What Margin does

MARGIN is a fee-only registered investment advisor organized as MARGIN, LLC, headquartered in Denver, Colorado and operating nationwide through virtual advisory engagements. The firm targets senior corporate leaders — typically VPs, SVPs, directors, and department heads within 5-10 years of a career transition, with household income above $300K and investable assets between $2M and $10M — who carry complex combinations of deferred compensation, RSUs, stock options, pensions, and multiple accounts that generalist tools cannot coordinate. Founder and wealth strategist Eric Courage, who holds the CFA, CFP, and CAIA designations concurrently (fewer than 1 in 4,000 advisors), is the lead advisor on every engagement, supported by a paraplanner and operations team; the firm limits its client roster to preserve depth of service.

MARGIN's core offering is an integrated financial planning, investment management, and tax strategy service packaged under a single asset-based fee schedule — 0.90% annually on the first $2.5M of AUM, stepping down to 0.65%, 0.40%, and 0.20% at higher tiers, with a $15,000 annual minimum, billed quarterly. The firm holds discretionary authority to manage accounts at Charles Schwab as independent custodian and never takes custody of client funds. Specialty services include deferred compensation advisory (with specific expertise in 457(f), 457(b), and 409A plans), concentrated stock diversification, tax-loss harvesting, and executive retirement readiness. The go-to-market is consultative: a 30-minute fit assessment leads into a 90-day onboarding, twice-yearly structured planning meetings with personalized video reviews, and continuous monitoring coordinated with clients' existing CPAs.

The firm generates demand primarily through an extensive content marketing engine — Eric-authored blog content on deferred comp, 457(f) plans, Roth conversions, and tax strategy — supplemented by SEO, an email newsletter, and CPA/advisor referrals. Customer logos referenced on the firm's site (Hawaiian Airlines, Verizon, Medtronic, Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Orange) represent where senior executive clients work rather than enterprise accounts. As a privately held boutique with no disclosed external investors and 1-10 employees, MARGIN operates as a capacity-constrained practice optimized for high-touch, high-fee executive relationships rather than scale.

Name

Margin

Legal name

MARGIN, LLC

Website

https://honestmargin.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

MARGIN is a Denver-based, fee-only RIA that provides integrated financial planning, investment management, and tax strategy exclusively to senior corporate executives (typically with $2M-$10M in investable assets) navigating deferred compensation, RSUs, and concentrated stock positions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Business Owner & Executive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Deferred compensation advisory
• Executive financial planning
• Fee-only investment advisory
• Advanced tax strategy

Headquarters

HQ city

Denver

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Assets Under Management (AUM) Fees: MARGIN charges fees based on assets under management. The fee is 0.90% annually on the first $2.5M, 0.65% on assets between $2.5M and $5M, 0.40% on assets between $5M and $10M, and 0.20% on assets above $10M. There is a $15,000 annual minimum. Fees are billed quarterly and cover investment management, tax strategy, retirement planning, year-round monitoring, and structured planning meetings.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

MARGIN delivers fee-only wealth management and financial planning services exclusively to senior corporate executives. Its offering centers on four interconnected practices: in-depth financial planning that maps deferred comp, RSUs, pensions, and retirement timing into one coordinated strategy; discretionary custom investment management with assets custodied at Charles Schwab; advanced forward-looking tax strategy spanning deferred comp elections, Roth conversions, and state tax exposure; and specialized deferred compensation advisory for 457(f), 457(b), and 409A plans. Services are delivered through twice-yearly structured planning meetings, personalized video reviews, and continuous coordination with each client's existing CPA.

