Empire Financial Advisors

What Empire Financial Advisors does

Empire Financial Advisors is an independent financial advisory firm founded in 2014 by Tom Burdick and Gilbert T. Chase and headquartered at 3 Lear Jet Lane, Latham, NY, with a satellite office in Saratoga Springs. The firm operates as a collective of approximately 30+ financial professionals offering objective, brand-agnostic financial planning to individuals, families, and business owners. Securities and advisory services are delivered through LPL Financial as registered broker-dealer and custodian, enabling multi-state licensure across 19 states plus Washington DC.

The firm's product surface spans financial planning and strategies (retirement, estate, tax, charitable, college, business succession), individual life and disability insurance (whole, universal, variable universal, term), individual investment products (bonds, stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, variable annuities), retirement account vehicles (Traditional/Roth/SEP/SIMPLE IRAs, 401(k), fixed/variable/indexed annuities, QLACs), business retirement plans (401(k), profit sharing, 403(b), cash balance, defined benefit, money purchase), worksite/voluntary insurance (cancer, accident, hospital indemnity, multi-life), and business-owner disability coverages (buy-sell, overhead expense). Technology is not proprietary; the firm relies on LPL Financial's platform infrastructure and FMG Suite for content and website operations.

Empire's revenue is generated through three streams: recurring advisory fees on financial planning and investment management, transaction-based commissions on securities and insurance product sales, and professional-services fees on comprehensive financial planning engagements. The go-to-market is sales-led and relationship-driven: advisors deliver services via in-person consultations at the Latham and Saratoga Springs offices, by phone, and by video, with customer acquisition supported by content marketing, community engagement (Empire Day at Saratoga Racetrack, support for Hope House), and referral networks across attorneys and accountants. Pricing is personalized and not publicly disclosed, billed predominantly on an annual cadence.

Name

Empire Financial Advisors

Legal name

Empire Financial Advisors

Website

https://empirefa.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Empire Financial Advisors is an independent, LPL-affiliated financial advisory firm in Latham, NY serving individuals, families, and business owners with retirement, estate, tax, insurance, and wealth planning across 19 states plus DC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory & Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Owner & Executive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAO), Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD)

Keywords

• Financial advisory services
• Retirement planning
• Estate planning
• Life insurance solutions
• Investment advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Latham

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

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. Financial Advisory Fees: The firm generates revenue through advisory fees for personalized financial planning services including retirement, estate, tax, and investment planning. Services are offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor.
2. Securities and Insurance Products: Revenue from commission-based securities transactions and insurance products including whole life, universal life, variable universal life, term insurance, bonds, stocks, mutual funds, ETFs, and annuities.
3. Financial Planning Services: Fees for comprehensive financial planning services including individual and family financial planning, retirement planning, estate planning, business succession planning, tax strategies, charitable planning, and college planning.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Empire Financial Advisors provides personalized financial planning, retirement planning, estate planning, life insurance solutions, and investment advisory services to individuals, families, and business owners. The firm operates through a team of 30+ independent financial advisors affiliated with LPL Financial, offering objective guidance and a broad range of financial products and investment vehicles tailored to each client's goals and risk profile.

Product overview

Empire Financial Advisors is an independent financial advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of financial planning and advisory services. The firm provides Financial Planning & Strategies (including retirement, estate, tax, and charitable planning), Individual Life Insurance (Whole Life, Universal Life, Variable Universal Life, Term Insurance), Individual Investment Products (Bonds, Mutual Funds, ETFs, Variable Annuities), Individual Disability Products, Retirement Planning Products (Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, 401(k), Fixed/Variable/Indexed Annuities), Business Retirement Products (401(k) Plans, Profit Sharing Plans, 403(b) Plans), Worksite Insurance (Cancer, Accident, Hospital Indemnity), and Business Owner Disability Products. Services are delivered through independent financial professionals and securities/advisory services are offered through LPL Financial.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Individual Financial Planning Personalized financial planning services for individuals and families covering budgeting, savings, investment, retirement income, risk management, and estate considerations, delivered by independent financial advisors affiliated with LPL Financial.
• Retirement Planning Retirement income strategy, accumulation planning, and drawdown modeling for individuals and households approaching or in retirement, including IRA, 401(k), and pension distribution planning.
• Estate Planning Estate and legacy planning coordination including beneficiary planning, wealth transfer strategies, and coordination with legal and tax professionals.
• Life Insurance Solutions Life insurance product selection and planning for individuals and businesses, including term, whole life, and key-person/business continuation coverage.
• Investment Advisory Investment advisory services for individuals and business clients providing portfolio construction, asset allocation, and ongoing investment management through LPL Financial's platform.
• Business Financial Planning Financial planning services for business owners covering retirement plan design, executive benefits, succession planning, key-person insurance, and buy-sell funding.

Named customers2 records

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

One partnership is on record.

• LPL FinancialcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecurities and Advisory Services offered through LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor and Member FINRA & SIPC. LPL Financial is the broker-dealer and custodian platform that enables Empire Financial Advisors to offer securities and advisory services to clients.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• LPL Financial: LPL Financial is the largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S. and the platform on which Empire Financial Advisors runs its entire advisory and brokerage operation. As both infrastructure partner and de facto parent, LPL sets the economics, technology, and recruiting dynamics that govern Empire's operating model.
• Northwestern Mutual: Northwestern Mutual is a large, planning-led financial services firm offering life insurance, investment products, and advisory services — directly comparable to Empire's comprehensive planning + insurance + investments product mix, though operating as a captive rather than independent model.
• Ameriprise Financial: Ameriprise is a diversified financial services firm with a large advisor force delivering financial planning, investments, and insurance to individuals and small businesses. Its planning-led retail model overlaps with Empire's individuals-and-business-owners service proposition.

Direct peers

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Commonwealth is an independent broker-dealer/RIA platform supporting thousands of independent financial advisors nationwide. It competes directly with the LPL affiliation that Empire depends on, offering a comparable independent-advisor value proposition with planning-led services.
• Cetera Financial Group: Cetera is a leading independent broker-dealer platform serving independent financial advisors with planning, investment, and insurance capabilities — directly comparable to Empire's LPL-affiliated independent practice model in both offering set and target advisor profile.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Cambridge is a large independent broker-dealer/RIA platform that, like Empire, supports independent financial professionals offering financial planning, securities, and insurance products. It competes for the same independent-advisor recruiting pool.
• Carson Group: Carson Group is a fast-growing RIA platform that recruits and supports independent financial advisors through coaching, marketing, and back-office infrastructure — closely comparable to Empire's independent-advisor recruiting thesis, albeit at substantially larger scale.
• Sanctuary Wealth: Sanctuary Wealth is an independent advisor platform that recruits and supports breakaway advisors from wirehouses and independent broker-dealers — directly comparable to Empire's recent Merrill Lynch recruiting wins and its independent-advisor business segment.

Emerging players

• Creative Planning: Creative Planning is a large independent, planning-led RIA serving high-net-worth individuals and business owners with comprehensive wealth management. It represents a scaled-up version of Empire's independent planning-led thesis and a credible exit-comparable for PE acquirers.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Edelman Financial Engines is one of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan services to individuals and business owners. Comparable to Empire across customer segments and service breadth, but at significantly greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Empire Financial Advisors