Calderwood Financial Strategies

What Calderwood Financial Strategies does

Calderwood Financial Strategies, Inc. is a privately held, SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered at 510 Bering Drive, Suite 540, Houston, Texas. The firm was established in its current form in 2010 by Charles (Charlie) Calderwood, whose financial services career spans back to 1976, including prior roles at The Equitable, Phoenix, and New England Financial. The firm operates with a small team of 1-10 employees and serves three primary client personas: business owners and corporate executives, self-employed professionals, and affluent individuals. Service offerings are structured as a one-stop platform spanning qualified retirement plans (401(k), pension plans, profit sharing, defined benefit, cash balance), non-qualified supplemental retirement plans, corporate owned life insurance, employer group benefits (health, dental, vision, disability, HSA/HRA/125 plans), individual life insurance across six policy types, and investment portfolio management. The firm also runs a 38-benchmark Business Owner Strategies program comparing client businesses against successful businesses across employment agreements, retirement plan analysis, business transfer studies, and buy-sell planning.

Name

Calderwood Financial Strategies

Legal name

Calderwood Financial Strategies, Inc.

Website

https://calderwoodfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Calderwood Financial Strategies is a Houston-based, SEC-registered investment adviser serving business owners, self-employed professionals, and affluent individuals with retirement planning, life insurance, employer group benefits, and investment portfolio management services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Pension Funds (52511)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Owner & Executive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAO), Retirement Income Planning & Decumulation Advisory (FSAEABAD), Retirement & Distribution Planning RIAs (401(k)/IRA/Pension Rollovers) (FSAAACAE)

Keywords

• Retirement plan advisory
• Investment portfolio management
• Life insurance brokerage
• Employer group benefits
• Financial planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Houston

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and 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 Calderwood Financial Strategies, Inc., an SEC-registered investment adviser. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning and investment portfolio management services.
2. Insurance Products Distribution: The firm acts as an independent insurance resource offering life insurance products including term, whole life, universal life, index universal life, variable universal life, and guaranteed universal life insurance. Revenue is generated through commissions on insurance products placed.
3. Retirement Plan Advisory Services: The firm provides analysis and advisory services for qualified retirement plans including 401(k), pension plans, profit sharing plans, and executive benefit plans. Services include plan analysis, design recommendations, and ongoing advisory.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Calderwood Financial Strategies is an SEC-registered investment adviser delivering fee-based investment advisory, retirement plan advisory, and insurance brokerage services from its Houston, Texas office. The firm designs and advises on qualified retirement plans (401(k), pension, supplemental non-qualified), corporate-owned and individual life insurance, employer group benefits, and institutional-style investment portfolio management for business owners, self-employed professionals, and affluent individuals. Services are delivered through a team-based, relationship-driven model with credentialed specialists rather than a self-serve digital platform.

Product overview

Calderwood Financial Strategies is a financial advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of services through a one-stop platform approach. The core offerings include retirement planning products (401(k) Plans, Pension Plans with multiple subtypes, and Non-Qualified Supplemental Retirement Plans), insurance solutions (Corporate Owned Life Insurance and individual Life Insurance with multiple policy types including Term, Whole, Universal, Index Universal, Variable Universal, and Guaranteed Universal), and Employer Group Benefits. Investment Portfolio Management delivers institutional-quality five-step asset management, while the Business Owner Strategies program provides 38-benchmark comparison analysis. Supporting these are educational resources including financial newsletters, calculators, and research articles covering estates, retirement, tax, investing, cash management, and risk management topics. The firm is an SEC-registered investment adviser.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 401(k) Plans Self-directed qualified retirement plans established by employers for employees, with pre-tax and/or after-tax contribution options and tax-deductible employer contributions; includes Safe Harbor Provision Analysis and Profit Sharing Analysis for businesses.
• Pension Plans Qualified retirement plan analysis and administration services covering 401(k), Profit Sharing, Money Purchase, Age-Weighted, Defined Benefit (Traditional), Cash Balance, SEP, and Simple Corporate IRA Plans.
• Supplemental Retirement Plans (Non-Qualified) Tax-favored supplemental income strategies for business owners at retirement, with NQRP benefits potentially exempt from creditors and not included on the corporate balance sheet; features Asset Preservation and Off Balance Sheet Compensation.
• Corporate Owned Life Insurance (COLI) Company-owned life insurance on key employees (owners and senior management) providing income tax-free death benefits to the company; used for Key Person protection, Buy-Sell Agreements, and funding company benefits.
• Employer Group Benefits Comprehensive employee health care and benefits planning including Group Health Insurance, Dental Benefits, Vision Care, Flexible Benefit Accounts (HSA, HRA, 125 Plans), Group Life Insurance, and Short/Long-term Group Disability.
• Life Insurance Products Independent life insurance brokerage offering Term, Whole Life, Universal Life, Index Universal Life, Variable Universal Life, and Guaranteed Universal Life Insurance policies for individuals.
• Life Insurance Policy Review Periodic policy health check service to identify changes in guarantees, projections, and performance; reviews interest rate/crediting rate performance, medical underwriting changes, and coverage adequacy at 3-5 year intervals.
• Investment Portfolio Management Five-step asset management process replicating an institutional money manager approach: personal profile development, personalized asset allocation policy, institutional money management firm investment implementation, portfolio monitoring with rebalancing, and regular communication with comprehensive reporting.
• Analytical Services Financial advisory services for affluent individuals covering investment portfolio management and life insurance needs, tailored to various life stages with consideration for fluctuating ability to set money aside.
• Business Owner Strategies / Benchmark Program 38 business owner benchmarks program comparing client businesses against successful businesses; includes Employment Agreements, Qualified Retirement Plan Analysis, Business Transfer Studies, and Buy-Sell/Key Man Combination planning.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.

• Loren D. Stark Company, Inc.supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPension Administration partner providing administrative support services for qualified retirement plans.
• Petersen International Exceptional Risk AdvisorssupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLloyds of London specialty coverage partner providing access to specialty insurance products and risk management solutions.
• Kilpatrick Companies, Ltd.supportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCorporate group benefits partner providing employer health and benefits insurance products.
• Donohue Feiman Retirement Plan Services, Inc.supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerAnalytical and pension administration partner providing plan analysis and administrative services for retirement plans.
• Bradley M. Whalen, Porter Hedges LLPsupportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLegal services partner providing legal counsel and support for business transactions and planning.
• The Calderwood Group (Christopher Calderwood)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAccounting and outsource CFO services partner providing financial reporting and accounting support for business clients.
• Seren Wealth Advisors (Stephanie Blakes, CFP)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFinancial planning and eMoney platform partner providing comprehensive financial planning services to corporate and individual clients.
• First Financial ResourcessupportingChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLife insurance distribution group providing access to life insurance products and carriers.
• RIA Compliance Concepts (Ivan Barretto)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerCompliance consulting partner providing regulatory compliance guidance for registered investment adviser operations.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Creative Planning: Large national RIA focused on comprehensive wealth management for business owners and affluent individuals. Offers retirement planning, investment management, insurance, and estate planning under one roof, directly mirroring Calderwood's one-stop model but at much greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/calderwood-financial-strategies

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Calderwood Financial Strategies