Product overview

MARGIN is a fee-only registered investment advisor (RIA) providing integrated wealth management services exclusively to senior corporate executives. The firm operates as a single unified service model offering four interconnected core offerings: In-depth Financial Planning (which coordinates all financial decisions into one integrated strategy), Custom Investment Management (discretionary management held at Charles Schwab), Advanced Tax Strategy (forward-looking tax planning), and Deferred Compensation Advisory (specialized expertise in 457(f), 457(b), and 409A plans). These services are bundled together under a single asset-based fee structure and delivered through structured planning meetings, continuous monitoring, and coordination with clients' existing CPAs. The firm's niche focus is serving executives with household income above $300K and investable assets between $2M and $10M who carry complex compensation structures including deferred comp, RSUs, stock options, and multiple accounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• In-depth Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning service that maps deferred comp distributions, equity, pension elections, tax exposure, and retirement timing into a single coordinated framework. Includes twice-yearly structured planning meetings, personalized video reviews before meetings, and comprehensive checklist reviews across all financial areas.
• Custom Investment Management Discretionary investment management service where MARGIN has authority to execute trades, rebalance, and implement tax strategies. Assets are held at Charles Schwab with full client transparency and independent verification capabilities.
• Advanced Tax Strategy Forward-looking tax planning that coordinates deferred compensation elections, Roth conversion windows, Social Security timing, and state tax exposure. Includes tax-loss harvesting and strategic tax modeling across multiple years.
• Deferred Compensation Advisory Specialized advisory for executives navigating 457(f), 457(b), 409A, and other non-qualified deferred compensation plans. Covers tax timing, vesting strategy, distribution planning, and risk management including bankruptcy and acquisition risks.
• 457(f) Deferred Compensation Planning Focused advisory for tax-exempt employers' 457(f) plans, addressing the unique vesting taxation rules, negotiation of vesting schedules, coordination with other income sources, and planning around the substantial risk of forfeiture requirements.
• Concentrated Stock Diversification Strategy to reduce company stock concentration risk without triggering large tax events, helping executives diversify while managing the tax implications of selling employer equity.
• Executive Retirement Readiness Comprehensive retirement readiness analysis for executives within 5-10 years of transition, modeling scenarios across retirement dates, income sources, tax implications, and Social Security timing to replace uncertainty with specific financial pictures.
• Tax-Loss Harvesting Systematic tax-loss harvesting service for taxable accounts that sells positions at a loss and replaces with similar but not substantially identical securities to offset future portfolio gains, income, or real estate and business capital gains.

Quantifiable outcome

• Tax strategy work in first year typically identifies more value than the annual fee charged
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

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

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Charles SchwabcoreTechnology or IntegrationCharles Schwab serves as the independent custodian for client assets. MARGIN has discretionary authority to manage accounts and execute trades, but never takes custody of client funds. Statements come directly from Schwab, allowing clients to independently verify every transaction. This structural protection is standard for fee-only RIAs and prevents potential mishandling of client assets.
• StockShieldminorOthersStockShield pools participants from different companies' deferred compensation plans to diversify bankruptcy risk. Firms like StockShield create trust structures for 5 or 10-year protection periods where payouts to participants in a bankrupt company serve to offset losses they face in their plan. MARGIN mentions this as an option for clients concerned about employer bankruptcy risk.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Empower (Personal Capital): Digital wealth manager with human advisor services for HNW clients — comparable integrated planning + investment offering, with stronger technology stack and broader scale.
• Facet Wealth: Tech-enabled RIA delivering flat-fee financial planning and investment management to HNW clients — comparable fee-only planning offering but delivered through a digital/remote advisor model.

Direct peers

• Moneta Group: Fee-only RIA delivering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax strategy for high-net-worth executives and business owners — closely aligned integrated offering.
• Mercer Advisors: Fee-only RIA providing wealth management, tax, estate, and investment advisory services to high-net-worth individuals — comparable service breadth and client segment.
• Bessemer Trust: Private wealth and investment management firm serving ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families with complex multi-asset needs — overlaps with MARGIN's integrated wealth + tax planning value proposition for senior executives.
• Creative Planning: Large fee-only RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, tax, and estate planning to high-net-worth households — comparable integrated service model and fee-only fiduciary structure.
• Pillar Wealth Management: Boutique RIA focused on equity-compensation planning for senior executives at tech and Fortune 500 companies — directly comparable niche, similar high-touch model, and similar deferred-comp / RSU focus.

Broad incumbents

• Morgan Stanley Private Wealth Management: Wirehouse private wealth group serving corporate executives and HNW families with wealth advisory, lending, and equity-compensation services — overlapping executive-client focus at far greater scale.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large national RIA offering financial planning, investment management, and workplace-plan services to executives and HNW households — overlaps in clientele but operates as a scaled, technology-enabled incumbent.
• Goldman Sachs Private Wealth Management: Incumbent private wealth division serving ultra- and high-net-worth clients with integrated advisory, investment, and credit services — competes for the same senior executive client cohort but at much larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/marginllc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Margin