Appelman Financial

What Appelman Financial does

Appelman Financial is a family-owned financial advisory firm founded in 1983 by Lynn C. Appelman and headquartered in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania. The firm serves high-net-worth individuals through a personalized financial advisory practice, with a stated minimum initial investment of $300,000. As of February 2026, the firm reports total assets under advisement of $776.6 million, comprised of $403.3 million in assets under management custodied at Charles Schwab and $373.3 million in additional assets under advisement. The firm is operated by an 8-person team of credentialed advisors (including designations such as ChFC, ChSNC, and CFP) and administrative staff.

The firm's product offering centers on personalized financial planning and wealth management, with an expanded service mix that now includes insurance products and tax preparation. For its brokerage and securities activities, the firm operates as a Registered Representative through Trustmont Financial Group, and uses Charles Schwab as its primary custodial platform. There is no indication of proprietary technology, in-house portfolio management systems, or AI/ML capabilities; the operational stack consists of standard industry infrastructure. Growth is primarily organic and referral-driven from existing HNW households, supported by multi-decade advisor tenure and a long-standing regional reputation.

The business model is built on three revenue streams: recurring subscription/ongoing financial advisory fees on assets under management and advisement, insurance commissions, and tax preparation fees. The fee-based advisory component is the largest contributor and scales directly with AUA. Customer acquisition is dominated by client referrals, with no disclosed marketing channel, paid acquisition program, or institutional sales effort. The firm's competitive position rests on long-tenured personal relationships, family-ownership continuity, and local brand reputation accumulated over 43 years.

Name

Appelman Financial

Legal name

Appelman Financial

Website

https://appelmanfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Appelman Financial is a family-owned financial advisory firm founded in 1983 in Bloomsburg, PA, serving high-net-worth individuals with personalized wealth management, insurance, and tax preparation across $776.6 million in assets under advisement.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Finance and Insurance (52)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Based Advisory (FSAEAAAM)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA), Fiduciary Investment Management (Trust Portfolios) (FSAEAKAI)

Keywords

• Financial advisory services
• Retirement planning
• Estate planning
• Investment management
• Tax preparation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomsburg

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisory and Planning Fees: Fee-based financial planning and investment advisory services as a Registered Investment Adviser firm operating through Trustmont Advisory Group, Inc. They must always put clients' interests first as part of their obligation as fiduciaries.
2. Insurance Products: Commissions from life insurance, fixed and variable annuities offered through their advisory practice.
3. Tax Preparation Services: Income tax preparation services offered as an additional service (not through Trustmont).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Appelman Financial is a family-owned financial advisory firm that delivers integrated financial planning services to high-net-worth individuals. Its core offering combines retirement planning, estate planning, income tax planning and preparation, investment management (executed on the Charles Schwab platform), insurance planning (life insurance, fixed and variable annuities), college savings planning, and Medicare/health insurance brokerage into a single coordinated "Big Picture" advisory engagement. The firm requires a minimum initial investment of $300,000 and operates as a fiduciary through Trustmont Advisory Group, Inc., with securities offered through Trustmont Financial Group, Inc.

Product overview

Appelman Financial is a family-owned financial advisory practice offering a unified suite of financial planning services. Their core offering is comprehensive financial planning that integrates investments, income tax planning, insurance planning, and estate planning. Services include retirement planning, estate planning, tax planning and preparation, investment management through the Charles Schwab platform, insurance planning (life insurance, annuities, Medicare), and college savings plans. The firm serves as a Registered Investment Advisor and works with clients on a broad variety of financial issues. They require a minimum initial investment of $300,000 and have surpassed $400 million in assets under advisement.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Services Comprehensive financial planning integrating investments, income tax planning, insurance planning, and estate planning under a 'Big Picture' approach for high-net-worth individuals and families.
• Retirement Planning

Quantifiable outcome

• Surpassed $400 million in assets under advisement

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Trustmont Financial Group, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationAlissa and Keeyan are Registered Representatives offering securities through Trustmont Financial Group, Inc. (Member FINRA/SIPC). Registered Investment Advisory Services offered through Trustmont Advisory Group, Inc., 200 Brush Run Road, Suite A, Greensburg, PA 15601. Trustmont Financial Group, Inc. and Trustmont Advisory Group, Inc. are affiliated companies.
• Charles SchwabcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe firm uses the nationally known Charles Schwab platform for many of their clients' investment programs. Assets under advisement include $403.3 million of regulatory assets under management with Charles Schwab.
• Pennie (Pennsylvania Health Insurance Exchange)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorKeeyan Zimmerman is a Certified Pennie Broker. Nathan Snyder is also a Pennie Broker. Pennie is Pennsylvania's state-based health insurance marketplace.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Charles Schwab Wealth Advisory: Schwab's own wealth advisory service and Schwab Intelligent Portfolios robo-advisor — represents the platform Appelman builds on as well as a competing low-fee advisory option that pressures RIA fee structures across the industry.
• Vanguard Personal Advisor Services: Hybrid robo-plus-human advisory service from Vanguard offering ongoing investment advice and planning at low fees — direct fee-based advisory competitor to Appelman for mass-affluent and entry-HNW clients.

Direct peers

• Fischer & Porter Wealth Management: Independent, fee-based RIA serving HNW individuals with comprehensive financial planning including retirement, tax, estate, and investment management — comparable in size, scope, and 'Big Picture' holistic advisory approach to Appelman.

Broad incumbents

• Edward Jones: Large national broker-dealer with thousands of local branch offices serving individual investors with fee- and commission-based advisory, retirement, and insurance products — broadly comparable to Appelman's local HNW advisory model but at vastly greater scale.
• Ameriprise Financial: National diversified financial services firm with a large advisor force offering investment advisory, retirement planning, insurance, and wealth management to HNW individuals — overlaps Appelman on fee-based advisory, insurance/annuities, and holistic financial planning.
• Cetera Financial Group: Independent broker-dealer and RIA platform serving independent financial advisors with fee-based wealth management, retirement, and insurance solutions — comparable to Trustmont's infrastructure role and Appelman's fee-based RIA model.
• Northwestern Mutual: Mutual company combining wealth management, life insurance, disability income, and retirement planning through a national advisor network — directly comparable to Appelman's integrated approach of investments plus life insurance plus retirement planning under one advisor relationship.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S. supporting independent RIAs and financial advisors offering fee-based advisory, retirement, and insurance — directly comparable platform competitor to Trustmont for Appelman-equivalent practices.
• Raymond James Financial Services: Broker-dealer and RIA platform supporting thousands of independent financial advisors — directly comparable to Trustmont's role for Appelman; Raymond James is a competing IBD partner for similar fee-based HNW advisory practices.

Others

• H&R Block: National tax preparation franchise with seasonal retail offices — comparable to Appelman's tax preparation service line as an ancillary offering that complements the core financial advisory business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/AppelmanFinancial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/appelman-financial

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Appelman Financial