What Lightship Wealth Strategies does

Lightship Wealth Strategies, Inc. is a privately held, independent wealth advisory firm founded in 2006 by Jonathan Wolff and headquartered at 2344 Washington St, 2nd Floor, Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts. The firm delivers customized financial planning and investment management services across four service lines — Navigating Retirement, Individuals in Transition, First-Time Families, and Young Professionals — serving primarily affluent families, individuals in life transitions, and select small institutions. Its 13-member team includes a founder, a managing director, five wealth advisors (Jonathan Wolff, Scott Schutte, Justin Turcotte, Evan Mattern, Jack Wolff, Ron Mastrangelo), wealth and client service associates, and three college interns, drawing on credentials including CFP, AIF, CLU, EA, and multi-series FINRA registrations.

The firm operates as an affiliate of Raymond James Financial Services, Inc. (transitioned from Commonwealth Financial Network in 2024), under which securities are offered through Raymond James Financial Services and investment advisory services through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors. Lightship Wealth Strategies itself is not independently registered as a broker-dealer or investment adviser. Beyond the Raymond James platform, the firm has built a proprietary web-based suite — LWS Onboarding Quiz, Quiz Grader and Review tools, weekly knowledge quizzes, Markets Quiz, Time Value of Money Calculator, Financial Profile Tool, and an Insights content hub — used primarily for internal training and client education, not as AI-driven systems.

Lightship's revenue is generated through advisory fees on assets under management and securities commissions, with no publicly disclosed pricing. Marketing is content- and referral-driven, leveraging Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management recognition (#9 Massachusetts in 2026), an Insights blog, events, community partnerships, and a network of estate attorneys, tax professionals, and insurance specialists. The firm currently serves over 1,000 families and is registered to serve clients across 33 U.S. states plus DC through the Raymond James affiliation.

Name

Lightship Wealth Strategies

Legal name

Lightship Wealth Strategies, Inc.

Website

https://lightshipwealth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Lightship Wealth Strategies is a privately held, independent wealth advisory firm in Newton Lower Falls, Massachusetts, serving affluent families and individuals across retirement, life transitions, and early-career stages through AUM-based financial planning and investment management delivered as a Raymond James affiliate.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Newton Lower Falls

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. Wealth Management Advisory Fees: Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. Revenue generated from advisory fees typically based on assets under management (AUM). The firm provides customized financial planning and investment management services.
2. Securities Commissions: Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Revenue from securities transactions and related financial products distributed through the Raymond James platform.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Lightship Wealth Strategies provides customized financial planning and investment management services to individuals, families, and small institutions through a multigenerational team of wealth advisors. The firm delivers four primary service lines — Navigating Retirement, Individuals in Transition, First-Time Families, and Young Professionals — covering retirement income planning, life-transition guidance, new-family financial security, and early-career wealth accumulation, all executed through the Raymond James Financial Services broker-dealer and RIA platform.

Product overview

Lightship Wealth Strategies is a multigenerational team of independent financial planners and wealth advisors offering customized financial planning and investment management services. The core offering consists of four primary service lines: Navigating Retirement (for those planning or in retirement), Individuals in Transition (for those experiencing major life changes), First-Time Families (for new parents), and Young Professionals (for early-career wealth building). These services are delivered through a team-based advisory model and supported by proprietary internal training and client-facing educational tools, including the LWS Onboarding Quiz system (comprising onboarding, weekly, and markets quizzes), Time Value of Money training module, and an Insights/Market Commentary hub. The firm operates as an affiliate of Raymond James, providing securities and advisory services through that platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning and Investment Management Services
• Navigating Retirement Retirement planning service for individuals approaching or in retirement, focused on income stream replication, professional resource coordination, asset protection, investment profile management, and flexible financial planning.
• Individuals in Transition Financial guidance service for individuals experiencing major life changes such as marital status changes, employment transitions, relocations, and inheritance events; addresses financial independence, fear management, and untangling of shared plans.
• First-Time Families Financial planning service for new parents and growing families, covering company benefits maximization, net worth building, education and major expenditure planning, professional relationship development, retirement planning, and insurance protection.
• Young Professionals Financial planning and wealth accumulation guidance for young professionals, covering employer benefit optimization, savings and compounding strategies, investment advice, and coordinated balance sheet planning.
• Financial Profile Tool Password-protected client financial profile assessment tool that requires an advisor-provided access code, enabling the firm to gather structured client financial data as part of the planning engagement.
• Insights and Market Commentary Educational content hub providing regular articles on personal finance, retirement planning, education planning, charitable giving, tax planning, and market updates, authored by Lightship advisors and sourced from Raymond James research.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1000 families helped retire with confidence
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Raymond James Financial ServicescoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 2024Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. Investment advisory services offered through Raymond James Financial Services Advisors, Inc. In 2024, Lightship transitioned its affiliation from Commonwealth Financial Network to Raymond James, expanding the platform and resources available to clients.
• Save The BayminorOthersRhode Island nonprofit dedicated to protecting Narragansett Bay since 1970. Lightship team participated in International Coastal Cleanup Day at Colt State Park, collecting debris and recording data for Ocean Conservancy's annual marine debris report.
• Strongwater FarmminorOthersTherapeutic equestrian center in Tewksbury, MA serving individuals with physical, cognitive, and emotional challenges including autism, veterans with PTSD, individuals with substance use disorders, and seniors with Alzheimer's and dementia. Lightship financially supported the farm with over $10,000 in donations in 2023.
• Birthday WishesminorOthersNonprofit providing birthday parties and birthday boxes filled with decorations and presents for homeless children in the greater Boston area. Lightship sponsored items for birthday boxes and helped build boxes for 200 children and teenagers.
• Project BreadminorOthersAnti-hunger organization committed to providing sustainable, reliable access to nutritious food. Supports community-based meal programs, early childhood and school nutrition initiatives, and farm-to-table resources.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Lightship's prior broker-dealer affiliate (until 2024) and a large independent RIA custodian; both firms operate the same hybrid advisor-plus-platform model serving independent wealth advisors in the U.S.
• Hightower Advisors: National RIA platform partnering with high-performing advisor teams; structurally similar to Lightship's hybrid model where advisors retain independence while leveraging a large back-office and product platform.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large, multi-service wealth management firm offering the same financial planning, investment management, estate, and tax coordination services Lightship provides, but at materially greater scale across multiple U.S. offices.
• Carson Group: Wealth management firm and advisor platform providing coaching, technology, and investment solutions to independent advisors — directly comparable to Raymond James/Cetera hybrid models used by Lightship-style practices.
• Creative Planning: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services to mass-affluent and high-net-worth households similar to Lightship's target market.
• Mercer Advisors: National RIA focused on holistic financial planning, investment management, and estate/tax coordination for households, with strong retirement and life-transition service lines that overlap directly with Lightship's offerings.
• Focus Financial Partners: Wealth management partnership platform backing independent advisor firms; provides the same scale, succession, and platform benefits that smaller RIAs like Lightship seek through affiliations with larger broker-dealers.
• Cetera Financial Group: Independent broker-dealer and RIA platform that, like Raymond James, hosts independent advisor teams delivering financial planning and wealth management services to mass-affluent clients.

Direct peers

• Ronald Blue Trust: Faith-based RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and estate/tax services to affluent households — closely comparable in service mix, client demographic, and team-based delivery model.
• EP Wealth Advisors: Mid-sized independent RIA providing personalized financial planning and investment advisory services to households and small institutions — operates at a comparable scale and regional-coverage footprint to Lightship.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/lightship-wealth-strategies-inc.

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 Lightship Wealth Strategies