What Stepp & Rothwell does

Stepp & Rothwell, Inc. is a fee-only, fiduciary Registered Investment Adviser providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management to approximately 300 families nationwide. Founded in 1997 in Overland Park, Kansas by Kathy Stepp, CPA, CFP®, and Howard Rothwell, the firm operates on a flat retainer model — $7,500 plus 0.50% of assets under management, billed quarterly — with no minimum investment size, targeting households typically aged 20 through 90+ with net worth between $1 million and $5 million. Services are delivered as a single, non-modular offering covering investment management, retirement, tax, estate, education, insurance, cash flow, and charitable-giving planning, coordinated with each client's outside attorneys and accountants; the firm does not sell products, does not accept commissions, and does not prepare tax returns or legal documents.

The underlying technology stack is intentionally thin and third-party: Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. serves as custodian and provides the portfolio-accounting and client-data software the firm uses to manage discretionary accounts, a relationship that has been in place for over 25 years. There is no proprietary planning software, no mobile or web consumer application, and no disclosed AI/ML capability; client engagement is conducted through introductory no-obligation meetings, onboarding, and recurring quarterly in-person or video/phone reviews with on-demand advisor access.

Go-to-market is consultative and reputation-driven rather than paid-marketing-led: prospective clients schedule an introductory meeting, after which the firm provides client references and proceeds to onboarding. New households are sourced through WDAF-TV Fox 4 (weekly segment), recurring national media placements (Bloomberg, Forbes, Fortune, Kiplinger's, WSJ, Money, etc.), the firm's SteppUp newsletter, and community/board involvement. The firm is owned and operated as a partnership by four principals — Kathy Stepp and Howard Rothwell (Founders), Ken Eaton, CFA, CFP® (Principal/Owner since 1995), and Amy Guerich (Principal/Owner since 2022) — supported by a 21-person team of CFP®-, CFA®- and CPA®-credentialed planners, planning associates, and operations staff, with no outside venture or private-equity capital disclosed.

Name

Stepp & Rothwell

Legal name

Stepp & Rothwell, Inc.

Website

https://steppandrothwell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Stepp & Rothwell is a fee-only, fiduciary RIA in Overland Park, Kansas providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management on a $7,500 + 0.50% AUM retainer to approximately 300 HNW families nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

akta.pro secondary industries

Tax-Aware Investment Planning (FSAEAAAE), Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD), Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE)

Keywords

• Fee-only financial planning
• Investment advisory services
• Wealth management
• Retirement planning
• Estate planning analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Overland Park

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. Annual Retainer Fee (Fee-Only Financial Planning): Stepp & Rothwell is a fee-only RIA compensated exclusively by clients. The firm charges an annual retainer fee consisting of $7,500 plus 0.50% of all investment assets under management, payable quarterly. The fee covers all services including investment management, financial planning, tax planning, estate planning analysis, and quarterly review meetings. The firm does not sell financial products, does not receive sales commissions on any financial product or service, and does not prepare income tax returns or legal documents.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Stepp & Rothwell, Inc. is a fee-only Registered Investment Adviser that delivers comprehensive, objective financial planning and investment management under a single annual retainer engagement. Services cover investment management, financial independence and retirement planning, estate planning analysis, tax planning, cash flow management, risk management, education funding, and charitable giving, delivered through quarterly review meetings and ongoing advisor access. The firm charges an annual retainer of $7,500 plus 0.50% of assets under management, billed quarterly, and does not sell financial products or accept sales commissions.

Product overview

Stepp & Rothwell, Inc. is a fee-only financial planning and investment advisory firm that provides comprehensive financial planning services as a single, unified offering rather than a modular platform. The firm's core service encompasses all aspects of financial planning—including investment management, retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning, cash flow management, risk management, education funding, and charitable giving—delivered through an annual retainer fee model ($7,500 plus 0.50% of investment assets). All services are provided as part of the comprehensive fee-only financial planning service; the firm does not offer discrete products, sub-products, or modules that can be purchased separately.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Comprehensive Fee-Only Financial Planning Retainer Annual retainer engagement for individuals and families delivering integrated, objective financial planning and investment management covering investment management, financial independence and retirement planning, estate planning analysis, tax planning, cash flow management, risk management, education funding, wealth accumulation and preservation, and charitable giving, including quarterly review meetings and unlimited advisor access. Pricing: $7,500 base plus 0.50% of AUM, billed quarterly; no minimum investment size.

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationStepp & Rothwell uses Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. as the custodian for client accounts for which the firm has discretionary management authority. The firm has worked with Schwab for over 25 years. Clients establish accounts in their own name at Schwab and authorize the firm to carry out transactions on a discretionary basis. The firm does not take custody of any client assets. The only material benefit received from Schwab is software that allows the firm to access client data and manage portfolio accounting.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Creative Planning: Overland Park-based fee-only RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, and investment advisory services to HNW individuals and families. Comparable fee-only fiduciary model and Kansas City footprint, with much greater scale and broader service offerings.
• Wespath Benefits / Everest (United Methodist-affiliated RIA): Faith-aligned fee-only RIA providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management services to clergy and HNW households. Comparable full-service retainer model and fiduciary positioning in a similar HNW niche.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Overland Park, Kansas-based RIA serving HNW and ultra-HNW families with comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services. Directly comparable in geographic market and fee-only advisory model, though significantly larger in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Mercer Advisors: National RIA providing fee-only comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and wealth advisory services to HNW households. Comparable fee-only fiduciary positioning with a broader geographic footprint and consolidator-driven scale.
• Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering fee-only financial planning and investment management to a broad HNW client base. Comparable fee-only advisory philosophy, though operating at significantly larger scale with hybrid digital-human delivery.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Tech-enabled fee-only RIA offering flat-fee comprehensive financial planning and investment management to HNW individuals nationwide. Comparable fee-only fiduciary model with a digitally native delivery model competing for the same $1M-$5M net worth segment.
• Personal Capital (now Empower Personal Dashboard): Hybrid digital RIA combining technology-driven portfolio management with human advisor access for HNW individuals. Comparable fee-based fiduciary advisory model with broader technology-enabled delivery competing on convenience and price.

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning and evidence-based investment management to HNW individuals nationwide. Comparable retainer-style fee model, fiduciary-only positioning, and target client profile.
• Ronald Blue Trust: National fee-only Christian RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and wealth advisory services to HNW individuals and families. Comparable retainer/fee-only fiduciary structure with similar service scope.
• Carson Group (now Carson Wealth): Network of independent fee-only advisor firms providing financial planning, investment management, and practice management support. Similar fee-only fiduciary philosophy and HNW target segment, though operating through a partnership/network model at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths1 record

Weaknesses1 record

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/steppandrothwell

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Stepp & Rothwell