Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors

What Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors does

Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors (JSA) is a fee-only, fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor founded in 2006 and headquartered in Middleton, Wisconsin. The firm serves individuals, families, small businesses, and non-profit organizations through a relationship-based advisory model delivered via in-person consultations at its Madison-area office and remote/virtual meetings nationally. Investment advisory services center on direct ownership of 20-30 individual stocks (rather than mutual funds), selected under the firm's proprietary "Excellence vs. Mediocrity" framework and supported by a Money Mission™ planning process that connects portfolio construction to client purpose, conscious-investing values, and tax-efficiency goals. Comprehensive financial planning spans retirement, tax, estate, legacy, and behavioral coaching, with quantified value claims of up to 1.5% behavioral alpha, 1.2% portfolio construction alpha, 1.0% wealth-management tools alpha, and roughly 0.8% annual tax-cost savings versus average mutual funds.

The core technology stack is conventional financial-planning software used for retirement income modeling and scenario analysis; the firm's defensibility rests on its proprietary methodologies (stock selection framework, Money Mission process, capital gains budgeting), credentialed talent (CFP/CFA-style professionals), and SEC fiduciary registration (CRD #140431) rather than on proprietary software. The advisors personally co-invest in the same portfolio holdings as clients.

Revenue is generated through recurring investment advisory fees billed annually on a quote-based, subscription-style model (likely AUM-based given the fee-only RIA structure), with no disclosed pricing on the website. Lead generation relies on content marketing (blog, YouTube, LinkedIn), email, public television partnerships, community seminars, and directory listings on NAPFA, Fee Only Network, and IndyFin. The firm is privately held by its partners — Jason Schmitt (Managing Partner/CFO) and Richard Vanden Boogard (CIO) lead operations alongside co-founder Allen Jacobson — with no external institutional or VC ownership identified.

Name

Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors

Legal name

Jacobson & Schmitt, LLC

Website

https://jandsadvisors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors is a fee-only, fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor in Middleton, WI, providing investment management of 20-30 individual stocks and comprehensive financial planning for families, small businesses, and non-profits across the Madison area and nationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management Advisory

NAICS

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

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Portfolio Construction & Asset Allocation Advisory (FSAEAAAC)

Keywords

• Fee-only financial advisory
• Investment management services
• Financial planning services
• Retirement planning advisory
• Fiduciary wealth management

Headquarters

HQ city

Middleton

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Fees: Fee-only investment advisory services as a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA). Charges fees for financial planning and investment management services without earning commissions on product sales, ensuring fiduciary alignment with clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors is a fee-only, fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor providing individualized investment management and comprehensive financial planning services. The firm constructs concentrated portfolios of 20-30 individual stocks rather than mutual funds, applying a proprietary 'Excellence vs. Mediocrity' stock selection methodology, and layers on financial planning, tax-efficient portfolio management, conscious investing, and behavioral coaching for individuals, families, small businesses, and non-profits.

Product overview

Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors (JSA) is a fee-only, fiduciary financial advisory firm offering a unified set of investment and planning services. The core offering combines investment advisory services (constructing and managing portfolios of 20-30 individual stocks) with comprehensive financial planning (retirement, tax, estate). The firm layers proprietary methodologies including the Money Mission Process and Conscious Investing approach onto its core investment management, along with tax-efficient portfolio management and behavioral coaching services. All services are delivered through human advisors; there is no software platform or digital product.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Advisory Services Individualized investment management and portfolio construction services for JSA clients, constructing concentrated portfolios of 20-30 reasonably priced individual stocks of responsible, well-managed, and competitively advantaged businesses. The firm invests alongside clients in the same holdings and maintains a long-term, total-return approach.
• Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning services including retirement planning, tax efficiency strategies, estate planning, behavioral coaching, and net worth monitoring, with annual financial plan reviews and coordination with clients' overall household financial health.
• Conscious Investing An investment approach that incorporates environmental, social, and governance considerations, enabling clients to own companies they can be proud to own while pursuing competitive returns.
• Money Mission Process Proprietary financial planning methodology that helps clients define their 'Money Mission' by connecting investments to their purpose, loved ones, and causes they care about, executed through a structured Money Mission Meeting.
• Tax-Efficient Portfolio Management Capital gains budgeting strategy and tax-efficient trading approach designed to reduce clients' annual tax drag compared to typical mutual fund investors, achieving an annual tax cost of approximately 0.7% versus 1.5% for average mutual funds.
• Behavioral Coaching Advisory service focused on helping clients stick to their financial plans during market volatility by managing emotional decision-making, with the goal of improving long-term investment outcomes.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tax cost of approximately 0.7% annually vs. 1.5% for average mutual funds (0.8% annual savings)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Empowered (Public Television)coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 29 January 2025Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors partnered with Empowered, the educational series hosted by Meg Ryan, to bring public television viewers an insightful segment on navigating the complexities of investing. Filmed at Empowered's studios in Boca Raton, FL, the episode highlights practical strategies, common pitfalls to avoid, and the importance of working with a trusted financial partner. The collaboration combines JSA's client-focused knowledge with Empowered's mission to provide clarity and confidence.
• Fee Only NetworkminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed member of the Fee Only Network directory, which connects consumers with fee-only fiduciary financial advisors.
• SEC Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD)minorOthersRegistered Investment Advisor (RIA) maintaining all applicable registrations and licenses as required by various states. SEC CRD #140431.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Aspiriant: Fee-only RIA delivering comprehensive wealth planning and investment advisory to high-net-worth families. Comparable in fiduciary-only model, tax-aware portfolio construction, and integrated financial planning offering.
• TrueNorth Wealth Advisors: Fee-only fiduciary RIA serving HNW individuals and families with personalized investment management and financial planning. Highly comparable small/mid-sized firm model focused on tax efficiency and behavioral coaching.
• Ruedi Wealth Management: Small fee-only RIA offering financial planning and discretionary portfolio management to individuals and families. Similar size, fiduciary structure, and personalized service orientation as JSA.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only fiduciary RIA providing portfolio management and financial planning to individuals and families, very similar positioning to JSA but at substantially larger scale. Direct comparator on NAPFA membership, fee-only model, and stock/bond portfolio construction.

Broad incumbents

• Creative Planning: Large-scale fee-only RIA serving individuals, families, and businesses with comprehensive wealth management. Operates in the same fiduciary RIA category as JSA but at massively greater scale and geographic reach.
• Carson Group (Carson Wealth): Large RIA and ecosystem supporting independent advisors with investment management, coaching, and back-office services. Indirect competitor that actively acquires small RIAs similar to JSA.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large independent RIA offering financial planning and investment advisory, including workplace advice programs. Comparable in fiduciary model and individual investor focus but with much greater scale and institutional distribution.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National RIA platform providing wealth advisory services to individuals, families, and institutions. Same fiduciary wealth management category but with significantly broader services and consolidation-driven scale.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Digital-first financial planning and investment advisory firm pairing clients with CFP professionals. Competes for the same HNW/mass-affluent household segment as JSA but with a hybrid tech-enabled delivery model.
• Zoe Financial: Online marketplace and RIA that matches clients with vetted fiduciary financial advisors. Competes for JSA's target customer and represents a distribution channel that may divert inbound leads away from small independent RIAs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCH-RuV2uwWRn_rsR05UeAxA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/jandsadvisors

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Jacobson & Schmitt Advisors