Wealth Management Strategies, Inc.

What Wealth Management Strategies, Inc. does

Wealth Management Strategies, Inc. (WMS), doing business as Strategic Freedom, is a privately held financial advisory firm founded in 2000 and headquartered in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, with a secondary office in Morehead City. The firm delivers holistic wealth management services to individuals and families—primarily those approaching or in retirement—through a six-step proprietary methodology branded as the Strategic Freedom Process™, complemented by an asset-allocation philosophy called The Bucket Plan® that segments retirement assets across three time-horizon buckets to manage market, interest-rate, and sequence-of-returns risk. Services span retirement planning, investment management, tax planning, estate planning, insurance planning, income distribution planning, Social Security optimization, and Medicare/LTC planning.

The firm monetizes primarily through asset-based advisory fees on investment management delivered via Prosperity Capital Advisors (PCA), an unaffiliated SEC-registered investment adviser that provides the regulatory and advisory infrastructure, supplemented by insurance commissions on life, Medicare, and long-term-care products sold directly through WMS. The team comprises roughly seven professionals under founder/lead advisor Anthony "Tony" Engrassia (ChFC, LUTCF, NSSA, CF2), with family members holding operational and advisor roles. Go-to-market is consultative and relationship-led, driven by an educational website (strategicfreedom.com), email newsletter, community classes, and client referrals anchored by decades-long testimonials. There is no disclosed automation, algorithmic advice, or technology platform beyond a client portal.

Business model and scale signals indicate a small, owner-operated regional practice: headcount is not publicly disclosed but the named team totals seven, AUM is not reported, pricing is not published, and geographic reach is limited to eastern North Carolina. The firm's competitive positioning rests on fiduciary standing, trademarked methodologies, long client tenure (testimonials spanning 35+ years), and earned-media credibility via a Fortune and Entrepreneur feature, rather than on scale, technology differentiation, or product breadth.

Name

Wealth Management Strategies, Inc.

Legal name

Wealth Management Strategies, Inc.

Website

https://StrategicFreedom.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2000

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Wealth Management Strategies, Inc. (dba Strategic Freedom) is a privately held North Carolina financial advisory firm providing holistic retirement and wealth management planning to individuals and families via its proprietary Strategic Freedom Process™ and The Bucket Plan® methodologies, delivered through two regional offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Holistic Financial Advisory and Retirement Planning Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retirement & Pension Wealth (401(k)/IRA/SIPP/Superannuation Retail) (FSAAAAAJ), Financial Planning & Goals-Based Advice (Mass Affluent) (FSAAAAAF), Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG)

Keywords

• Retirement planning services
• Holistic wealth management
• Financial advisory services
• Estate planning services
• Investment management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Rocky Mount

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Financial Planning and Advisory Services: Core revenue stream from providing holistic financial planning services. Financial planning and advisory services are offered through Prosperity Capital Advisors (PCA), an SEC registered investment adviser. Services cover investment management, retirement planning, income and distribution planning, tax planning, and family wealth planning.
2. Insurance Services: Insurance planning services including life insurance, Medicare, and long-term care planning. Offered through Wealth Management Strategies directly (not affiliated with PCA).
3. Estate Planning Services: Estate planning services as part of their holistic wealth management offering, helping clients pass on wealth to the next generation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Wealth Management Strategies, Inc. provides holistic financial planning services to individuals and families approaching or in retirement, delivered through a proprietary six-step Strategic Freedom Process™ and The Bucket Plan® asset allocation philosophy. Service offerings include investment management, retirement planning, income distribution planning, tax planning, estate planning, insurance planning, Social Security strategies, and Medicare/LTC planning, with financial planning and advisory services offered through Prosperity Capital Advisors, an SEC registered investment adviser.

