Howard Financial

What Howard Financial does

Howard Financial is an independent Registered Investment Advisor founded in 1995 and headquartered in Bakersfield, California, operating through two affiliated entities: Howard Financial & Wealth Management, Inc. (advisory) and Howard Financial and Insurance Services, Inc. (insurance). The firm serves individuals and families preparing for retirement in Bakersfield and surrounding communities, delivering fiduciary advice across retirement income planning (accumulation, distribution, preservation/transfer), legacy and estate planning, asset allocation, and asset maximization. Source-disclosed pricing is quote-based and not publicly listed.

The firm operates on a partnership-driven advisory model rather than building proprietary asset management in-house. Investment solutions are delivered through separately managed accounts sourced from third-party money managers including Gradient Investments, LLC (utilizing the 3-Axis Control System for active risk, strategy, and performance management) and Wealth TEAMS Solutions (Dimensional Fund Advisor portfolios and a 'Paycheck for Life' distribution construct). Complementary offerings include First Trust Deeds alternative real estate investments via Ignite Funding, targeting 10%-12% annualized returns, and access to CFP-led planning support through Case Central, LLC. The primary in-house technology is Generational Vault, a secure 24/7 client portal aggregating documents, third-party banking/investment data, monthly newsletters, and market commentary.

The go-to-market is sales-led and consultative, anchored by the founder Lance Howard's personal brand, a five-year run hosting The Asset Protection Hour on KERN-Talk Radio, and community outreach via Gradient Gives Back and local sponsorships. The firm is privately held, founder-controlled, scoped exclusively to California, and operates with a 1-10 employee footprint with no external institutional ownership, funding rounds, M&A activity, or AI/ML capability disclosed.

Name

Howard Financial

Legal name

Howard Financial & Wealth Management, Inc.

Website

https://lancehowardfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Howard Financial is an independent, fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor in Bakersfield, California, providing retirement, legacy, income, and asset allocation planning to local individuals and families via third-party money manager partnerships and a proprietary client portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Advisory & Financial Planning

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Finance and Insurance (52)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Insurance-Integrated Wealth Managers (RIA + Insurance Solutions) (FSAAACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Managed Accounts & Model Portfolios (SMA/UMA) (FSAAAAAG), Discretionary Portfolio Management (Retail) (FSAAAAAH), Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Bakersfield

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services: Fee-based investment advisory services offered through Howard Financial & Wealth Management, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor in California. The firm provides custom tailored investment strategies through separately managed accounts via partnerships with third-party money managers including Gradient Investments.
2. Insurance Products and Services: Insurance products and services offered through Howard Financial and Insurance Services, Inc., an affiliated company. Services include insurance planning as part of comprehensive financial strategies.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Howard Financial is an independent Registered Investment Advisor that provides custom-tailored investment strategies and comprehensive financial planning to individuals and families. Services include investment management via separately managed accounts (partnering with third-party money managers such as Gradient Investments and Wealth TEAMS Solutions), retirement strategy, legacy/estate planning, income planning across accumulation, distribution, and preservation phases, asset allocation, and asset maximization, along with affiliated insurance products and alternative real estate investments (First Trust Deeds).

Product overview

Howard Financial is an independent Registered Investment Advisor offering a unified suite of financial planning and wealth management services. The core offerings center on investment management through partnerships with third-party money managers (Gradient Investments, LLC and Wealth TEAMS Solutions), comprehensive retirement planning, and legacy planning. These are delivered alongside complementary services including income planning, asset maximization, asset allocation, and First Trust Deeds investments via Ignite Funding. The firm also provides Generational Vault, a proprietary digital document management platform for clients to store and access financial documents. The portfolio is rounded out by educational media content including The Asset Protection Hour radio program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investments Custom-tailored investment management services provided through separately managed accounts in partnership with third-party money managers (Gradient Investments, LLC and Wealth TEAMS Solutions). Strategies are calibrated to each client's risk tolerance, desired returns, time frame, and income specifications, and are delivered on a full-transparency basis.
• Retirement Strategy & Risk Comprehensive retirement planning that evaluates and coordinates all of a client's assets — bank accounts, pension, Social Security, estate plans, wills, taxes, and insurance — into a single retirement strategy and customized plan binder.
• Legacy Planning Wealth transfer and estate planning service that helps clients preserve assets for future use or transfer wealth to beneficiaries, utilizing wills, revocable living trusts, powers of attorney, and insurance policies.
• Income Planning Retirement income planning across three phases — accumulation, distribution, and preservation/transfer — using tax-advantaged vehicles such as traditional IRAs, Roth IRAs, 401(k)s, and IRA rollovers.
• Asset Maximization Investment management that combines various asset classes into a diversified portfolio to address potential risk while targeting growth, delivered as a fiduciary service committed to clients' best interests.
• Asset Allocation & Risk Strategic asset allocation that organizes clients' financial, estate, and tax preparation materials into a customized retirement plan, considering individual risk tolerance and growth expectations.
• First Trust Deeds Alternative real estate investment offering provided through Ignite Funding partnership, delivering collateralized turn-key real estate investments to clients seeking 10% to 12% annualized returns.
• Generational Vault Proprietary secure 24/7 virtual portal for sharing and storing important documents, tracking third-party daily investment and banking data, providing snapshots of financial assets and expenses, and delivering monthly newsletters, market commentaries, and meeting alerts.
• Howard Financial and Insurance Services Insurance products and services offered through the affiliated company Howard Financial and Insurance Services, Inc., integrated with financial planning strategies for clients.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, secondary and minor.

