Freedom Fiduciaries

What Freedom Fiduciaries does

Freedom Fiduciaries LLC is a privately held, SEC-registered investment advisor headquartered in Boise, Idaho, founded in 2011 by Shane Hanson. The firm delivers independent ERISA fiduciary services for employer-sponsored retirement plans — including 401(k), 403(b), defined contribution, defined benefit, cash balance, SEP, SIMPLE, and MEP/PEP structures — alongside asset management and financial consulting for individuals. Its core service stack consists of 3(38) discretionary investment management, 3(16) plan administration, plan design, participant engagement, distribution support, estate planning, and financial planning. The firm is fee-only, accepting no commissions or third-party compensation, which structurally eliminates conflicts of interest inherent in commission-based models.

The firm operates a proprietary technology platform anchored by secure API integrations with 100+ payroll providers (including Paylocity, ADP, QuickBooks, Paychex, isolved, and UKG), a consumer-facing mobile financial planning application on iOS and Android, and a partnership with Betterment for Advisors as the standard digital platform for individual client accounts. A separate product, Viserly, has been launched to deepen participant connectivity. Revenue is generated through three streams: percentage-of-AUM asset management fees (capped at 1.25% annually, billed monthly), ERISA plan services fees (up to 1.5% of plan assets, billed monthly), and flat-fee financial consulting engagements (up to $50,000 per engagement on multi-year contracts). Go-to-market is consultative direct sales targeting mid-market and enterprise employers, with a CEO-led consultation entry point and a documented five-step onboarding workflow. The firm has earned six consecutive NAPA and PLANADVISER award cycles from 2024 through 2026 and has been recognized as a PLANADVISER Adviser of the Year finalist in 2025 and 2026.

Name

Freedom Fiduciaries

Legal name

Freedom Fiduciaries LLC

Website

https://freedomfiduciaries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Freedom Fiduciaries is an SEC-registered, fee-only fiduciary advisory firm providing 3(38) investment management, 3(16) plan administration, and participant engagement for employer-sponsored retirement plans, plus individual asset management and financial planning, serving mid-market and enterprise US employers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Fiduciary Advisory Services

NAICS

Pharmacy Benefit Management and Other Third Party Administration of Insurance and Pension Funds (524292), Trust, Fiduciary, and Custody Activities (523991)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services (FSAAANAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF), Trust Administration & Fiduciary Accounting Services (FSAAANAF)

Keywords

• Retirement plan consulting
• Fiduciary advisory services
• 401k advisory
• ERISA fiduciary services
• Retirement plan management

Headquarters

HQ city

Boise

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Asset Management: Fee-based asset management service where compensation is based on a percentage of assets under management. Annual fee does not exceed 1.25% and is calculated daily with cumulative fee debited monthly. Compensated solely by clients with no commissions from other parties.
2. Financial Consulting: Consulting services including review/consultation, financial planning, debt and financial advice. Fees can be up to $50,000 per engagement and may be negotiated based on complexity.
3. ERISA Retirement Plan Services: Assistance with 401(k), 403(b) plans, pensions, profit-sharing plans, and deferred compensation plans. Fees can be up to 1.5%. Provides 3(21) co-fiduciary or 3(38) discretionary investment fiduciary services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Freedom Fiduciaries provides independent ERISA fiduciary advisory and consulting services for employer-sponsored retirement plans (401(k), 403(b), pensions, profit-sharing, deferred compensation, MEP/PEP, defined benefit, cash balance, SEP, SIMPLE). Core offerings include 3(38) discretionary investment management, 3(16) plan administration, financial and estate planning, plan design, participant engagement, distribution/rollover support, and asset management for individual accounts, supported by a proprietary financial planning platform with payroll API integrations to over 100 payroll providers and a mobile app for participants.

