What Cypress Wealth Services does

Cypress Wealth Services is an independent, SEC-registered investment adviser (RIA) headquartered in Palm Desert, California, with additional offices in Anchorage, Orange County, Arizona, and the San Francisco Bay Area. Founded by professionals from Morgan Stanley, Merrill Lynch, and Integrated Wealth Management's Cypress Group, the firm delivers comprehensive financial planning and investment management to high-net-worth individuals, families, retirees, executives, business owners, independent women, technology professionals with concentrated equity compensation, and influencers. Service is delivered through dedicated client service teams running a documented seven-step planning process anchored by two proprietary methodologies: the "Life in a Book" financial organization framework (a common-law service mark that consolidates client financial documents, contacts, and personal wishes) and a 360-Degree Portfolio Analysis that reviews seven investment areas against client goals and outputs a one-page summary. The core product set comprises seven integrated modules — Financial Organization, Financial Planning, Retirement Income Planning, Investment Management, Estate & Legacy Planning, Insurance Planning, and Tax Planning — packaged as a unified wealth-management engagement rather than discrete transactions.

The firm's revenue model is fee-based, recurring advisory revenue typical of an RIA: clients are charged an asset-based advisory fee via a client service agreement on an annual billing cadence, with securities execution routed through M.S. Howells & Co. (an unaffiliated FINRA-registered broker-dealer) and custody provided by Schwab. Back-office, marketing, and operations support is delivered through a strategic partnership with Synchronize, which is explicitly scoped to grow revenue and enterprise value. The go-to-market is high-touch, relationship-based field advisory supported by an inbound content engine that includes a financial education blog, quarterly market webinars with BlackRock, topical webinar series with partners such as Amada Senior Care, Schwab Charitable, and Schwab Institutional, plus an email newsletter. No public revenue, AUM, or pricing schedule is disclosed; Form ADV and Form CRS are cited as the canonical fee disclosures. The firm does not disclose an AI/ML capability stack — technology is entirely third-party (Orion Advisor for the client portal, Schwab for custody, partner-provided marketing and operations tooling) — and its differentiators rest on credentials (CFP, CFA, CEPA, CDFA, CRPC across the team), proprietary consulting frameworks, and multi-generational relationship depth rather than on technology or artificial intelligence.

Name

Cypress Wealth Services

Legal name

Cypress Wealth Services

Website

https://cypressws.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cypress Wealth Services is an independent SEC-registered investment adviser delivering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement-income planning to high-net-worth individuals, families, executives, business owners, retirees, and technology professionals across five U.S. offices.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management and Financial Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive/Full-Service RIAs & Independent Wealth Managers (FSAAACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB), Corporate Retirement Plan Advisory RIAs (ERISA 401(k)/403(b)) (FSAAACAF), Insurance-Integrated Wealth Managers (RIA + Insurance Solutions) (FSAAACAI)

Keywords

• Financial planning services
• Investment management advisory
• Wealth management firm
• Retirement income planning
• Estate legacy planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Palm Desert

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

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 Services: Fee-based investment advisory services offered through an SEC-registered RIA firm. Advisory services are only offered to clients where the firm and representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cypress Wealth Services is an independent SEC-registered investment adviser (RIA) that delivers comprehensive financial planning and investment management services to individuals, families, and institutions. The firm offers an integrated suite covering financial organization (Life in a Book framework), financial planning, retirement income planning, investment management (360° Portfolio Analysis), estate and legacy planning, insurance planning, and tax planning, delivered through a high-touch, team-based advisory model.

Product overview

Cypress Wealth Services offers a unified financial advisory platform with seven core service modules. The integrated offering combines Financial Organization (Life in a Book framework), Financial Planning, Retirement Income Planning, Investment Management (360° Portfolio Analysis), Estate & Legacy Planning, Insurance Planning, and Tax Planning. These services are designed to work holistically, with the Life in a Book methodology serving as the organizational foundation while the other modules address specific lifecycle needs from accumulation through retirement and legacy transfer.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Organization (Life in a Book) A proprietary financial organization framework that helps clients organize their finances and set the foundation for a healthier financial future, consolidating financial information, documents, contacts, and personal wishes.
• Financial Planning Comprehensive planning that addresses every phase of a client's financial life, including cash flow, debt management, goals, insurance needs, and retirement.
• Retirement Income Planning Planning service that supports clients transitioning from saving and investing to living off their assets in retirement, clarifying where retirement income will come from.
• Investment Management (360° Portfolio Analysis) Proprietary investment management offering using a 360° Portfolio Analysis that reviews seven key investment areas against client goals, resulting in a clear one-page summary.
• Estate & Legacy Planning Service that builds a plan to distribute wealth according to client wishes after passing, ensuring financial, personal, and charitable goals are met.
• Insurance Planning Insurance planning services that ensure proper coverage to protect clients' assets and loved ones as a vital component of the financial plan.
• Tax Planning Service that partners with clients and their CPA to develop unified strategies enhancing tax efficiency in the financial plan and reducing tax burdens.

