The Bulfinch Group

What The Bulfinch Group does

The Bulfinch Group is an independent, privately held wealth management and financial services firm founded in 1994 by Seth Medalie and headquartered in Needham, Massachusetts. It operates as a multi-office, team-based advisory practice serving individuals, families, business owners, and a specialized medical-professional client segment across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, with offices in Needham (HQ), Topsfield, Portsmouth (under The Guyton Group sub-brand), and Westbrook (under Northern NE Associates sub-brand). The firm employs over 100 associates, including more than 100 financial representatives, and holds senior leadership bench depth through named partners Seth Medalie, Kevin Schneider, Thomas Harmon, and Douglas Reiss.

The firm's service portfolio is organized into three core client modules — You & Your Family (holistic personal financial planning), Your Business (corporate benefits, 401(k) design, executive benefits, succession planning), and Your Medical Practice (a specialized practice for physicians and dentists with 25+ years of average domain experience). Its principal client-facing technology is The Living Balance Sheet®, a Guardian-licensed secure dashboard that aggregates each client's full financial picture (cash flow, investments, insurance, estate). Securities and advisory services are fulfilled through Park Avenue Securities LLC, a FINRA member and wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian Life; life insurance is distributed through the affiliated The Bulfinch Group Insurance Agency, LLC, which operates as the largest Guardian Life & Disability Insurance Brokerage in New England, having insured over 13,000 lives and 1,500+ businesses.

Revenue is generated through three primary streams: securities and advisory commissions/fees routed via PAS, life and disability insurance commissions through the affiliated insurance agency, and ongoing wealth-management/financial-planning fees. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The firm is explicitly not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian despite acting as a Guardian agency, and is privately held with partner-style insider equity. The Bulfinch Group Charitable Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit established in 2013, supports community grant-making across New England but is not a revenue source. Growth has historically been organic and via team-style tuck-ins, most notably the 2016 merger of Wellesley Financial Group.

Name

The Bulfinch Group

Legal name

The Bulfinch Group, LLC

Website

https://bulfinchgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The Bulfinch Group is an independent, privately held wealth management and financial planning firm founded in 1994 in Needham, Massachusetts, serving individuals, families, business owners, and medical professionals across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine through a 100-plus-representative team operating under a Guardian Life / Park Avenue Securities distribution model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Client Custody & Brokerage (Execution, Reporting, Safekeeping) (FSAAABAN)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hybrid Advice (Advisor + Digital) Platforms (FSAAAAAE)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Financial planning advisory
• Insurance brokerage services
• Retirement income planning
• Estate planning advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Needham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

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. Securities & Advisory Commissions/Fees: Securities products and advisory services are offered through Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS), a FINRA member and wholly-owned subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America. Revenue to The Bulfinch Group flows from commissions and fees on these transactions.
2. Insurance Commissions (Life, Disability, Long-Term Care): Life insurance and disability income insurance products are offered through The Bulfinch Group Insurance Agency, LLC (an affiliate of The Bulfinch Group, LLC) and through Guardian Life. Brokers and disability income specialists generate commissions on these products.
3. Wealth Management & Financial Planning Fees: Ongoing comprehensive wealth management services — investment management, retirement income planning, tax-efficient planning, estate planning, education planning, and cash flow management — billed through Guardian/PAS channels.
4. Brokerage & Disability Income Specialist Commissions: Brokerage Manager oversees a brokerage operation generating commissions from Life and Disability Insurance placements across New England (the largest Guardian Life and Disability Insurance Brokerage operation in the region), serving both clients and other financial advisors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Core offering

The Bulfinch Group is an independent wealth management and financial planning firm that delivers personalized investment strategies, retirement income planning, tax-efficient planning, estate planning, risk protection, education funding, and business continuation planning to individuals, families, business owners, and medical professionals across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine. Securities and advisory services are fulfilled through Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS), and life insurance is delivered through the affiliated The Bulfinch Group Insurance Agency, LLC. The firm's client-facing platform is The Living Balance Sheet®, a Guardian-licensed dashboard that aggregates each client's full financial picture.

