Craig James Financial Services

What Craig James Financial Services does

Craig James Financial Services, LLC is a privately held, fee-based financial advisory firm founded in 2007 and headquartered at 510 Broadhollow Road in Melville, New York, serving the Long Island and greater New York metropolitan area. The firm operates with a six-person team led by President Craig J. Ferrantino and provides comprehensive financial planning across pre-retirement, retirement income, estate management, and legacy planning, with specialized protocols for state police and public safety employees. Service offerings include Financial Planning, Tax Mapping (annual recurring tax optimization), Social Security Maximization, Insurance (life, disability, long-term care), Investments, College Planning, Corporate Services, and Tax Services. Securities and advisory transactions are effected through a long-standing partnership with United Planners Financial Services, a registered broker-dealer and investment advisor (Member FINRA/SIPC), which provides the regulatory and trading infrastructure; the firm is independently owned and not affiliated with United Planners.

Name

Craig James Financial Services

Legal name

Craig James Financial Services, LLC

Website

https://craigjamesfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Craig James Financial Services is a privately held, Long Island-based financial advisory firm that delivers personalized retirement, tax, estate, and legacy planning to individuals and state police / public safety employees, operating through a six-person team and a United Planners broker-dealer partnership.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

Digital/Hybrid Robo-Wealth & Retirement Advisory (FSAEABAK)

Keywords

• Retirement planning services
• Financial advisory services
• Wealth management
• Estate planning
• Investment advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Melville

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Planning & Advisory Services: Fee-based financial advisory services for comprehensive financial planning, retirement planning, estate management, and legacy planning. Services include tax mapping, Social Security maximization, investments, and insurance analysis.
2. Securities & Investment Services: Securities and advisory services offered through United Planners Financial Services, a registered broker-dealer and investment advisor.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Craig James Financial Services is a privately held financial advisory firm that provides comprehensive retirement planning, financial planning, tax mapping, insurance, and investment services to individuals and families. The firm specializes in pre-retirement and retirement planning, with a particular focus on state police and public safety employee retirement, and also offers corporate financial wellness programs.

Product overview

Craig James Financial Services offers a comprehensive financial advisory service under a unified advisory model. The core offering is financial planning and retirement planning services, supported by specialized modules including Tax Mapping (annual tax optimization), State Police Retirement (specialized law enforcement retirement protocols), Social Security Maximization, and College Planning. The firm also provides insurance products, investment management, corporate services, and tax services as integrated components of its holistic financial planning approach. All services are delivered through the firm's team of Certified Financial Fiduciaries and Certified Wealth Strategists.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retirement Planning
• Financial Planning
• Investment Advisory
• Insurance Services Insurance product advisory and placement services to help clients manage risk and protect their financial plans.
• Tax Mapping Tax planning and mapping services designed to optimize tax outcomes in coordination with overall financial and retirement plans.
• Estate Planning Estate planning services to help clients structure wealth transfer, legacy, and beneficiary arrangements.
• State Police Retirement Planning Specialized retirement planning service tailored to the pension, benefits, and career timelines of state police and public safety officers.
• Corporate Financial Wellness Financial wellness program offered to corporate employers to educate and support their employees on financial planning and retirement readiness.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• United Planners Financial ServicescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorUnited Planners Financial Services is a registered broker-dealer and investment advisor (Member FINRA, SIPC) through which Craig J. Ferrantino offers Securities and Advisory Services. This partnership enables the firm to provide regulated securities and investment advisory services to clients.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Betterment: Digital wealth management platform offering goal-based retirement and investing tools. Comparable target market (retirement savers) and competes directly on convenience and price for simpler advisory relationships.
• Wealthfront: Leading robo-advisor offering automated portfolio management, tax-loss harvesting, and retirement planning at low fees. Competes for the same pre-retirement and retirement households and pressures fee structures across the category.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., providing comprehensive financial planning, retirement income, and tax-optimization services to mass-affluent and affluent households. Comparable service breadth and target segment.
• Carson Group: Large RIA and advisor support platform offering coaching, technology, and business-building resources to financial advisors across the country. Compared because many partner advisors deliver the same comprehensive retirement/wealth-management service to individual households.
• Commonwealth Financial Network: Large independent broker-dealer/RIA that hosts thousands of independent advisors under a firm affiliation model structurally similar to CJF's United Planners partnership. Comparable as an operating platform even though Commonwealth is far larger.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Large independent broker-dealer supporting independent financial advisors with practice management, technology, and compliance infrastructure. Comparable as a host-brokerage counterpart to United Planners serving small RIAs.
• Charles Schwab Wealth Advisory: Schwab's dedicated advisory services connect mass-affluent and affluent households to CFP-led retirement and wealth planning. Competes for the same retirement-income and pre-retiree client segment with heavy brand recognition and scale advantages.

Direct peers

• Halbert Hargrove: Long-tenured boutique RIA focused on retirement-income and wealth-strategy planning for individuals, with a comparable team size and similar comprehensive (financial-planning-plus-investments) service mix. Closest analog by business model and client profile.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Mid-sized fee-only RIA with a heavy focus on retirement-income planning, evidence-based investing, and tax-aware withdrawal strategies. Comparable in service mix (retirement planning, tax mapping, Social Security optimization) and target client.
• Ritholtz Wealth Management: NYC-metro boutique RIA led by a high-profile media personality (Ben Carlson), built around content/webinars and a fee-only fiduciary model. Comparable in client segment (retirees and pre-retirees), media-driven GTM, and holistic planning scope.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/craigjamesfs

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Craig James Financial Services