Quantifiable outcome

• Life in a Book helps families organize financial information, documents, and contacts in one place
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered strategic, core and minor.

• BlackRockstrategicGTM or Marketing Partner · 23 October 2025Quarterly market discussion partner providing market environment reviews and perspectives for clients. Cypress hosts quarterly market discussion webinars with BlackRock representatives.
• SynchronizecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partner providing hands-on back-office support for the RIA firm, focusing on increasing revenue, reducing costs, and boosting enterprise value. Synchronize provides comprehensive support including marketing, client communication, financial operations, and growth plans through a team of seasoned financial services professionals.
• M.S. Howells & Co.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegistered broker/dealer and Member FINRA/SIPC offering securities through the firm. Securities are offered through M.S. Howells & Co. while investment advisory services are offered through Cypress Wealth Services.
• Amada Senior CareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational leader in home care partnering with Cypress for long-term care planning webinars. Amada provides expertise with in-home caregiving and LTCi claims advocacy, offering practical insights for navigating long-term care planning.
• Schwab CharitableminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable giving strategy partner discussing donor-advised funds and charitable giving vehicles. Topics include tax efficiency, succession planning for charitable assets, and legacy giving strategies.
• SchwabcoreTechnology or IntegrationCustodial services provider offering client login portal for account access. Schwab provides brokerage and custodial services for client investment accounts.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Cetera Financial Group: Large RIA support platform serving independent financial advisors across multiple brands with technology, compliance, and practice management. Comparable in serving independent advisors with comprehensive planning capabilities; broader incumbent with multiple affiliated RIA brands.
• Focus Financial Partners: Large RIA aggregator (now part of Clayton, Dubilier & Rice) that acquires and supports independent advisory firms with shared infrastructure. Represents both a potential acquirer category for Cypress and a broader incumbent offering the same comprehensive RIA model at much greater scale.

Direct peers

• Mercer Advisors: National independent RIA with strong retirement-income and financial-planning emphasis serving HNW individuals and families. Comparable comprehensive service model and similar emphasis on retirement distribution, tax planning, and estate coordination.
• Savant Wealth Management: Mid-sized independent RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services to HNW individuals and families. Closely matches Cypress's planning-led, multi-office model and HNW/HNW-family target market.
• Wealthspire Advisors: Independent RIA built through advisor acquisitions, providing comprehensive wealth planning, investment management, and tax services. Highly comparable to Cypress as a multi-office, planning-led RIA serving HNW households.
• Carson Wealth (Carson Group): RIA support platform and wealth management firm providing coaching, technology, and back-office services to independent advisors alongside its own advisory services. Comparable in providing comprehensive planning to HNW clients; differs in being a hybrid platform + captive RIA model.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large national RIA combining comprehensive financial planning with investment management for HNW individuals and workplace retirement plan participants. Comparable comprehensive planning-led model, particularly relevant given Cypress's 401(k) plan sponsor work.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large independent RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, retirement, estate, tax, and insurance services to HNW individuals and families. Directly comparable to Cypress as a comprehensive planning-led RIA, though at significantly greater scale (hundreds of advisors and ~$80B+ AUM).
• Beacon Pointe Advisors: California-based independent RIA providing comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, and institutional consulting. Closely comparable to Cypress in geography (Southern California HQ), service breadth (planning-led, multi-advisor teams), and HNW client focus.
• Creative Planning: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering unified financial planning, investment management, tax, and estate services to HNW clients. Comparable as a comprehensive planning-led RIA, though at materially larger scale than Cypress.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Cypress Wealth Services