through 403(b) retirement plans.

StraightLine's service delivery is built around its proprietary Three-Pillar Process (Educate, Plan, Invest) and is supported by a customized technology stack that includes third-party planning tools (MoneyGuidePro with MyBlocks), a client portal (Tamarac), and custodial services from Charles Schwab. Channel partnerships with TIAA and Fidelity enable plan administration for the 403(b) market, while a subadvisory relationship with SkyView Investment Advisors supplies institutional research and portfolio management support. In February 2026 the firm extended its offering through a collaboration with Financial Wellness Labs/Questis, integrating financial wellness education into its core advisory services.

The firm generates revenue primarily through advisory fees on a subscription/recurring basis, with no publicly disclosed pricing schedule. It employs a sales-led distribution model combining direct advisor consultation and employer-sponsored plan relationships, supported by a content marketing program (StraightTalk blog, quarterly newsletter, Vimeo video content) and earned media presence in financial publications. Headcount is 11-50 employees across three offices (Troy, MI; East Lansing, MI; Findlay, OH). The firm has been recognized in CNBC's FA 100 ranking, Financial Advisor magazine's RIA Survey, and the Five Star Wealth Managers award.

Name

Straightline

Legal name

StraightLine Group, LLC

Website

https://straightline.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

StraightLine Group is an SEC-registered, fee-based investment advisory firm specializing in 403(b) retirement plans for higher education and nonprofit institutions, also serving individuals and families with financial planning, investment advisory, and portfolio management services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Troy

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory Fees: StraightLine operates as a fee-based registered investment advisor where clients pay directly for financial planning, portfolio management, and investment advisory services. The firm is compensated by clients for the services provided, adhering to fiduciary standards.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

StraightLine is a fee-based, SEC-registered investment advisory firm that delivers financial planning, investment advisory, and retirement plan services built around its proprietary Three-Pillar Process (Educate, Plan, Invest). The firm serves individuals, families, and employer-sponsored retirement plans, with a specialized focus on 403(b) plans at higher education and nonprofit institutions. Client engagement combines personalized advisor consultations with goals-based planning tools such as MoneyGuidePro.

Product overview

StraightLine is a fee-based, SEC-registered investment advisory firm that operates as a unified financial services practice rather than a modular software platform. The firm offers an integrated suite of financial planning, investment advisory, and retirement planning services built around its proprietary Three-Pillar Process (Educate, Plan, Invest). Core offerings include financial planning for individuals and families, investment advisory with portfolio management, and specialized 403(b) retirement plan services for higher education and nonprofit institutions. The firm has expanded its employer-sponsored retirement plan capabilities through a partnership with Financial Wellness Labs/Questis, integrating financial wellness education with traditional planning services. Client-facing tools include the MoneyGuide Pro portal with goals-based planning functionality, online account management, and educational content through the StraightTalk blog and quarterly market updates.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Services Comprehensive financial planning for individuals and families covering goal-setting, retirement planning, tax planning, estate planning, and investment strategy development, delivered through the StraightLine Three-Pillar Process (Educate, Plan, Invest).
• Investment Advisory Services Ongoing portfolio management and investment advisory delivered under a fiduciary approach, leveraging institutional research from SkyView Investment Advisors and tailored to individual client goals and risk profiles.
• 403(b) Retirement Plan Services Specialized retirement plan advisory for higher education and nonprofit institutions, including 403(b), 401(k), and 457 plans, delivered in coordination with plan administrators such as TIAA and Fidelity to provide participant-level fiduciary guidance and plan sponsor support.
• Financial Wellness Integration Integrated financial wellness education offering for employer-sponsored retirement plans, combining technology-based education through the Questis platform with access to human financial coaches, designed to enhance employee financial wellbeing, workforce resilience, and retirement readiness.

Quantifiable outcome

• Enhanced employee wellbeing and retirement readiness for plan participants
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Financial Wellness Labs, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 February 2026StraightLine announced a collaboration with Financial Wellness Labs, Inc., parent company of Questis, to integrate financial wellness education with its traditional financial planning and investment advisory services. The integration aims to enhance employee financial well-being, especially within 403(b) retirement plans at higher education and nonprofit institutions. The enhanced approach supports employee wellbeing, workforce resilience, and retirement readiness while helping organizations attract and retain talent.
• SkyView Investment Advisors, LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationSkyView Investment Advisors, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser and business partner of StraightLine Group. SkyView serves as a subadviser for certain StraightLine accounts and provides market research to StraightLine.
• Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationCharles Schwab serves as the custodial platform for StraightLine client accounts, providing brokerage and account management services.
• MoneyGuidecoreTechnology or IntegrationMoneyGuide provides goals-based financial planning software (MyBlocks and My Plan functionality) that StraightLine offers to clients for creating financial roadmaps and planning.
• TIAAcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorTIAA is a plan administrator for 403(b) retirement plans served by StraightLine. StraightLine works with plan administrators to provide advisory services to employees at colleges, universities, and nonprofit institutions.
• FidelitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFidelity is a plan administrator for retirement plans served by StraightLine, providing recordkeeping and administrative services for employer-sponsored retirement plans.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Greenleaf Trust: Michigan-based wealth management firm serving high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutions in the Midwest. Regional competitor for individual financial planning clients in StraightLine's home geography.
• Plante Moran Financial Advisors: Michigan-based RIA affiliated with Plante Moran accounting firm, serving individuals, families, and employer plans in the Midwest. Regional overlap with StraightLine's Troy/East Lansing/Findlay footprint.

Broad incumbents

• TIAA Personal Advisor: TIAA's in-house advisory service for higher ed and nonprofit participants. Competes head-to-head with StraightLine's participant-level advice for the same 403(b) plan population.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large independent RIA combining financial planning with employer-sponsored retirement plan participant advice. Targets the same individual investor and workplace plan segments as StraightLine.
• Fidelity Wealth Services: Incumbent recordkeeper and advisor for 403(b)/401(k) plans with in-house participant advisory offerings. Direct competitor via the same Fidelity plans StraightLine services as a third-party advisor.
• Ameriprise Financial: Large retail wealth and retirement advisor with broad 403(b)/401(k) capabilities across higher ed and nonprofits. Competes for the same employer-sponsored participants as StraightLine at much greater scale.
• Vanguard Personal Advisor Services: Low-cost incumbent RIA serving retirement plan participants across 401(k)/403(b) plans. Competes on price and brand for the same individual participant end-customers.

Direct peers

• SageView Advisory: Retirement plan-focused RIA with deep higher education and nonprofit 403(b) book. Closely mirrors StraightLine's niche specialization, fee-based fiduciary model, and participant advisory approach.
• CAPTRUST: Large RIA specializing in retirement plan advisory for higher education, healthcare, and corporate plans. Most directly comparable to StraightLine on 403(b)/employer plan focus and fiduciary participant-level guidance.
• OneDigital: National benefits and retirement plan advisory firm with a higher education and nonprofit practice. Comparable employer-sponsored plan offering and financial wellness integration model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubevimeo.com/channels/straightline
• Facebookfacebook.com/StraightLine.Educate.Plan.Invest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/straightline
• Instagraminstagram.com/straightlinefinancial

Compliance1 record

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 Straightline