Product overview

Freedom Fiduciaries is a unified retirement plan fiduciary and wealth management firm offering a comprehensive suite of services centered on ERISA plan administration, fiduciary oversight, and financial planning. The core offering consists of 3(38) Fiduciary Services (discretionary investment management), 3(16) Administration, and Participant Engagement tools, supported by Payroll API Integration with over 100 payroll providers. Additional services include Financial Planning, Estate Planning, Plan Design, and Distribution Support. For individual clients, the firm offers Asset Management (typically via Betterment for Advisors platform) and Financial Consulting. The product portfolio operates as an integrated ecosystem where payroll data drives participant engagement, fiduciary oversight governs investment decisions, and planning services align individual financial goals with retirement plan outcomes.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 3(38) Fiduciary Services Discretionary investment management services where Freedom Fiduciaries acts as a 3(38) fiduciary, making investment decisions on behalf of retirement plans with full fiduciary responsibility under ERISA.
• 3(16) Administration Plan administration services that reduce sponsor burden through compliant operations, handling day-to-day retirement plan management tasks for employers.
• ERISA Retirement Plan Services Assistance with 401(k), 403(b), pensions, profit-sharing plans, and deferred compensation plans, providing 3(21) co-fiduciary or 3(38) discretionary investment fiduciary services for plan sponsors.
• Asset Management Fee-based investment management for individual retirement accounts, taxable accounts, and employee retirement accounts, typically utilizing the Betterment for Advisors digital platform, with discretionary trading authority and annual fees not exceeding 1.25% of assets under management.
• Financial Consulting Review, consultation, financial planning, and debt advice services with fees up to $50,000 per engagement, negotiable based on complexity and client situation.
• Financial Planning Personal financial guidance aligned to plan decisions, helping participants and individuals make informed decisions for long-term financial well-being through a proprietary mobile app and advisor consultations.
• Estate Planning Coordination of beneficiary strategy with long-term intent, helping clients align retirement plan assets with estate planning goals.
• Plan Design Structure plans for governance scalability and outcomes, helping employers design retirement plans that meet regulatory requirements and support organizational goals.
• Participant Engagement Triggered guidance when retirement decisions actually happen, providing timely advice on enrollment, contributions, investments, loans, rollovers, and job changes right when participants need to make decisions.
• Distribution Support Clear support through rollovers, loans, and transitions, helping participants navigate distribution decisions with fiduciary guidance.

Quantifiable outcome

• 76% reduction in cost efficiency achieved through data-driven fee negotiation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• PaylocitycoreTechnology or IntegrationPayroll API integration partner. Freedom Fiduciaries integrates with Paylocity's payroll system to deliver personalized, data-driven participant engagement and streamline plan administration. Case study shows complex integration with 15 payroll divisions, 45 locations, and 2,500 employees.
• ADPcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayroll API integration partner providing automated engagement driven by payroll data. Integration enables plan administration streamlining and participant engagement.
• QuickBookscoreTechnology or IntegrationPayroll API integration partner enabling automated engagement and plan administration through QuickBooks payroll data.
• PaychexcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayroll API integration partner enabling plan administration automation and participant engagement through Paychex payroll systems.
• isolvedcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayroll API integration partner providing automated engagement and plan administration streamlining through isolved payroll platform.
• UKGcoreTechnology or IntegrationPayroll API integration partner enabling automated engagement and plan administration through UKG workforce management and payroll systems.
• Betterment for AdvisorscoreTechnology or IntegrationDigital investment platform that Freedom Fiduciaries typically recommends for managing client portfolios across individual retirement accounts, taxable accounts, and employee retirement accounts.
• Freedom Youth FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeparate 501(c)(3) public charity founded in 2011 by CEO Shane Hanson. Freedom Fiduciaries donates a portion of revenue to support foster youth through financial literacy programs, scholarships, and meaningful experiences. Community initiative aligned with corporate values.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CAPTRUST: Large independent RIA specializing in retirement plan advisory and investment management for employer-sponsored plans. Directly competes with Freedom Fiduciaries in the mid-market and enterprise 401(k) advisory space, offering 3(38) and 3(21) fiduciary services with comparable fee structures.
• OneDigital: National benefits and retirement plan advisory firm offering fiduciary consulting, plan administration, and wealth management. Competes head-to-head for mid-market and enterprise retirement plan mandates and runs a similar 3(38) discretionary investment management model.
• SageView Advisory Group: Independent retirement plan and wealth advisory firm offering 3(38) and 3(21) fiduciary services, fee benchmarking, and participant education. Closely comparable in size, scope, and target market to Freedom Fiduciaries.
• Ubiquity Retirement + Savings: Retirement plan TPA and pooled plan provider offering recordkeeping, administration, and advisory services for small and mid-market plans. Competes in overlapping segments, particularly for plan administration and pooled employer plan opportunities.

Broad incumbents

• Cetera Financial Group: Large independent broker-dealer and RIA platform supporting retirement plan advisors. Competes indirectly through affiliated advisors and offers institutional plan services, though Freedom Fiduciaries' pure-fiduciary, no-commission model is differentiated from Cetera's broader product shelf.

Peers

• Empower Retirement:

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/watch?v=x04fkVu-M4k

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 Freedom Fiduciaries