Foster Group
Foster Group is a fee-only fiduciary wealth management firm serving individuals, families, medical professionals, business owners, UHNW households, and institutions through planning, investment, insurance, and estate services across two Midwest offices.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1989
- HeadquartersWest Des Moines, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Foster Group does
Foster Group, Inc. is an independent, internally-owned, fee-only fiduciary wealth management firm headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, with a secondary office in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded in 1989 by Jerry Foster (who remains Chairman of the Board) as Retirement & Investment Advisors, it now operates under a multigenerational ownership structure with 100+ team members spanning CFP, CFA, CPA, JD, AIF, CTFA, AEP, MBA, CPWA, RICP, and SPHR credentials. Buck Olsen serves as Chief Executive Officer; the senior team includes a CIO, COO/CCO, Chief Growth Officer, Chief Practice Officer, and dedicated Directors across Investments, Advisory, Finance, Communications, Institutional, and IT. Service delivery is human-advisor-led with no software platform or SaaS product; the firm states it has no app, no public API, and no disclosed integrations.
The firm offers an integrated suite of wealth advisory services organized as: Financial Planning, Investment Management, Insurance Analysis & Consulting, and Charitable Giving & Estate Planning, plus a dedicated SelectWealth tier for ultra-high-net-worth families with $10 million or more in investable assets. Specialized practices serve Doctors, Dentists & Medical Professionals (residency through retirement), Business Owners & Executives (succession, exit, retirement coordination), and institutional clients (company 401(k) plans, endowments, foundations). The Invested in Women initiative is a dedicated sub-brand for women. Underlying methodology is described as "evidence-based" investment strategies and a disciplined planning framework.
Foster Group earns revenue from recurring advisory fees under a fee-only fiduciary model — no commissions or commission-based products are offered — with billing on annual cycles and pricing described as quote-based / not publicly disclosed. Distribution is direct and consultative from the two office locations, though a 2025 strategic relationship with Bank Iowa indicates a channel expansion play. The firm is SEC-registered, has been continuously certified by CEFEX as a Registered Fiduciary since 2007 (the only firm in Iowa and Nebraska with this continuous certification), and has received the Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award for nine consecutive years through 2026.
Foster Group firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Foster Group
- Legal name
- Foster Group, Inc.
- Website
- https://fostergrp.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1989
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Foster Group is a fee-only fiduciary wealth management firm serving individuals, families, medical professionals, business owners, UHNW households, and institutions through planning, investment, insurance, and estate services across two Midwest offices.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Foster Group industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Wealth Management
- NAICS
- Pension Funds (525110), Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321)
- SIC
- Investment Advice (6282)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits) (FSAAAGAC)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Guardianship & Conservatorship Services (FSAAANAG), Private Foundations (BPAGAKAA)
Keywords
Where Foster Group is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- West Des Moines
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Foster Group business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others
Revenue model
- Investment Advisory Services: Fee-only fiduciary investment advisory services. The firm is client-driven, not commission-driven, and does not offer commission-based products. Revenue is generated through advisory fees rather than product commissions.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Annual | Fee-only fiduciary advisory services |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels5 records
Foster Group product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Foster Group is a fee-only fiduciary wealth management firm that delivers personalized financial planning, evidence-based investment management, insurance analysis, and estate/charitable giving strategies to individuals, families, medical professionals, business owners, executives, and institutional clients. Advisory services are billed through recurring fees on assets under management, with no commission-based products offered. The firm operates from West Des Moines, IA and Omaha, NE and serves clients nationwide.
Product overview
Foster Group is a fee-only, fiduciary wealth management firm offering a unified suite of financial advisory services rather than a modular software platform. The core offerings include Financial Planning, Investment Management, Insurance Analysis & Consulting, and Charitable Giving & Estate Planning, which are integrated into comprehensive client engagements. Specialized services target specific segments: Medical Professionals Financial Services for doctors and dentists, Business Owners & Executives Financial Services, SelectWealth for ultra-high-net-worth families ($10M+), and Company Retirement Plans and Endowments & Foundations for institutional clients. The Invested in Women initiative provides gender-specific financial planning. All services are delivered through human advisors; no technology platform or SaaS product is offered.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Invested in Women: A financial initiative by women, for women, providing financial education, solutions, and connection for women throughout their financial lives.
