Winsett Financial Group

What Winsett Financial Group does

Winsett Financial Group is a privately held, founder-owned independent financial advisory firm established in 1991 and headquartered at 2418 Old Moulton Road SW, Decatur, Alabama, with a secondary office in Madison, Alabama. The firm serves individuals, families, and small businesses in northern Alabama, with securities and advisory licensing across four states. Its service line spans investment advisory (stocks, bonds, IRAs, variable annuities), comprehensive financial planning (retirement, estate, college, 401(k)/403(b)), insurance (life, disability, long-term care), and tax preparation and planning delivered by an Enrolled Agent with 40+ years of income tax expertise.

The firm's technical platform centers on the VestVision™ retirement and investment planning system, licensed from Wealthcare Capital Management LLC and protected by five U.S. patents (6,947,904/7,562,040/7,650,303/7,865,138/7,991,675). This platform is delivered through the firm's affiliation with Avantax, which joined Cetera Wealth Services in 2023 and supports more than 3,000 advisors and approximately $107 billion in assets under administration. Pat Winsett operationalizes VestVision through an 8-step planning process (define goals, set realistic targets, prioritize, stress-test, recommend, implement, monitor, reprioritize), supplemented by an in-house resource center of educational articles, 200+ term financial glossary, financial calculators, and a tax resource center.

Commercially, Winsett operates a relationship-led, in-person advisory motion with complimentary initial consultations, generating revenue from AUM-based advisory fees (through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC), transaction-based brokerage commissions (through Cetera Wealth Services LLC), professional-service fees for tax preparation and bookkeeping, and insurance commissions. The firm runs with a lean team of 9-10 staff including the President & CEO, Operations Manager, Accounting Director, and tax professionals, and has no external private equity, venture capital, or institutional investment. There is no disclosed revenue, AUM, or pricing data, and no AI/ML capabilities are evidenced across products, integrations, or hires.

Name

Winsett Financial Group

Legal name

Winsett Financial Group, Inc.

Website

https://winsettfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Winsett Financial Group is a founder-owned independent financial advisory firm in Decatur and Madison, Alabama, serving individuals, families, and small businesses with investment advisory, tax preparation, retirement planning, insurance, and bookkeeping through its affiliation with Avantax/Cetera Wealth Services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Decatur

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services: Fee-based investment advisory services through affiliation with Avantax/Cetera Investment Advisers LLC. Registered Investment Adviser Representative provides ongoing portfolio management and financial planning for a fee based on assets under management.
2. Securities Brokerage: Commission-based brokerage services through Cetera Wealth Services LLC. Registered Representatives earn transaction-based compensation (commissions) on securities transactions including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and variable annuities.
3. Tax Preparation and Planning: Tax preparation services for individuals and businesses including tax return preparation, planning, representation before the IRS, and small business accounting services. Provided by Enrolled Agent with over 40 years of income tax expertise.
4. Bookkeeping Services: Full-service bookkeeping for businesses including payroll, payroll taxes, sales taxes, and bank reconciliations.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Winsett Financial Group delivers holistic financial planning, investment management, tax preparation, retirement and estate planning, and insurance solutions to individuals, families, and small businesses in northern Alabama. The firm combines fee-based investment advisory services and commission-based brokerage through its Avantax/Cetera affiliation with in-house tax and bookkeeping services delivered by an Enrolled Agent. Services are personalized through the proprietary VestVision™ planning process and delivered via in-person consultations from its Decatur and Madison offices.

Product overview

Winsett Financial Group is a financial services firm offering a comprehensive suite of financial planning and investment management services. The core offerings include Investments (stocks, bonds, IRAs, variable annuities), Financial Planning (retirement, tax, estate, and college planning), Insurance (life, disability, long-term care), and Tax Planning/Preparation services (Enrolled Agent services). The firm is affiliated with Avantax and utilizes the proprietary VestVision™ platform for retirement and investment planning. Services are delivered through an 8-step planning process, complemented by online financial calculators and tax resources. The firm specializes in serving individuals and small businesses in northern Alabama, with an emphasis on holistic financial guidance and tax-intelligent planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investments

Quantifiable outcome

• Tax-efficient retirement withdrawal strategies tailored to individual tax situations
• +1 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Avantax (Cetera Wealth Services LLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPat Winsett is affiliated with Hdvest Investment Services and Avantax. Avantax supports an independent network of tax and non-tax professionals providing comprehensive financial solutions including securities, insurance, money management, and banking. Avantax provides the VestVision™ process and planning tools used by Winsett Financial Group. In 2023, Avantax joined Cetera, supporting over 3,000 Financial Professionals and approximately $107 billion in assets under administration across all 50 states.
• Wealthcare Capital Management LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationVestVision™ software, patents, copyrights and trademarks are owned by Wealthcare Capital Management LLC. U.S. Patents numbers 6,947,904/7,562,040/7,650,303/7,865,138/7,991,675. The proprietary planning methodology is licensed for use through Avantax Advisors.
• Cetera Holdings (Aretec Group)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAvantax joined Cetera in 2023, further strengthening the network's ability to serve more than 3,000 Financial Professionals and approximately $107 billion in assets under administration across all 50 states. Cetera Holdings refers to Aretec Group, Inc.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Ameriprise Financial: Diversified financial services firm with a large independent advisor channel delivering retirement, investment, insurance, and tax-aware planning to individuals and small businesses. Comparable in service mix and target customer base, though operating at significantly greater scale.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Independent broker-dealer supporting a large network of financial professionals with wealth management and advisory services. Comparable as a Cetera/Avantax-tier competitor offering affiliated practices a similar platform-and-tools model.
• Northwestern Mutual: Mutual financial services firm combining life insurance, investment advisory, and comprehensive financial planning delivered through a large captive advisor force. Comparable in integrating insurance with wealth planning for individual clients and small businesses.
• Commonwealth Financial Network: Large independent broker-dealer/RIA serving thousands of independent financial advisors with comprehensive planning, investment, and insurance solutions. Comparable as a host platform for small, founder-led practices delivering holistic financial services to individuals and small businesses.
• Focus Financial Partners: Wealth management roll-up serving a network of independent, often founder-led RIAs providing comprehensive financial planning to individuals and small businesses. Comparable at the firm-of-firms level as a potential consolidation partner or exit pathway for Winsett-type practices.
• Kestra Financial: Independent wealth management platform supporting independent financial advisors with broker-dealer and RIA services. Same independent-advisor affiliation model as Winsett's relationship with Avantax/Cetera, with comparable practice economics.
• LPL Financial Holdings: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S. with a comparable independent-advisor business model in which affiliated advisors provide holistic financial planning, brokerage, and investment advisory services. Far larger in scale, but the underlying advisor economics and service stack are directly analogous to Winsett's.

Direct peers

• Cetera Financial Group: Parent network for Winsett through its 2023 acquisition of Avantax; supports 3,000+ financial professionals with approximately $107B in AUA across all 50 states. Other independent advisors operating under the Cetera Wealth Services umbrella are directly comparable in business model and service mix.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large independent financial planning firm serving individuals and families with holistic retirement, investment, and tax-aware planning. Directly comparable in target customer (mass-affluent and pre-retiree households), holistic planning orientation, and use of proprietary planning tools.
• Hdvest Investment Services: Operating entity within the Avantax independent advisor network to which Pat Winsett is directly affiliated. Functions as a parallel independent advisory practice with comparable business model and service mix, making it the closest direct peer within Winsett's own network.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Winsett-Financial-Group/200177555893?ref=br_tf
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/winsett-financial-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Winsett Financial Group