Chesser Financial

What Chesser Financial does

Chesser Financial is a privately-held financial advisory firm founded in 1988 by Jamie Chesser and headquartered in Champaign, Illinois. The firm operates with a 17-person team that includes eight Financial Representatives and supporting operations staff, providing holistic financial planning to individual and family clients across the United States. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through registered representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC (Member SIPC), and the firm is independently licensed to offer insurance products across 38 states plus DC and securities services across 36 states plus DC, giving it a multi-state regulatory perimeter far wider than its single physical office.

The firm's core service is an income-planning framework that integrates investments and insurance to address accumulation, distribution, and protection needs across clients' financial lifecycles. Codified as "The Chesser Financial Approach," this process is supported by thought-leadership content including white papers ("The Effective Development of Wealth" and "Purposeful Investment"), educational videos, financial calculators, and articles hosted in an online resource center built and managed through FMG Suite. There is no proprietary technology platform or AI capability disclosed; the offering is service- and relationship-driven rather than productized.

Revenue is generated through commissions on insurance products and on securities transactions, alongside advisory fees tied to client assets managed through MML Investors Services. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-based: prospective and existing clients engage via direct office visits, phone consultations, scheduled appointments, and a central [email protected] inbox. Marketing is content-driven, emphasizing the resource center and downloadable white papers as top-of-funnel assets. Ownership is founder-led, with the Chesser family maintaining involvement through founder Jamie Chesser and his son Colin Chesser, who joined in 2021.

Name

Chesser Financial

Legal name

Chesser Financial

Website

https://chesserfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Chesser Financial is a Champaign, Illinois-based financial advisory firm founded in 1988 that provides holistic income planning, investment advisory, and insurance services to individual and family clients across 38 states, operating through MML Investors Services registered representatives.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Champaign

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Securities and Investment Advisory Services: Revenue generated through registered representatives of MML Investors Services LLC who offer securities and investment advisory services to clients. Compensation likely includes commissions and/or advisory fees for financial planning and investment management services.
2. Insurance Products: Licensed to offer insurance products across 38 states and DC. Revenue generated from insurance product sales and related advisory services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Chesser Financial is a financial advisory firm that delivers holistic personal financial planning to individuals and families. Its services bridge investments and insurance to craft comprehensive income plans addressing accumulation, distribution, and protection needs. Core services include financial planning, investment advisory (offered through MML Investors Services, LLC representatives), insurance products, tax strategies, and estate planning.

Product overview

Chesser Financial is a financial advisory firm founded in 1988, offering a unified suite of personal financial services built around an income planning framework. The firm's core offering is its holistic approach that bridges investments and insurance to craft comprehensive income plans. Their service portfolio centers on the Chesser Financial Approach—a diversified process addressing accumulation, distribution, and protection needs—with supporting resources including white papers (The Effective Development of Wealth, Purposeful Investment), financial calculators, educational videos, and articles. The firm serves clients across numerous states through registered representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC, Member SIPC.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• MML Investors Services, LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecurities and investment advisory services offered through registered representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC, Member SIPC. This is a primary distribution partnership for securities products. Supervisory address: 330 Whitney Avenue, Suite 600, Holyoke, MA 01040.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Creative Planning: Large RIA offering holistic wealth management, financial planning, and estate services to individuals and families. Directly comparable as a process-driven, multi-advisor holistic advisory firm, though at materially larger scale.
• Buckingham Wealth Partners: RIA platform providing financial advisors with planning-focused practice support and an integrated investment and insurance offering. Comparable to Chesser Financial's holistic, planning-led model with independent advisor teams.
• Carson Wealth: Wealth management firm serving individuals and families through a national network of advisors. Comparable as a holistic, planning-led advisory whose advisor-led model mirrors Chesser Financial's relationship-based GTM.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National wealth advisory firm offering financial planning, investment management, and tax/estate services. Comparable holistic offering and target client base, though with significantly larger scale and institutional backing.
• Hefren-Tillotson: Privately-held, multi-generational financial advisory firm headquartered in Western Pennsylvania. Closely comparable in size, founder-influenced culture, holistic planning approach, and relationship-based GTM.

Broad incumbents

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Large independent broker-dealer/RIA platform supporting thousands of independent advisors. Comparable as a multi-state, multi-product financial advisory distributor with insurance and securities licensing, but operating at much greater scale.
• Ameriprise Financial: Diversified financial services firm with a national network of franchise advisors providing wealth management, insurance, and retirement planning. Comparable holistic service offering with similar insurance + investments crossover.
• Edward Jones: Large U.S. financial services firm with thousands of branch-based advisors delivering holistic planning and insurance/investment products. Closely comparable historical footprint model to a community-based, multi-state advisory, though with vastly greater scale.
• Baird: Privately-held diversified financial services firm offering wealth management, investment banking, and asset management. Comparable as a private, advisor-led firm serving individuals and families with investment and insurance products.
• Cetera Financial Group: Independent broker-dealer/RIA platform supporting independent financial advisors across the U.S. Comparable as a multi-state financial advisory distribution channel with insurance and securities licensing.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/chesserfinancial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chesser-financial

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 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 Chesser Financial