What Stolz & Associates does

Stolz & Associates, P.S. is a private, fee-only registered investment adviser and fiduciary wealth management firm headquartered at 3102 Ruston Way, Suite A, Tacoma, Washington. Founded in 2001 by Dave Stolz from a CPA practice, the firm delivers retirement planning, wealth management, post-divorce financial planning, tax planning, cash flow planning, social security planning, and estate planning primarily to high-net-worth individuals and families (typically $750K+ investable or $1M+ net worth) in Pierce County, Washington, including Tacoma, Gig Harbor, and University Place. Post-divorce planning including QDRO facilitation is a differentiated offering within the firm's service catalog.

The firm's investment approach is a low-cost, tax-efficient, research-driven strategy that uses exchange-traded funds (ETFs) rather than mutual funds to avoid annual capital gains distributions; the firm cites a $234,000 ten-year difference on a $1M portfolio at a 7% return assumption versus a comparable mutual fund approach. Client account access and operational technology are provided through the third-party Orion Advisor platform, supplemented by professional cash-flow planning software that models return assumptions, volatility, and tax brackets over multi-decade retirement horizons.

The business model is subscription/recurring fee-only advisory, with fee schedules disclosed via SEC Form ADV Part 2 rather than on the public website. Go-to-market is consultative and referral-driven, combining a free 30-minute virtual discovery meeting, content marketing (blog, Finance Friday video series, YouTube-style video library), and professional referrals from attorneys, CPAs, and other advisors. Following Dave Stolz's January 2024 retirement, the firm is led by Andy Stolz (MSF, CFA) and Michelle T. Robinson (CFP, Vice President and CCO). The firm is privately held with no evidence of outside institutional ownership, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, and no disclosed acquisitions or mergers.

Name

Stolz & Associates

Legal name

Stolz & Associates, P.S.

Website

https://stolzassoc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stolz & Associates is a fee-only, fiduciary wealth management firm in Tacoma, WA, serving high-net-worth individuals and families in the Pacific Northwest with retirement, tax, estate, and post-divorce financial planning using ETF-based investment strategies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Tacoma

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fee-Only Financial Advisory: As an independent, fee-only registered investment adviser, the firm charges fees for financial advisory services rather than commissions on products sold. Additional information including management fees is provided on Form ADV Part 2.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Stolz & Associates is a fee-only fiduciary wealth management firm providing comprehensive financial planning for high-net-worth individuals and families in the Pacific Northwest. Core offerings include retirement planning, tax planning, social security planning, estate planning, post-divorce financial planning, and cash flow planning, delivered by a credentialed team (CFA, CFP, CPA, CDFA).

Product overview

Stolz & Associates is a wealth management firm offering a unified suite of financial planning services centered on three core offerings: Wealth Management, Retirement Planning, and Post-Divorce Planning. These are supported by ancillary services including Tax Planning, Cash Flow Planning, Social Security Planning, and Estate Planning. The firm serves high-net-worth individuals and families in the Pacific Northwest area, utilizing a research-driven, low-cost, tax-efficient investment approach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wealth Management Holistic, fee-only fiduciary wealth management service for high-net-worth individuals and families, integrating investment management with comprehensive financial planning.
• Retirement Planning Planning services to help individuals and families prepare for and generate sustainable income throughout retirement.
• Tax Planning Tax planning services built around a tax-efficient ETF portfolio strategy aimed at minimizing the tax drag on client returns.
• Estate Planning Estate planning services to help clients structure the transfer of wealth and legacy assets.
• Post-Divorce Financial Planning Specialized financial planning service for individuals navigating divorce or its aftermath, leveraging the firm's CDFA credential and founder-authored book "Women, Divorce and Money." Particularly serves women post-divorce.
• Cash Flow Planning Cash flow planning services supported by dedicated cash flow planning software to help clients manage income, expenses, and savings goals.
• Social Security Planning Social Security claiming strategy and planning to optimize lifetime retirement benefits for clients and spouses.

Quantifiable outcome

• ETFs vs mutual funds: 10-year difference of $234,000 on $1M portfolio (7% return assumption)

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Laci Moyer - Pilkey Hopping & EkbergminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 April 2024Laci Moyer, Vice President of Pilkey Hopping & Ekenberg, collaborated with Michelle Robinson on Medicare enrollment educational video. Discussion covered Medicare Parts A, B, C, D, Advantage Plans, and supplement coverage.
• Ryan Dorman - Evergreen Home LoansminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 22 December 2023Ryan Dorman of Evergreen Home Loans (The Dorman Team) appeared on video discussing mortgage rates, interest rate environment, and real estate strategies for wealth management clients. Collaboration on educational content about mortgage planning for retirees and home equity extraction options.
• Orion Advisor (Client Portal)coreTechnology or IntegrationThird-party technology platform providing secure client portal access for account management. Clients access accounts through login portal at login.orionadvisor.com.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Independent broker-dealer and RIA custodian supporting fee-based financial advisors serving HNW clients. Comparable target market and advisor business model, though operates as a B2B platform supporting independent practices rather than competing directly.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer and RIA custodian in the U.S., supporting thousands of independent advisors including many small HNW-focused practices. Comparable as a wealth management delivery channel, though LPL itself is a platform/incumbent rather than a direct advisory competitor.
• Fisher Investments: Large investment management firm primarily serving HNW and institutional clients with discretionary portfolio management. Overlaps with Stolz in HNW investment management segment but operates as a portfolio manager rather than a comprehensive financial planner.

Emerging players

• Wealthfront: Leading robo-advisor using passive ETF portfolios and automated tax-loss harvesting. Competes for the same investor wallet share on cost-efficiency grounds but lacks the human-advisor and comprehensive financial planning layer that Stolz & Associates provides.

Direct peers

• Facet Wealth: Tech-enabled fee-only RIA serving HNW individuals with flat-fee financial planning. Comparable in fee-only fiduciary model and HNW target market, though differentiated by virtual delivery model and tech platform rather than in-person relationship-based service.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement planning to HNW households. Comparable fiduciary wealth management model, though much broader scale and integrated employer 401(k) business.
• Buckingham Wealth Partners: Fee-only fiduciary wealth management firm providing research-driven, evidence-based investment strategies and comprehensive planning for HNW clients. Highly comparable investment philosophy (low-cost, tax-efficient) and service model to Stolz & Associates.
• Empower (formerly Personal Capital): Hybrid digital RIA combining technology-driven portfolio management with human advisory services for HNW investors. Comparable HNW-focused fee-based wealth management offering, though at significantly larger scale with tech-led delivery.
• Carson Wealth: National RIA platform serving HNW families with comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax strategies. Comparable HNW target segment, though operating through a larger advisor-network model rather than single local office.
• Creative Planning: Large fee-only RIA serving HNW and UHNW individuals with comprehensive wealth, retirement, and tax planning. Closely comparable business model to Stolz & Associates (fee-only, fiduciary, holistic planning) though at much greater scale and broader geographic reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/stolzassoc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Stolz & Associates