CalmWater Financial Group

Name

CalmWater Financial Group

Legal name

CalmWater Financial Group

Website

https://calmwaterfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management & Financial Planning

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Financial planning advisory
• Retirement income planning
• Corporate retirement plans
• Fiduciary investment advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Norfolk

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisory and Wealth Management Services: The firm operates as a registered investment adviser and broker/dealer through Commonwealth Financial Network, providing wealth management, retirement income planning, social security planning, Medicare planning, estate planning, insurance planning, investment planning, retirement planning, tax planning, corporate retirement plans, financial planning, and long-term care planning services. Revenue is generated through advisory fees and commissions on securities transactions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CalmWater Financial Group is an independent, fiduciary financial planning firm that delivers comprehensive wealth management and retirement income planning through 11 distinct advisory service areas (Social Security, Medicare, Estate, Insurance, Investment, Retirement, Tax, Corporate Retirement Plans, holistic Financial Planning, Long-Term Care, and the Nucor Teammates Program). Services are delivered one-on-one by CFP®-credentialed Fiduciary Asset Managers, with back-office broker/dealer and RIA support provided by Commonwealth Financial Network. The firm oversees approximately $1.5 billion in client assets and serves individuals, families, corporations, and small business owners nationwide.

Product overview

CalmWater Financial Group is an independent, fiduciary financial planning firm offering a unified suite of advisory services organized around a comprehensive financial planning process. The firm's core offerings span 11 distinct service areas: Social Security Planning, Medicare Planning, Estate Planning, Insurance Planning, Investment Planning, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning, Corporate Retirement Plans (including a national corporate wealth education program), Financial Planning, Long-Term Care Planning, and a dedicated Nucor Teammates Program. All services are delivered through a team of fiduciary asset managers with CFP and ChFC designations, backed by Commonwealth Financial Network as the broker/dealer-RIA. The firm oversees $1.5 billion in assets under management and serves clients nationwide from its Norfolk, Nebraska headquarters.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Social Security Planning
• Medicare Planning
• Estate Planning
• Insurance Planning
• Investment Planning
• Retirement Planning
• Tax Planning
• Corporate Retirement Plans
• Financial Planning
• Long-Term Care Planning
• Nucor Teammates Program

Quantifiable outcome

• $1.5 billion in assets overseen as of April 30, 2024
• +3 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

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Creative Planning: Creative Planning is a large independent RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, retirement, estate, tax, and corporate plan services to individuals, families, and businesses — closely matching CalmWater's fiduciary, multi-service model while operating at significantly larger AUM scale.
• Carson Group: Carson Group operates a hybrid RIA + affiliated-advisor model with corporate retirement plan consulting and a national footprint of partner advisors, directly comparable to CalmWater's affiliated-advisor structure and its corporate wealth education program for Nucor.
• Sanctuary Wealth: Sanctuary Wealth is a partnership model for elite independent advisors and RIAs, providing compliance, technology, and transition support — directly comparable to CalmWater's affiliated-advisor growth approach and a likely consolidation counterpart.

Broad incumbents

• LPL Financial: LPL Financial is the largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., supporting thousands of financial advisors with RIA custody, compliance, and technology — serving the same independent-advisor business model that CalmWater operates inside Commonwealth Financial Network.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Edelman Financial Engines is one of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering comprehensive wealth management, retirement plan services, and financial planning to individuals and corporate plan participants — overlapping with CalmWater's individual and corporate retirement segments.
• Cetera Financial Group: Cetera is one of the largest independent B/D-RIA networks supporting affiliated financial professionals with practice management, technology, and compliance services — comparable to the back-office and affiliation infrastructure that Commonwealth Financial Network provides to CalmWater.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Mariner Wealth Advisors is a national independent RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, retirement, estate, and tax planning to individuals and corporations — overlapping with CalmWater's full-service fiduciary offering but at a much larger scale.
• Northwestern Mutual: Northwestern Mutual is a major comprehensive financial services firm offering wealth management, retirement, estate, and insurance planning through a captive advisor force — a scaled incumbent competitor in the same comprehensive financial planning category where CalmWater operates.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Cambridge is a major privately held independent broker-dealer/RIA supporting affiliated advisors with planning tools, custody, and practice management — a direct analog to the Commonwealth Financial Network affiliation model that CalmWater uses to deliver its services.
• Focus Financial Partners: Focus Financial Partners is a leading RIA rollup that acquires and supports independent wealth management firms — a structural acquirer of RIA platforms comparable to CalmWater, offering similar fiduciary, fee-based comprehensive planning services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 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 CalmWater Financial Group