Bona Fide Finance

What Bona Fide Finance does

Bona Fide Finance is a privately held, fee-only financial advisory firm founded in 2015 by Ben Martinek and headquartered in a home office in Bismarck, North Dakota. The firm delivers comprehensive financial planning services virtually across 20 U.S. states, with a stated specialization in physicians and medical professionals alongside secondary segments of young professionals, families, and pre-retirees. Core services are organized around two engagement models: an Ongoing Comprehensive Planning subscription (starting at $350/month, calculated as 1% of household income plus 0.5% of net worth, with a 12-month minimum commitment) and a one-time Comprehensive Review priced at $5,500. The firm also markets a dedicated "Wealth for Doctors" track addressing physician-specific issues such as PSLF optimization, student loan repayment, and complex compensation structures.

Underlying technology is modest: Bona Fide Finance relies on Right Capital as its financial planning platform for client meetings, goal monitoring, and plan management, and integrates with Charles Schwab, Betterment, YNAB, Intuit, and ShareFile for brokerage, budgeting, tax, and document workflows. There is no proprietary technology stack, no mobile application, no API, and no disclosed AI or machine learning capabilities. The firm operates as a Registered Investment Advisor under North Dakota jurisdiction with no external investment, parent company, or holding structure — ownership is concentrated with founder Ben Martinek and his family.

The business model is services-led with a recurring subscription backbone. GTM is consultation-based sales, beginning with a free introductory call, followed by a tailored proposal and either onboarding to the ongoing plan or the one-time review. Marketing is concentrated on content (blog), a YouTube channel (@wealthfordoctorsbenmartinek), LinkedIn, Facebook, and a monthly newsletter targeting physician pain points. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The team consists of five named members: Ben Martinek (Founder/Advisor), Deb Martinek (Relationships Specialist), Bonnie Martinek (Administrative Assistant), Dorian Antešić (Associate Advisor), and Jared Schumacher (PhD, Paraplanner).

Name

Bona Fide Finance

Legal name

Bona Fide Finance

Website

https://bonafidefinance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bona Fide Finance is a fee-only, RIA financial advisory firm based in Bismarck, North Dakota, founded in 2015 by Ben Martinek. It provides subscription-based comprehensive financial planning virtually across 20 U.S. states, with a primary specialization in physicians and medical professionals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Financial Coaching & Budgeting Advisory (FSAEAAAH)

Keywords

• Fee-only financial planning
• Financial advisory services
• Retirement planning
• Tax planning strategies
• Student loan analysis

Headquarters

HQ city

Bismarck

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations

Revenue model

1. Ongoing Comprehensive Planning: Recurring monthly subscription service including four foundational meetings, three meetings per year rotation, and unlimited access to Right Capital platform. Fee calculated as 1% of annual household income plus 0.5% of net worth, starting at $350/month with $1000 down payment and 12-month minimum commitment.
2. Comprehensive Review: One-time comprehensive financial assessment delivered over approximately three months with 3-4 meetings, resulting in detailed report on financial standing and action steps. Priced at $5500.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Bona Fide Finance is a fee-only financial advisory firm that delivers personalized financial planning to individuals and families, with specialized expertise for physicians and medical professionals. The firm offers two primary engagement types: an Ongoing Comprehensive Planning subscription (starting at $350/month with quarterly meetings and unlimited Right Capital platform access) and a one-time Comprehensive Review ($5,500, delivered over approximately three months). Services span budgeting, debt repayment, insurance review, employee benefits assessment, retirement projections, tax planning, and student loan analysis including PSLF optimization.

Product overview

Bona Fide Finance is a fee-only financial advisory firm offering a unified financial planning service model. The core offerings consist of two primary engagement types: Ongoing Comprehensive Planning (starting at $350/month with 12-month commitment) providing continuous advisory with quarterly meetings and platform access, and Comprehensive Review ($5,500 one-time) delivering a complete financial assessment with actionable recommendations. The firm provides eight specialized service modules including Financial Goals & Life Planning, Budgeting, Debt Repayment, Insurance Policy Review, Employee Benefits Assessment, Retirement Savings Projection, Tax Planning Strategies, and Student Loan Analysis. Additionally, the firm offers a specialized Wealth for Doctors track tailored to physicians' unique financial challenges including student loan debt management, PSLF optimization, and tax-efficient wealth building. All services emphasize fiduciary commitment, values-based planning, and transparent fee-only compensation without product commissions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ongoing Comprehensive Planning Continuous financial planning subscription for individuals and families featuring four foundational meetings followed by quarterly meetings per year, with unlimited access to the Right Capital platform for goal monitoring, investment review, insurance evaluation, and ongoing financial strategy adjustments. Priced at 1% of annual household income plus 0.5% of net worth, starting at $350/month, with a $1,000 down payment and 12-month minimum commitment.
• Comprehensive Review One-time comprehensive financial assessment examining a client's complete financial picture over approximately three months with 3-4 meetings, resulting in a detailed report on current financial standing, actionable steps, and goal proximity assessment. Priced as a $5,500 flat fee.
• Wealth for Doctors Specialized financial planning track for physicians and medical professionals addressing high student loan debt, delayed earnings, complex tax situations, student loan repayment strategies, smart investing, and tax-efficient wealth building. Leverages founder Ben Martinek's CFP®, EA, CSLP®, and RICP® credentials.

Quantifiable outcome

• Help families pay off student loans years ahead of schedule
• +1 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• White Coat Investor: Physician-focused financial planning brand offering education, resources, and advisor services to medical professionals. Most directly comparable niche and content-led acquisition model targeting the same physician client base.
• Garrett Planning Network: Network of fee-only financial advisors serving clients on an hourly, subscription, or retainer basis. Comparable fee-only model with virtual delivery and similar small-firm economics.
• Abacus Wealth Partners: Independent fee-only RIA providing holistic financial planning and investment management. Comparable fiduciary, fee-only service model with similar advisor-led client engagement.

Others

• XY Planning Network: Membership community and support network for fee-only financial advisors serving Gen X and Gen Y clients. Comparable subscription-oriented, virtual-delivery advisor model and an ecosystem peer for talent and best practices.

Broad incumbents

• Savant Wealth Management: Larger fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning and wealth management. Comparable service suite (financial planning, investment management, tax coordination), but at meaningfully greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Fisher Investments: Large asset-management firm serving high-net-worth clients with portfolio management and financial planning. Overlaps with Bona Fide Finance in investment advisory and wealth planning, but competes at a far larger AUM scale.
• Vanguard Personal Advisor Services: Hybrid robo-plus-human advisory offering from a major asset manager at low fees. Competes for the same planning-oriented clients on price and brand recognition, pressuring independent RIAs on subscription economics.

Emerging players

• Empower (formerly Personal Capital): Digital wealth platform combining planning tools with human advisory services. Comparable comprehensive-planning feature set delivered through a tech-enabled model, including to physicians and high-income professionals.
• Betterment: Leading robo-advisor offering automated portfolio management and now human advice tiers. Already an integration partner for Bona Fide Finance clients; competes on price for the discretionary investment-management slice of the offering.
• Ellevest: Digital wealth and financial planning platform with a mission-driven focus and integrated advice. Comparable subscription/membership-style planning model and a competitive threat for younger, planning-focused clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@wealthfordoctorsbenmartinek
• Facebookfacebook.com/Bona-Fide-Finance-100069532276726
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/bonafidefinance

Compliance1 record

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 Bona Fide Finance