Acropolis Investment Management, LLC

What Acropolis Investment Management, LLC does

Acropolis Investment Management is a fee-only fiduciary registered investment advisor headquartered in Chesterfield, Missouri, serving high-net-worth individuals, institutional investors, and employer-sponsored retirement plans across 41 U.S. states. Founded in 1999 by former Mark Twain Bank executives Chris Lissner, Dannelle Ward, and David Ott (who purchased the predecessor firm Evertrade Advisors from Everbank in 2002), the firm manages $3.25 billion in total AUM/AUA as of December 31, 2025, split across $2.478 billion in private client AUM, $133.8 million in institutional AUM, and $615 million in retirement plan assets under advisement. The minimum relationship size is $1 million, and the firm operates with 50 employees (44 full-time plus 6 partners) averaging 8+ years of tenure, supported by 14 CFP professionals, 3 CFA charterholders, and 3 CPAs.

The firm's core service lines are Private Client Wealth Management, Institutional Wealth Management, and Retirement Plan Services, supplemented by Business Transition Planning via the A.B.L.E. program and Strategic Planning for Banks through the Bank Services Group. The investment process is built on Modern Portfolio Theory and academic research, and the firm invests its own capital alongside clients using the same strategies. Its primary proprietary technology is the Acropolis Financial Forecaster (AFF), a trademarked financial planning tool in commercial use since 2003 that supports goal-setting, scenario modeling, and client advisory workflows. Distribution is relationship-driven and direct: each client works with a dedicated team of advisors via face-to-face meetings, complemented by content marketing through a blog, email newsletter, LinkedIn, and X.

The firm generates revenue exclusively through advisory fees on a subscription basis, with no commissions on recommended investments and full fee transparency. Acropolis is SEC-registered and earned CEFEX certification in 2009, placing it among a few hundred certified RIAs out of approximately 12,000 in the United States. Client custody and trade execution are handled through two established broker-dealer partners. The firm is privately held by its partners with no disclosed parent company or private equity backing, and operational continuity has been maintained through the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic without employee layoffs.

Name

Acropolis Investment Management, LLC

Legal name

Acropolis Investment Management, LLC

Website

https://acrinv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1999

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Acropolis Investment Management is a fee-only fiduciary RIA in Chesterfield, Missouri managing $3.25 billion across private wealth, institutional, and retirement plan clients in 41 U.S. states, anchored by a $1 million minimum and a 50-person advisory team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Institutional Consulting RIAs (OCIO/Endowments/Foundations/Pensions) (FSAAACAG)

Keywords

• Investment management services
• Wealth management advisory
• Retirement plan consulting
• Fiduciary financial planning
• Institutional asset management

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory Fees: Fee-only fiduciary registered investment advisor. The firm charges advisory fees for investment management and wealth planning services. Acropolis does not recommend investments where clients pay a commission and is completely transparent about fee structure. Works with two established, secure broker-dealers to custody client funds and execute trades.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Acropolis Investment Management is a fee-only fiduciary registered investment advisor providing investment management and wealth planning services to high-net-worth individuals, institutional investors (endowments, foundations, banks, not-for-profits), and employer-sponsored retirement plan sponsors. The firm operates a research-based investment philosophy grounded in Modern Portfolio Theory and supports its services with the proprietary Acropolis Financial Forecaster (AFF) planning tool. It manages $3.25 billion in total AUM/AUA across 41 U.S. states from its Chesterfield, Missouri headquarters.

Product overview

Acropolis Investment Management offers a unified wealth management platform with three core service lines: Private Client Wealth Management for high-net-worth individuals, Institutional Wealth Management for endowments and foundations, and Retirement Plan Services for employer-sponsored plans. Additional offerings include Business Transition Planning through the A.B.L.E. (Acropolis Business Liquidity for Entrepreneurs) program and Strategic Planning for Banks via the Bank Services Group. The platform also includes the proprietary Acropolis Financial Forecaster (AFF) tool for goal-setting and financial planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Acropolis Financial Forecaster (AFF): A financial forecasting tool developed by Acropolis to help clients define their goals and objectives.
• Acropolis Retirement Plan Solutions
• A.B.L.E. (Acropolis Business Liquidity for Entrepreneurs)
• Bank Services Group

Products and services

• Private Client Wealth Management

Quantifiable outcome

• Survived 2008 financial crisis with no employee layoffs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Two Established Broker-DealerscoreOthersAcropolis works with two established, secure broker-dealers to take custody of client funds and execute trades. These partnerships enable the firm to safeguard client assets while maintaining its fee-only advisory model.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Moneta Group: Independently owned, fee-only RIA serving HNW individuals, families, and institutions with multiple service lines including retirement plan consulting — closely comparable to Acropolis on model, client base, and St. Louis-area roots.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only fiduciary RIA serving HNW clients nationwide with research-driven portfolio management, team-based advisory model, and similar credentials-heavy staffing profile to Acropolis.
• Carson Group: Fast-growing RIA platform serving independent advisors and HNW clients with fee-only advisory, retirement plan, and institutional services — direct overlap with Acropolis's three core service lines.
• Mercer Advisors: National RIA offering wealth management, retirement plan, and institutional investment services with a fiduciary model and team-based client coverage — comparable multi-segment fee-only RIA in similar AUM tier.
• Steward Partners Global Advisory: Employee-owned RIA platform offering wealth management, retirement plan, and institutional services — directly comparable fee-only fiduciary RIA with multi-service-line model.
• Captrust Financial Advisors: Fee-only RIA providing investment advisory and wealth planning to HNW individuals, foundations, endowments, and retirement plans — direct overlap with Acropolis's institutional and private client segments.
• Creative Planning: Fee-only RIA providing wealth management, retirement plan, and institutional services to HNW individuals and businesses — comparable mid-market fee-only fiduciary model with similar service-line breadth.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National fee-only RIA serving HNW individuals, families, and institutions with team-based advisory, retirement plan services, and proprietary planning tools — comparable model and service architecture to Acropolis.

Broad incumbents

• Focus Financial Partners: Large multi-affiliated RIA platform providing scale, capital, and operational support to independent fee-only RIAs across wealth, institutional, and retirement segments — broader incumbent aggregating similar RIA businesses.
• Edward Jones: St. Louis-headquartered wealth management firm with HNW and mass-affluent advisory offerings, retirement plan services, and institutional capabilities — same geographic roots and partially overlapping client base as Acropolis.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/acropolisinvest
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/acropolis-investment-management-llc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Acropolis Investment Management, LLC