Trillium Finanical Advisors

What Trillium Finanical Advisors does

Trillium Financial Advisors is a privately held financial advisory and accounting firm founded in 1980 and headquartered in Grandville, Michigan, serving small businesses, individuals, and families across Western Michigan. The firm operates as an independent practice affiliated with Cetera Financial Group — specifically Cetera Financial Specialists LLC for securities brokerage and Cetera Investment Advisers LLC for investment advisory services — which provides the back-office technology, compliance, and product infrastructure while Trillium retains client-facing independence.

The firm's revenue is generated through four streams: fee-based investment advisory services (recurring AUM-style fees), transaction-based securities brokerage commissions, professional tax preparation services, and accounting and business advisory work including bookkeeping, payroll, and strategic planning. The product surface is unified around three core service lines — Personal Advisory, Tax Preparation, and Accounting/Business Advisory — supplemented by an extensive educational resource center covering retirement, estate, investment, insurance, tax, and money management topics, plus interactive financial calculators used as lead-generation content.

The go-to-market is a sales-led, consultative model: clients are acquired via website content, free educational eBooks, and direct referrals, then onboarded through a three-step process (initial consultation, customized planning, ongoing support). Distribution is entirely direct through licensed professionals at the single Grandville office; no technology platform, mobile app, or self-service product is offered. The team comprises approximately eight members including four CPAs (Doug Postma, Jason Van Hoven, Matt Becker, Mina Dornbush), a wealth management assistant, a staff accountant, and administrative staff. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary technology, or external capital are disclosed.

Name

Trillium Finanical Advisors

Legal name

Trillium Financial Advisors

Website

https://tfacpa.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trillium Financial Advisors is a privately held, independent financial advisory and CPA firm founded in 1980 in Grandville, Michigan, providing tax preparation, accounting, business advisory, and investment advisory services to small businesses, individuals, and families across Western Michigan through its Cetera Financial Group affiliation.

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

Tax-Focused Wealth Management RIAs (FSAAACAD)

Keywords

• Financial advisory services
• Tax preparation services
• Wealth management
• Small business accounting
• Retirement planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Grandville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services: Fee-based investment advisory services through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC, providing personalized financial planning and asset management
2. Securities Brokerage: Brokerage services through Cetera Financial Specialists LLC, offering securities with transaction-based compensation (commissions)
3. Tax Preparation: Expert tax preparation services designed to minimize liability and maximize returns
4. Accounting and Business Advisory: Comprehensive accounting, bookkeeping, payroll, and strategic business advisory services

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Trillium Financial Advisors provides personalized financial planning, tax preparation, and small business accounting/advisory services to individuals, families, and small businesses in Western Michigan. Investment advisory and securities services are delivered through its affiliations with Cetera Investment Advisers LLC and Cetera Financial Specialists LLC, offering clients access to wealth management and brokerage capabilities alongside in-house CPA-led tax and accounting expertise.

Product overview

Trillium Financial Advisors offers a unified financial advisory service platform combining three core offerings: Personal Advisory Services for individual financial planning, Tax Preparation for comprehensive tax compliance and minimization, and Accounting and Business Advisory Services for small business support. The company provides educational resources across six key topics (Retirement, Estate, Investment, Insurance, Tax, and Money) plus a suite of financial calculators. All services are delivered through their affiliation with Cetera Financial Group, providing access to brokerage and investment advisory platforms while maintaining personalized client relationships.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Personal Advisory Services Personalized financial planning strategies that help individuals achieve financial goals, including retirement planning, investment management, and navigating life milestones. Delivered through Cetera Investment Advisers LLC as a fee-based investment advisory service.
• Tax Preparation Expert personal and business tax preparation services designed to minimize tax liability and maximize returns, handled by in-house CPAs.
• Accounting and Business Advisory Services Comprehensive small-business financial support including bookkeeping, payroll, financial planning, QuickBooks setup/training/support, and strategic business planning for local small businesses.
• Securities Brokerage Services Brokerage services delivered through Cetera Financial Specialists LLC, providing clients access to securities products with Registered Representatives receiving transaction-based compensation (commissions).

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Edward Jones: National franchise of individual financial advisors serving mass-affluent and small-business clients with personalized, relationship-led advice. Highly comparable to Trillium's local, consultative GTM and small-business / family client mix, though at vastly larger scale.
• LPL Financial (independent advisor practices): Largest U.S. independent broker-dealer, supporting thousands of independent RIAs with similar fee/commission economics and small-practice economics. Comparable business model, customer profile, and reliance on a parent B-D for compliance and product access.
• Cetera Advisor Networks LLC: Parent affiliation network for independent financial advisors using Cetera's broker-dealer and RIA infrastructure. Other Cetera-affiliated practices share Trillium's exact delivery model, fee/commission mix, and independent-but-supported value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• H&R Block: National tax-preparation chain that has expanded into adjacent financial advisory and small-business services. Overlaps directly with Trillium's tax-preparation + small-business advisory offering, but at massive retail scale and without the personalized wealth management depth.
• Northwestern Mutual: Insurance-and-wealth advisor-led model serving individuals and families with comprehensive planning. Comparable relationship-driven, multi-product (insurance + investments + planning) approach aimed at similar mass-affluent households and small-business owners.
• Merrill Lynch (Advisor platform): Bank of America's wealth management arm serving mass-affluent and emerging-affluent households through local financial advisors. Overlaps with Trillium's personalized, planning-led approach and small-business / family client base, but with full-bank scale and proprietary product depth.
• Charles Schwab (Personal Advisor Services): Schwab's hybrid robo-plus-human advisory service targets the same mass-affluent individuals and families Trillium serves. While delivered at scale with lower fees, the customer profile and planning-led value proposition overlap directly.
• MassMutual (financial advisors): Mutual company with a large field force of financial professionals offering insurance, retirement, and investment planning. Comparable multi-product, advisor-led model targeting small businesses, families, and individuals in regional markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Trillium Finanical Advisors