The Trust Company

What The Trust Company does

The Trust Company is an independent, fee-only wealth management and trust services firm founded in 1992 by Mark Knackendoffel, J.D., and headquartered in Manhattan, Kansas. The firm operates four physical offices across Kansas and Missouri (Manhattan, Lawrence, Marysville, and Columbia) and delivers four core service lines: Financial Planning, Investment Management, Retirement Plan Services, and Trust and Estate Services. It is structured to be independent from banks, brokerage firms, mutual fund companies, and insurance companies, and compensates advisors solely as a percentage of client assets under management with no commissions, sales loads, or 12b-1 fees. The client base is diversified across individuals and families (primary), small-to-medium businesses, nonprofits and foundations, and government and university professionals, including those with TIAA-CREF accounts. Delivery is relationship-led through CFP®-credentialed advisors, with marketing support from a content blog, email newsletters via Constant Contact, social media (YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn), and community event sponsorships.

Underlying technology is conventional for a regional RIA: no proprietary platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and integrations limited to Google Analytics, Google AdWords remarketing, Facebook Custom Audiences, and Constant Contact. The firm does not disclose revenue, AUM, or pricing schedules publicly, and operates as a privately held corporation with Mark Knackendoffel as the largest stockholder and a board composed largely of stockholders and independent directors. Strategic activity has been incremental and organic — one new branch (Marysville, 2017), sustained advisor hiring 2018-2021, and credentialing (Chelsy Parsons earning CFP® certification) — with no acquisitions, funding rounds, or partnerships disclosed. Awards include Manhattan Mercury Readers' Choice #1 Investment Company in 2017 and 2019, reflecting strong local brand recognition.

Name

The Trust Company

Legal name

The Trust Company

Website

https://thetrustco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Trust Company is an independent, fee-only, fiduciary wealth management and trust services firm founded in 1992 in Manhattan, Kansas, serving individuals, families, businesses, nonprofits, and government/university professionals across four Kansas and Missouri offices through CFP®-credentialed advisors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Trust, Fiduciary, and Custody Activities (523991), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

SIC

Finance Services (6199)

akta.pro primary industry

Personal & Family Trust Services (FSAAANAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI), Family Office Trust & Fiduciary Services (FSAEAKAF), Employee Benefit & Retirement Plan Trust Services (FSAAANAC), Personal Trust & Fiduciary Administration (FSAEAKAA)

Keywords

• Fee-only wealth management
• Trust administration services
• Retirement planning advisory
• Estate planning services
• Fiduciary investment management

Headquarters

HQ city

Manhattan

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fee-Only Advisory Services: As a fee-only advisor, The Trust Company is compensated as a percentage of the value of clients' accounts. They do not accept commissions, sales loads, 12b-1 fees, bonus trips, or kickbacks from any investment product or company. This model aligns their interests with clients' interests, as their primary incentive is to preserve and enhance the value of clients' accounts.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Trust Company is an independent, fee-only, fiduciary wealth management and trust services firm. It delivers four core offerings: financial planning, investment management, retirement plan services, and trust and estate services. Services are provided through CFP® professionals across four office locations in Kansas and Missouri to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits.

Product overview

The Trust Company offers a unified suite of wealth management services centered on four core offerings: Financial Planning, Investment Management, Retirement Plan Services, and Trust and Estate Services. Operating as an independent, fee-only, fiduciary firm, the company provides these services to individuals, families, businesses, and nonprofits across their four office locations in Kansas and Missouri. The integrated approach allows advisors to address diverse client needs—from comprehensive financial planning and investment portfolio management to retirement plan administration and trust/estate services—while maintaining objectivity and avoiding conflicts of interest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning
• Investment Management
• Retirement Plan Services
• Trust and Estate Services

Quantifiable outcome

• Only 25% of U.S. financial advisors are CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professionals

Named customers11 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carson Group: Financial advisor ecosystem serving independent advisors and their clients with wealth management, financial planning, and business consulting services. Comparable in serving the same advisor/client model with a multi-office, multi-advisor delivery approach.
• Hightower Advisors: Wealth management firm built through advisor M&A, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan consulting. Comparable in offering multi-service wealth advisory to individuals and businesses via multiple locations.
• Mercer Advisors: National independent RIA offering financial planning, investment management, estate, and tax planning services to individuals and families. Comparable product suite and fiduciary positioning, though national in scale versus The Trust Company's regional footprint.
• Creative Planning: Large independent, fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan services to individuals and businesses. Closely comparable in service mix, fiduciary model, and multi-advisor team structure to The Trust Company, though at significantly greater scale.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fee-only fiduciary RIA offering financial planning and investment management to individuals and families using an evidence-based investment approach. Closely comparable in fee-only, fiduciary-only service model and client-segment focus.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Independent wealth advisor providing financial planning, investment management, retirement plan, and trust/estate services nationally. Direct competitor offering the same core product suite as The Trust Company to individuals, families, and institutions.
• Sequoia Financial Group: Fee-only wealth advisory firm providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan services through advisor teams across multiple offices. Direct peer on product mix, fee-only fiduciary stance, and multi-office delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest independent RIAs offering investment advisory and financial planning to individuals, retirement plan participants, and institutional clients. Overlaps with The Trust Company's investment management and retirement plan services but at substantially greater scale.
• Baird (Robert W. Baird & Co.): Employee-owned broker-dealer and wealth manager with extensive trust, estate, and investment services through branch offices in the Midwest and nationwide. Comparable in product suite and Midwest physical footprint but as a much larger, broader-scope incumbent.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Digital-first fee-only financial planning firm delivering comprehensive planning via remote CFP® professionals. Comparable in fee-only, fiduciary model and CFP®-delivered financial planning, though operates without physical offices versus The Trust Company's four-branch approach.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8ZlyyaKTpNvETTYhfuwyFw
• Facebookfacebook.com/thetrustco
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-trust-co
• Xx.com/thetrustco_ttc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles21 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 The Trust Company