What Blankinship & Foster does

Blankinship & Foster is an SEC-registered, fee-only registered investment advisor founded in 1974 and headquartered in Solana Beach, California. The firm serves pre-retirees, retirees, and high-net-worth individuals (typically $1M–$10M+ in investable assets), including a specialized offering for physicians and high-income professionals. Services are organized around an integrated Wealth Management offering that bundles Financial Planning and Investment Management under a single transparent, asset-based fee, with neither commissions nor product sales. Underlying delivery relies on a five-step advisory process (The B&F Way) and a "Living Wisely" framework that integrates tax planning, estate planning, and charitable strategy into each client's plan. Technology is conventional RIA infrastructure: Charles Schwab serves as custodian via the Schwab Alliance client portal, and the eMaplan-based "My Organizer" portal aggregates client documents and accounts. The firm does not develop or deploy proprietary AI/ML systems.

The business is operated as an employee-owned LLC controlled by three principals (Jon Beyrer, Rick Brooks, and Stefan Prvanov), with no external institutional or private equity backing. A 16-person team supports a 40:1 client-to-advisor ratio—one of the lowest in the industry—and an average client tenure of 15 years. All advisors hold the CFP designation, with many carrying additional credentials (CFA, AEP, CSA, CDFA, CCFC). Revenue is generated almost exclusively through tiered AUM fees: 1.00% on assets up to $1M, 0.75% on $1M–$3M, 0.60% on $3M–$5M, and 0.40% above $5M, with a $2,500 per quarter minimum fee on accounts below $1M. The firm places in the $500M–$1B AUM band per Financial Advisor Magazine's 2025 RIA Survey (ranked 267 of 431) and has won consecutive recognition from Worth Magazine (2024, 2025) and AdvisoryHQ (2021, 2025).

Growth is being pursued organically through content marketing (a 931-post blog, video library, "Living Wisely" and "Wise Women" events), earned media, and peer-network participation (Family Wealth Advisors Council), supplemented by recent advisor hires. Geographic reach is primarily regional (San Diego) with remote service available nationwide. The firm has executed no acquisitions, funding rounds, or material leadership turnovers in the observed period.

Name

Blankinship & Foster

Legal name

Blankinship & Foster, LLC

Website

https://bfadvisors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1974

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Blankinship & Foster is an SEC-registered, fee-only registered investment advisor in Solana Beach, California, providing integrated wealth management, financial planning, and investment management to pre-retirees, retirees, and high-net-worth individuals with $1M–$10M+ in investable assets.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Managed Platforms & Wrap Programs for Private Clients (Model Portfolios, UMA/SMAs) (FSAAABAM)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Retirement financial planning
• Investment management advisory
• Fee-only fiduciary advisors
• Estate and tax planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Solana Beach

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. Assets Under Management (AUM) Fees: Compensation as a percentage of assets under management. Advisory fee ranges from 1.0% for assets up to $1M down to 0.40% for assets exceeding $5M. Minimum fee of $2,500 per quarter applies for AUM under $1M.
2. Flat Fee Wealth Management: Wealth Management service combining financial planning and investment management under one transparent fee.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Blankinship & Foster is a fee-only, SEC-registered investment advisory firm that provides integrated wealth management, investment management, and comprehensive financial planning services. The firm serves primarily pre-retirees and retirees, combining portfolio design, tax planning, estate planning, Social Security and Medicare guidance, insurance review, and philanthropic strategy under a single transparent AUM-based fee structure.