Product overview

Wealth Management Strategies, Inc. (WMS) offers a comprehensive suite of holistic financial planning services delivered through its proprietary Strategic Freedom Process™ framework—a six-step methodology that guides clients from initial assessment through ongoing reviews. The core planning approach is complemented by The Bucket Plan®, a strategic asset allocation system that segments retirement assets into three time-based buckets to manage market, interest rate, and sequence-of-returns risk. Services are organized around Five Pillars of Holistic Wealth Management and include integrated offerings for estate planning, insurance planning, tax planning, retirement planning, investment planning, income distribution, Social Security optimization, and Medicare/LTC planning. WMS also provides educational resources including a Strategic Freedom Report newsletter, learning center articles, calculators, and educational videos. The firm primarily serves individuals and families seeking retirement planning and multi-generational wealth transfer strategies, with fiduciary advisors offering personalized, written financial plans tailored to each client's unique circumstances.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Strategic Freedom Process™
• The Bucket Plan®
• Estate Planning Services Holistic wealth management services focused on helping families pass on their success to the next generation through integrated estate planning strategies, offered to individuals and families within the firm's client base.
• Insurance Planning Services Comprehensive insurance planning including life insurance, Medicare, and long-term care planning, offered directly by Wealth Management Strategies as part of its holistic wealth management approach and aligned with clients' overall financial goals.
• Tax Planning Services Tax-efficient planning strategies integrated with retirement and investment planning to minimize tax liability and maximize wealth preservation, delivered through the firm's Tax Trilogy approach as part of holistic planning.
• Retirement Planning Services Personalized retirement plans designed to protect wealth and legacy, including income distribution planning and Social Security optimization strategies for individuals and families approaching or in retirement.
• Investment Planning Services Investment management services aligned with client risk tolerance, time horizons, and financial objectives, offered through Prosperity Capital Advisors (an SEC registered investment adviser) as part of the holistic planning approach.
• Income Distribution Planning Strategic planning for distributing assets during retirement years to ensure sustainable income throughout the duration of retirement, integrated with tax and Social Security strategies.
• Social Security Strategies Optimization strategies for Social Security benefits as part of comprehensive retirement income planning, supporting timing and claiming decisions for current and future retirees.
• Medicare/LTC Planning Planning services for Medicare coverage and long-term care considerations as part of holistic retirement planning for individuals and families approaching retirement age.

Quantifiable outcome

• 25 years of continuous operation (2000-2025) demonstrating long-term client trust and business sustainability

Named customers3 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Prosperity Capital Advisors (PCA)coreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerFinancial Planning and Advisory Services are offered through Prosperity Capital Advisors ('PCA'), an SEC registered investment adviser with corporate registered office in Ohio. PCA provides the regulatory and advisory infrastructure for WMS's financial planning services. PCA and Wealth Management Strategies are separate, non-affiliated entities. PCA does not provide tax or legal advice.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Fisher Investments: Large, established investment-advisory firm primarily focused on portfolio management for high-net-worth and retirement investors — broader scale incumbent in the same retirement-investor advisory category.
• Commonwealth Financial Network: Independent broker-dealer/RIA supporting holistic financial planning practices — comparable holistic planning positioning but at platform scale serving thousands of independent advisors.
• Cetera Financial Group: Large broker-dealer and RIA support platform serving independent financial advisors across retirement, tax, and estate planning — broader incumbent that competes for the same mass-affluent retirement segment via its advisor network.

Direct peers

• Edelman Financial Engines: Large RIA specializing in retirement-plan participant advice and holistic retirement planning for individuals — directly comparable target segment (retirement-age mass-affluent) and fiduciary positioning.
• Carson Group: RIA-focused platform supporting independent financial advisors with holistic planning technology, coaching, and back-office infrastructure — comparable holistic-planning orientation with a different go-to-market (advisor enablement vs. direct-to-consumer).
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Independent wealth advisory firm providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, tax, and estate services — directly comparable holistic RIA model targeting affluent individuals and families.
• Creative Planning: Large, independent, fiduciary RIA offering holistic financial planning, investment management, tax, and estate services to individuals and families — closely aligned with WMS's holistic retirement-planning model but at substantially greater scale.

Regional players

• Baystate Financial: Regional wealth management and financial planning firm serving individuals and families with holistic retirement, tax, and estate services — closely comparable size, structure, and holistic-planning model, though concentrated in the Northeast rather than the Carolinas.

Emerging players

• Empower Personal Dashboard (Personal Capital): Tech-enabled wealth management and retirement planning platform combining digital tools with human advisors — emerging hybrid competitor addressing the same mass-affluent retirement audience.
• Facet Wealth: Digital-first financial planning firm offering flat-fee holistic advice to mass-affluent clients — emerging player attacking the same retirement-planning segment with a tech-enabled, lower-fee model that contrasts with WMS's high-touch approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wmsinc2000
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strategicfreedom

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Wealth Management Strategies, Inc.