What CFH Financial Services does

CFH Financial Services, Inc. is an independent financial planning and insurance advisory firm headquartered at 5050 Poplar Avenue, Suite 1204 in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1970 as an insurance practice, the company has evolved into a full-service financial services provider serving individuals, businesses, and institutions throughout the Mid-South region. The firm operates with a six-person team led by Owner/Advisor Craig R. Howard and Financial Advisor Ken Hawkins, both of whom carry professional designations including CFP, AAMS, AIF, and CLU.

The firm's service portfolio is organized around five core areas: comprehensive financial and estate planning (cash flow analysis, retirement planning, savings and investment planning, insurance planning, and charitable/legacy planning); employer-sponsored retirement plans (401(k), profit sharing, SEP/SIMPLE IRA, and cash balance plans); asset management (managed accounts, brokerage accounts, IRAs, variable/fixed annuities, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, ETFs, and 529 plans); strategic business planning (succession, buy/sell, and deferred compensation); and employee benefits (group health, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage). Asset management follows a five-step proprietary process covering client profiling, asset allocation policy, portfolio implementation, ongoing monitoring and rebalancing, and annual reviews. The underlying technology stack is conventional: a content-rich website with web-based educational tools (financial calculators, glossary, retirement flipbook, video library, tax resources) and a Schwab brokerage integration for client account access. There are no APIs, SDKs, proprietary software platforms, or AI capabilities disclosed.

CFH generates revenue through three streams: fee-based financial advisory services delivered through Valmark Advisers, Inc. (an SEC-registered investment advisor); securities transactions facilitated through Valmark Securities, Inc. (a FINRA/SIPC member broker-dealer); and commission-based insurance products. The firm operates a sales-led, direct-advisory go-to-market motion through face-to-face and scheduled consultations at its Memphis office. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; services are structured as fee-based advisory arrangements plus product commissions. With no public listing, no external investors, and no disclosed funding, CFH operates as an independent, owner-managed firm whose principal commercial assets are its 50+ year regional brand presence and the long-tenured relationships of its advisors.

Name

CFH Financial Services

Legal name

CFH Financial Services, Inc.

Website

https://cfhfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1970

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CFH Financial Services, Inc. is an independent Memphis-based financial planning and insurance advisory firm, serving individuals, businesses, and institutions in the Mid-South with fee-based advisory, asset management, retirement planning, and insurance products through a six-person team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

Keywords

• Financial planning services
• Asset management advisory
• Retirement plan design
• Insurance product distribution
• Employee benefits brokerage

Headquarters

HQ city

Memphis

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, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisory Services: Fee-based financial planning and advisory services offered through SEC Registered Investment Advisor Valmark Advisers, Inc. Provides comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning, estate planning, and investment management services.
2. Securities Services: Securities offered through Valmark Securities, Inc., a FINRA and SIPC member. Includes brokerage accounts, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, ETFs, and variable/fixed annuities.
3. Insurance Products: Insurance planning services including life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, and annuity products. Commission-based products offered through their insurance practice.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CFH Financial Services is an independent financial planning and advisory firm that designs and delivers fee-based comprehensive financial plans, retirement plans, asset management, insurance products, and employee benefits for individuals, businesses, and institutions in the Mid-South region. The firm sells life insurance, long-term care, disability income, annuity, and securities products, and provides investment advisory services through Valmark Advisers and Valmark Securities via its "Building Blocks" multi-step planning process.

Product overview

CFH Financial Services is a comprehensive, independent financial planning firm offering a unified suite of services for individuals and businesses in the Mid-South region. The portfolio centers on five core service areas: Comprehensive Financial & Estate Planning (including cash flow, retirement, savings, insurance, and estate planning), Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans (401(k), profit sharing, SEP/SIMPLE IRA, and Cash Balance plans), Asset Management (managed accounts, brokerage, IRAs, annuities, and 529 plans), Strategic Business Planning (succession, buy/sell, and deferred compensation), and Employee Benefits (health, dental, vision, life, and disability coverage). Supporting these services are educational tools including financial calculators, a retirement flipbook, and a tax library. The Five-Step Asset Management Process provides the methodology for investment management services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Comprehensive Financial and Estate Planning Holistic planning service for individuals and families covering cash flow analysis, retirement planning, savings and investment planning, insurance planning, charitable and legacy planning, and wills, trusts, and estate recommendations.
• Employer Sponsored Retirement Plans Design and implementation of employer retirement plans for businesses and institutions, including 401(k) Plans, Profit Sharing Plans, SEP/SIMPLE IRA Plans, and Cash Balance Plans.
• Asset Management Investment portfolio management for clients using managed investment accounts, brokerage accounts, IRA/Roth IRA accounts, variable and fixed annuities, mutual funds, stocks, bonds, ETFs, and 529 College Savings Plans.
• Strategic Business Planning Business planning services for owners including business succession planning, buy/sell arrangements, key person retention planning, and non-qualified deferred compensation plans.
• Employee Benefits Group employee benefits for employers including group health plans, group LTD/STD/voluntary benefit plans, group dental and vision plans, and group life plans.
• Five-Step Asset Management Process Structured portfolio management methodology encompassing client profile development, personalized asset allocation policy, diversified portfolio implementation, ongoing monitoring and rebalancing, and annual reviews.
• Life Insurance Life insurance policies providing death benefits to protect families and beneficiaries.
• Long-Term Care Insurance Long-term care insurance policies to protect against nursing home and care costs.
• Annuity Products Annuity contracts for retirement income planning, available through the firm's quote request process.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Cornerstone Study GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCraig Howard is a founding member of the Cornerstone Study Group, a team of experienced financial advisors from across the country who meet semi-annually to grow and develop both personally and professionally.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Cambridge Investment Research: Independent broker-dealer serving independent financial advisors with planning, brokerage, and advisory support; directly comparable business model of empowering small independent RIA practices.
• Commonwealth Financial Network: Large independent broker-dealer/RIA supporting independent financial advisors with a similar product-agnostic, planning-led model; comparable in operating approach though materially larger in scale.
• Cetera Financial Group: Independent advisor-focused wealth management firm supporting independent RIA and broker-advisor practices; similar model of delivering comprehensive planning, retirement, and insurance solutions through affiliated advisors.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large independent RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, retirement, estate, and tax services to individuals and businesses; same comprehensive-service positioning though at vastly greater scale.
• Creative Planning: National independent RIA providing comprehensive wealth management, retirement plan, and estate planning services; comparable comprehensive-service, fee-based model serving individuals and businesses.

Broad incumbents

• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., supporting thousands of independent advisors with similar product, advisory, and compliance infrastructure; a scale competitor and potential platform alternative to Valmark.
• Fisher Investments: Large independent RIA serving high-net-worth individuals and institutions with discretionary portfolio management; competes for AUM in the same Memphis/Mid-South end-client pool though focused on a different client tier.
• Raymond James Financial Services: Large diversified financial services firm with a strong independent advisor channel offering financial planning, retirement, and insurance products; competes for the same individual and business clients as CFH but at much greater scale and brand recognition.
• Edward Jones: National full-service wealth management firm serving individuals and small businesses with retirement, investment, and insurance solutions; competes head-to-head for CFH's target segments with greater brand and branch density.
• Charles Schwab (Schwab Advisor Services): CFH's actual custody/brokerage platform via Schwab login integration; also a broad incumbent offering retail wealth management that competes for the same end-client relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cfhfinancial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cfh-financial-services-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 CFH Financial Services