Product overview

Blankinship & Foster offers an integrated wealth management platform combining three core service modules: Wealth Management (the primary unified service integrating all offerings), Investment Management (portfolio design and management), and Financial Planning (holistic financial advisory). All services operate under a single transparent fee structure based on assets under management. The firm does not sell investment or insurance products and does not charge commissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wealth Management Comprehensive wealth management service integrating financial planning and investment management under one fee, covering tax planning, retirement, insurance, estate planning, and philanthropy for individuals and families.
• Investment Management Design and ongoing management of globally diversified, low-cost investment portfolios using no-load mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, reflecting each client's goals, risk tolerance, cash flow, and tax situation.
• Financial Planning In-depth, proactive financial planning addressing retirement and income planning, tax planning, Social Security and Medicare planning, estate planning, insurance review, employer benefits, and business succession for individuals and families.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40:1 client-to-advisor ratio among the very lowest in the industry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Charles SchwabcoreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party custodian for client assets. Established custodian provides safeguards, transparency, and oversight to protect client assets. Clients' money and investments are held securely by Charles Schwab, a regulated financial institution.
• Family Wealth Advisors Council (FWAC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational network of nine independent wealth management firms that collectively manage over $12 billion in assets. Firms share ideas, strategies, and lessons learned. Stefan Prvanov is an active member. FWAC members are recognized as leaders in the financial planning industry.
• CFA Society San DiegominorOthersProfessional association promoting high standard of ethics and sound professional standards of investment management and research. Rick Brooks served as Board Member including role of President of the Board.
• Financial Planning Association (FPA)minorOthersProfessional organization for CFP professionals, educators, and financial services providers. FPA supports high standards of professional competence, ethical conduct, and transparency. Jon Beyrer served on FPA San Diego board for seven years and received Heart of Financial Planning award in 2012.
• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)minorOthersCountry's leading professional association of fee-only financial advisors. Stefan Prvanov chaired San Diego NAPFA Study Group in 2005-2007 and served as Board member of West Region Board from 2005-2008.
• Girl Scouts San DiegominorOthersRick Brooks served for seven years on the Board of Directors, including as Chair of the Board and leading the Investment Committee. Helps guide organization to promote and develop girls with courage, confidence and character.
• Rady Children's Hospital FoundationminorOthersFoundation helps fund lifesaving technology, research, and financially support children with little or no private medical insurance. Jon Beyrer has been Trust and Estates Committee member since 2009 and Legacy Circle member since 2011. Teresa Kakadelas is also member of Trusts and Estates Council.
• San Diego RotaryminorOthersSince 1911, providing San Diego's leadership with opportunity to connect toward common goal of improving community. Longest standing Rotary in San Diego County.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Halbert Hargrove: Long-standing, fee-only RIA headquartered in Long Beach, California, serving HNW individuals and retirees with integrated financial planning and investment management. Comparable in size, fee-only fiduciary model, and California HNW focus to Blankinship & Foster.
• Brighton Jones: Employee-owned, fee-only wealth management firm based in San Diego serving high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth clients with a 2:1 advisor-to-client model. Directly comparable in geography, service model, and target segment.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: National fee-only RIA focused on evidence-based investment management and comprehensive financial planning for HNW clients. Comparable service offering and fee-only fiduciary structure, with a similar AUM-tiered pricing model.
• Aspiriant: Fee-only, employee-owned wealth management firm serving HNW clients with integrated financial planning and investment advice. Closely comparable in business model, scale, and fee-only fiduciary positioning.
• Merit Financial Advisors: Fee-only RIA providing comprehensive financial planning and investment management to HNW clients, with an emphasis on team-based advisor coverage. Comparable in client segment and integrated offering model.
• Plante Moran Wealth Management: Fee-only wealth management practice built around the Plante Moran CPA firm serving HNW individuals and families with integrated planning. Comparable target client and integrated wealth-services approach.

Broad incumbents

• Hightower Advisors: Large RIA platform that acquires and partners with independent fee-only firms, serving HNW clients with wealth management and planning. Represents both a competitor and a likely acquirer / partnership counterpart for firms of B&F's profile.
• Carson Group: National RIA consolidator providing technology, coaching, and support to independent financial advisors serving HNW and mass-affluent clients. A relevant incumbent competitor and potential acquirer in the RIA aggregation space.
• Creative Planning: Large, nationally recognized fee-only RIA serving HNW clients with comprehensive wealth management. Comparable fee-only model at much greater scale, illustrating the upper-bound trajectory for an AUM-based RIA.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Flat-fee digital financial planning firm offering comprehensive advice to HNW clients on a transparent subscription basis. Targets the same pre-retiree / retiree HNW segment with an alternative fee structure that could pressure AUM-based pricing.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/blankinship-and-foster
• Xx.com/bfadvisors

Compliance7 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Blankinship & Foster