BlueStem Wealth Partners

What BlueStem Wealth Partners does

BlueStem Wealth Partners is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm headquartered in Minnetonka, Minnesota, with additional offices in Litchfield and Delano. The practice originated in Litchfield, in the Minnesota heartland, and has grown to serve individual clients across multiple U.S. states. The firm delivers two integrated offerings: a proprietary Financial Life Advice™ process, a value-based, experience-centric advisory workflow that addresses client behaviors, values, and life goals, and an Investment Management service built on a rules-based quantitative framework featuring Level Elements (for managing equity and fixed income exposure) and Style Elements (for managing the composition within those exposures). Supporting service modules include Retirement Advice, Risk Management, Business Advice, Charitable Giving, and Behavioral Finance Coaching, and the firm emphasizes peer review of recommendations by multiple CFP® professionals.

The firm generates revenue through recurring investment advisory fees disclosed in Form ADV Part 2A and Form CRS; specific fee schedules are tailored to individual client relationships and not publicly disclosed. Go-to-market is sales-led and heavily referral-based: prospective clients complete a website inquiry form and proceed through complimentary consultations, with options for face-to-face, digital, or hybrid relationships. Custody and account servicing are handled by Charles Schwab via the Schwab Alliance portal, supplemented by Black Diamond Digital for portfolio reporting, ByAllAccounts for account aggregation and multifactor authentication, and DocuSign for document execution. The firm employs a multigenerational team of more than a dozen professionals with 225+ years of collective advisor experience.

BlueStem serves a horizontal mix of individual segments, with pre-retirees and retirees as the primary segment, alongside professionals and executives, people in life transitions, small business owners, landowners and agribusinesses, and multi-generational families. The firm has received regional recognition including Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors (2022, 2023), a Five Star Wealth Manager Award (2022), and Forbes Best-In-State Teams (2023). It is independently owned and operated as BlueStem Wealth Partners, LLC, with leadership anchored by Managing Partners Jill Lawrence (CEO) and Scott Marquardt (CFO), supported by a Chief People Officer and a President of Operations and Business Development.

Name

BlueStem Wealth Partners

Legal name

BlueStem Wealth Partners, LLC

Website

https://bluestemwealthpartners.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

BlueStem Wealth Partners is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Minnetonka, Minnesota, providing Financial Life Advice and rules-based investment management to individuals and families, including pre-retirees, retirees, professionals, small business owners, and multi-generational families across multiple U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management and Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning & Goals-Based Advice (Mass Affluent) (FSAAAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Banking Advisory & Discretionary Portfolio Management (FSABADAD)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Financial planning advisory
• Investment management firm
• Retirement planning advice
• Financial life planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Minnetonka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 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 Fees: BlueStem Wealth Partners is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm offering investment advisory services. Revenue is generated through advisory fees disclosed in Form ADV Part 2A. The firm provides financial planning and investment management services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

BlueStem Wealth Partners is an SEC-registered investment advisory firm providing personalized financial planning and investment management services to individuals, families, and small business owners. The firm delivers its proprietary Financial Life Advice™ process, which aligns client finances with life goals, values, and behavioral factors, alongside rules-based quantitative investment management through Level Elements and Style Elements strategies. Services are delivered through Minnesota-based offices and a national client base via direct advisor relationships, with custodial and reporting support from Charles Schwab and Black Diamond Digital.

Product overview

BlueStem Wealth Partners operates as a financial advisory firm offering two core integrated offerings: Financial Life Advice™ and Investment Management. Financial Life Advice™ is a value-based advice process that addresses clients' emotional needs, dreams, and goals, while Investment Management provides quantitative, rules-based portfolio strategies. The firm also offers specialized service modules including Risk Management, Retirement Advice, Business Advice, Charitable Giving, and Behavioral Finance Coaching. The firm is registered with the SEC as an investment advisory firm.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Life Advice™ Proprietary value-based, experience-centric advisory process that helps clients align their finances with personality, values, emotional factors, and life goals, integrating risk management, retirement advice, business advice, charitable giving, and behavioral finance coaching. Delivered to individuals, families, and small business owners through CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals.
• Investment Management Strategic investment management using rules-based quantitative techniques, including Level Elements (to manage equity and fixed income exposure over time as fundamental, quantitative, and economic data change) and Style Elements (to manage the specific composition within equity and fixed income exposures). Custodial services are provided through Charles Schwab Alliance and reporting through Black Diamond Digital.

Quantifiable outcome

• The firm has guided clients through the 2008 financial crisis, the Great Recession, and the 2020 market correction

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationCharles Schwab provides custodial and platform services for client accounts. BlueStem Wealth Partners utilizes Schwab Alliance as the client portal and account servicing platform. The firm sends clients to Schwab for account access while providing advisory services separately. BlueStem has agreements with Schwab under which Schwab provides services related to client accounts.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• North Star Resource Group: Minneapolis-based independent financial services firm offering financial planning, investment management, and benefits advisory. Comparable in Minnesota base, planning-led offering, and focus on professionals and small business owners.
• Honkamp Krueger Financial Group: Midwest RIA affiliated with an accounting firm, providing financial planning, investment management, and tax-aware advice. Comparable in integrated professional services approach and Midwest client base.
• Bedel Financial Consulting: Indiana-based fee-only RIA serving individuals, families, and small businesses with holistic financial planning. Comparable in goals-based advice approach, fiduciary model, and Midwest concentration.
• Sequoia Financial Group: Midwest-based fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning and investment management to individuals and families. Comparable in holistic planning approach and mass-affluent client base, with similar regional concentration.

Direct peers

• Creative Planning: Large national RIA offering comprehensive financial planning and investment management to mass-affluent and high-net-worth clients. Comparable in providing integrated wealth advice with a strong planning-led brand, though significantly larger and PE-backed.
• Moneta Group: Independent, employee-owned RIA based in the Midwest with multiple office locations serving mass-affluent and HNW clients. Comparable in regional density, fee-only structure, and holistic planning-led model.
• Carson Group: RIA platform serving financial advisors and their clients with coaching, technology, and wealth management services. Comparable in serving independent advisors and offering financial life planning, though operating through a partner-advisor model rather than direct-to-client like BlueStem.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National independent RIA platform with a comprehensive financial planning and investment management offering. Comparable in advisor-led model, integrated wealth services, and ongoing M&A-driven growth, though much larger in scale.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: Large national RIA combining planning, investment management, and workplace retirement advice. Comparable in providing fee-based comprehensive advice to mass-affluent clients, though at significantly greater scale with both advisor and digital channels.

Others

• Charles Schwab Advisor Services: Custodian and platform provider for BlueStem's client accounts. Relevant as both an infrastructure dependency and a competitor (via Schwab Wealth Advisory) that offers similar services to mass-affluent clients, often at lower fees.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/bluestemwealthpartners
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bluestem-wealth-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 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 BlueStem Wealth Partners