- SelectWealth
- Financial Perspectives
Companies that use Foster Group
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
Foster Group technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Foster Group partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Bank IowacoreStrategic relationship announcement between Bank Iowa and Foster Group for collaborative financial services delivery.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Foster Group competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Moneta Group: Independent, fee-only RIA providing financial planning and investment management to high-net-worth individuals and families. Comparable in client-centric, fee-only model and integrated wealth planning approach.
- Wealth Enhancement Group: Independent wealth management firm offering financial planning and investment services to individuals and institutions. Comparable diversified RIA model with similar roll-up growth strategy.
- Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large independent, fee-only RIA serving high-net-worth and institutional clients. Highly comparable to Foster Group in fiduciary model, full-service advisory, and multigenerational client focus, but at significantly greater scale.
- Carson Group: Omaha-based RIA and coaching community for independent advisors. Directly comparable as a Midwest-headquartered, fee-based wealth management firm with institutional, advisor-coaching, and end-client service lines.
- Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only RIA specializing in evidence-based investment strategies and financial planning. Highly comparable to Foster Group on evidence-based investing philosophy and fee-only fiduciary positioning.
- Plante Moran Financial Advisors: Midwest-headquartered RIA affiliated with Plante Moran accounting firm, providing fee-only financial planning and investment advisory. Comparable in geographic footprint (Midwest) and integrated professional services approach.
- Creative Planning: Fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services to individuals, families, and institutions. Comparable in fiduciary-only model, broad service breadth, and growing internal ownership.
- Aspiriant: Fee-only wealth management firm serving high-net-worth individuals and families with integrated financial planning and investment management. Comparable in fiduciary-only model and HNW client focus.
Broad incumbents
- Edelman Financial Engines: Large national RIA combining traditional advisors with a digital advice platform, serving mass-affluent and HNW clients. Overlapping service set with Foster Group but at materially larger scale and with a hybrid digital model.
- Mercer Advisors: National RIA providing wealth management, tax, estate, and investment advisory services. Overlapping fiduciary service lines with Foster Group, particularly in the UHNW and family-office segments, but operating at much greater scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Foster Group social profiles
Digital presenceFoster Group financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Foster Group leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles20 records
Foster Group funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Foster Group M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Foster Group
What does Foster Group do?
Foster Group is a fee-only fiduciary wealth management firm that delivers personalized financial planning, evidence-based investment management, insurance analysis, and estate/charitable giving strategies to individuals, families, medical professionals, business owners, executives, and institutional clients. Advisory services are billed through recurring fees on assets under management, with no commission-based products offered. The firm operates from West Des Moines, IA and Omaha, NE and serves clients nationwide.
Is Foster Group a public or private company?
Foster Group is a private company. It is classified as management employee owned and is currently operating.
When was Foster Group founded?
Foster Group was founded in 1989. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Foster Group based?
Foster Group is headquartered in West Des Moines, United States, in the North America region.
How does Foster Group make money?
One revenue line is on record: investment Advisory Services.
Who are Foster Group's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Moneta Group, Wealth Enhancement Group, Mariner Wealth Advisors, Carson Group, Buckingham Strategic Wealth, Plante Moran Financial Advisors, Creative Planning and Aspiriant. Broad incumbents are Edelman Financial Engines and Mercer Advisors.
Does Foster Group have an API?
No public API is recorded for Foster Group.
What industry is Foster Group in?
Foster Group's product category is Wealth Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAAGAC, Endowments (Universities, Foundations, Nonprofits), with a secondary code of FSAAANAG, Guardianship & Conservatorship Services. Its NAICS code is 525110 and its SIC code is 6282.