Product overview

The Bulfinch Group operates a single, unified wealth management and financial planning practice (founded 1994) delivered through a team-based, branch-office advisory model rather than a modular SaaS product. Its client-facing offering is anchored by The Living Balance Sheet® — a secure Guardian-licensed financial dashboard that aggregates each client's full financial picture — wrapped around service modules targeted at three client segments: "You & Your Family" (individual & family planning), "Your Business" (business planning, 401(k)s, executive benefits, succession), and "Your Medical Practice" (specialized planning for physicians and dentists). The Bulfinch Group Insurance Agency, LLC delivers life insurance as an affiliated agency, and Bulfinch Group Investments provides a dedicated investment-site front door. A separate The Bulfinch Group Charitable Foundation (501(c)(3) nonprofit, est. 2013) supports community grants. Supporting tools include a Disability Insurance Quote intake and an On Track goal-discovery questionnaire; the broader Resource Center adds an FMG-powered library of articles, videos, and calculators across retirement, investment, estate, insurance, tax, money, and lifestyle topics. Securities and advisory services are fulfilled through Park Avenue Securities LLC (FINRA member) and Guardian Life Insurance, both disclosed on the homepage.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Guyton Group: Sub-brand/team within The Bulfinch Group operating the Portsmouth, NH office at One New Hampshire Avenue, Suite 122, Pease International Tradeport.
• Northern NE Associates
• The Bulfinch Group Charitable Foundation

Products and services

• You & Your Family Planning Personal financial planning service for individuals and families that takes a holistic view of income, taxes, investments, and estate plans to build and preserve wealth. Areas of expertise include investment management, wealth building, tax-efficient planning, retirement income planning, risk protection, cash flow management, estate planning, and education/special needs planning.
• Business Planning & Benefits Solutions Business-focused financial planning offering that combines corporate benefits management (group life, health, disability, retirement plans), 401(k) plan design, key employee insurance, selective executive benefits, and business continuation/transition planning for closely held and family-owned businesses. Includes complimentary business valuation support.
• Your Medical Practice Specialized financial planning practice for medical and dental professionals across career stages (student, resident, hospital-affiliated physician, private practitioner, healthcare administrator). Services cover liability/risk protection, cash flow optimization, student loan and debt management, wealth building, and tax/retirement/estate planning.
• Life & Disability Insurance Brokerage Guardian Life and Disability Insurance Brokerage operation serving clients and other financial advisors throughout the United States. Delivers life insurance and disability income insurance placements, with dedicated intake via the Disability Insurance Quote page and supervision by the Brokerage Manager & Disability Income Supervisor.
• The Bulfinch Group Insurance Agency, LLC Licensed insurance affiliate of The Bulfinch Group, LLC that offers life insurance products to clients; separate from The Bulfinch Group, LLC, which is not licensed to sell insurance.

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Independent broker-dealer/RIA supporting independent financial advisors with a team-based practice model, similar to Bulfinch's reliance on Park Avenue Securities for back-office and advisory infrastructure.
• Cetera Financial Group: Independent broker-dealer network of financial advisors offering securities, advisory, and insurance products — directly comparable hybrid wealth management practice model.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., supporting thousands of independent advisors with wealth management, advisory, and insurance platforms — closest scale and structure analog.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Independent broker-dealer serving independent financial advisors with wealth management and insurance solutions; comparable business model and advisor-supported service stack.

Broad incumbents

• MassMutual: Major U.S. mutual insurer with a financial advisor distribution channel and wealth management arm; comparable insurance-led wealth management practice model based in New England.
• Ameriprise Financial: Diversified financial services firm with a national advisor force delivering wealth management, retirement, and insurance — comparable branch-based full-service advisory model.
• Fidelity Investments: Large diversified investment firm with a wealth management division serving individual investors; comparable client segments and planning disciplines, with greater scale and proprietary technology.
• New York Life: Mutual insurer with career-agent financial services distribution; directly comparable to Guardian Life (Bulfinch's partner) and the agent-based wealth management model.
• Edward Jones: National branch-based financial advisory firm with a deep local-office presence in regional U.S. markets; comparable neighborhood-office, advisor-led wealth management model.
• Northwestern Mutual: Broad-based incumbent with a career-advisor model and deep insurance roots; comparable hybrid insurance + wealth management offering and regional office presence.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bulfinchgroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/27164

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries2 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 The Bulfinch Group