• Gradient Investments, LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationFee-only investment manager providing unique portfolio strategies and actively managed risk. Howard Financial partners with Gradient Investments to provide clients with access to proprietary portfolio strategies investing in stocks, bonds, and ETFs through separately managed accounts. The partnership includes the 3-Axis Control System for managing Risk Exposure, Investment Strategy, and Investment Performance.
• Wealth TEAMS Solutions (Tax Efficient Asset Management Solution, Inc.)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia State registered investment advisor exclusively using Dimensional Fund Advisor portfolios. Provides tax-efficient asset management and 'Paycheck for Life' distribution plans for retirement. Founded by Guy Baker, who built on Nobel Prize-winning research in Modern Portfolio Theory.
• Ignite FundingsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerAlternative real estate investment platform offering First Trust Deeds investments. Founded in 1995, Ignite has funded over a billion in loans with investor capital. Through this partnership, Howard Financial clients gain exclusive access to collateralized real estate investments earning 10% to 12% annualized returns.
• Case Central, LLCsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationTeam of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNERS (CFPs) utilizing cutting-edge software reports to communicate complex financial concepts and provide insight into retirement topics including income planning, risk analysis, and Social Security optimization. Partners with CPAs and Chartered Financial Analysts when needed.
• Gradient Financial Group / Gradient Gives BackminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCommunity outreach program partner. Gradient Gives Back Community Outreach Program assists Americans who have fallen on hard times. Howard Financial participates in this program to give back to the community.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Northwestern Mutual: Large incumbent insurance-anchored wealth manager with an integrated RIA and advisor force. Comparable to Howard Financial in offering coordinated investment, insurance, and estate planning under one brand, but operating at vastly greater scale and national footprint.
• MassMutual: Insurance carrier with affiliated wealth management arm serving mass-affluent and retirement-age clients. Comparable to Howard Financial in pairing insurance solutions with investment advisory and retirement/legacy planning, but with institutional scale and broader product set.
• Edward Jones: Large retail wealth manager with thousands of local branch advisors focused on retirement-age households. Comparable to Howard Financial in serving mass-affluent retirees with personalized financial planning, though at much greater scale and with proprietary investment solutions.
• Raymond James Financial Services: Broker-dealer/RIA platform supporting independent advisors serving individuals and families. Comparable to Howard Financial as a fiduciary RIA delivering retirement and legacy planning to retail clients, though through a much larger affiliated advisor network.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer/RIA custodian providing back-office and technology to thousands of independent advisors. Comparable to Howard Financial as an independent RIA model, but LPL operates as an enabler to the same advisor archetype rather than directly competing for end clients.
• Cetera Financial Group: Independent broker-dealer/RIA platform supporting financial advisors serving retail and retirement clients. Comparable to Howard Financial in supporting independent advisor delivery of comprehensive planning, but at platform scale.

Direct peers

• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Independent RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, tax, and estate services to individuals and families. Closely comparable to Howard Financial in service breadth and fiduciary orientation, though operating at significantly larger AUM scale.
• Ronald Blue Trust: Faith-based RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and legacy/estate services to households. Comparable to Howard Financial in providing fee-only fiduciary advice with strong retirement and legacy planning focus, though with a distinct niche orientation.

Others

• Gradient Investments, LLC: Fee-only investment manager and Howard Financial's core partner, providing the proprietary 3-Axis Control System and SMA strategies. Listed as OTHERS because it is a strategic technology/portfolio supplier rather than a competing client-facing advisor.
• Ignite Funding: Alternative real-estate investment platform offering First Trust Deeds with 10–12% target yields to Howard Financial's clients. Listed as OTHERS because it is an investment-product partner rather than a competing wealth advisor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/howardfwm

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Howard Financial