Bales Financial Group

What Bales Financial Group does

Bales Financial Group is an independent financial advisory firm headquartered in Cumming, Georgia, with a secondary office in Richmond Hill. Founded by D. David (Davey) Bales Jr. after prior roles at State Farm Insurance and the Fellowship of Christian Athletes, the firm has served individual clients in Georgia for more than a decade. It does not operate as a technology platform; rather, it is a traditional advisory practice built around a team of approximately eight professionals, including licensed advisors, a servicing advisor, an executive assistant, and a marketing and client relations coordinator.

The firm offers a suite of coordinated financial advisory services: Financial Planning, Legacy Planning, Retirement Income Planning, and Investments. Investment advisory services are delivered through Bales Financial Advisors, Inc. (BFA), a State of Georgia Registered Investment Advisor, while fixed insurance and annuity products are sold on a commission basis. The firm targets pre-retirees and retirees in Georgia as its primary segment, with secondary segments encompassing working individuals still accumulating assets and educators (with a dedicated vertical specialization for Forsyth County and Georgia educators). The go-to-market approach is sales-led and consultative, beginning with complimentary no-obligation consultations and supported by local workshops, content marketing (guides and videos), a referral program, SEO, and organic social media.

The revenue model rests on two streams: recurring advisory fees generated through BFA and transaction-based commissions from fixed insurance and annuity products. No proprietary technology, AI/ML capabilities, or digital self-service channels are disclosed. The firm's growth has been organic and incremental, with recent additions of producing advisors and a second physical office signaling measured regional expansion within Georgia.

Name

Bales Financial Group

Legal name

Bales Financial Advisors, Inc.

Website

https://balesfinancialgroup.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Bales Financial Group is an independent financial advisory firm serving pre-retirees, retirees, and educators in Georgia through financial planning, retirement income planning, legacy planning, and investment advisory services delivered via its affiliated RIA and insurance offerings.

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

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

Keywords

• Retirement planning
• Financial advisory
• Wealth management
• Estate planning
• Investment advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Cumming

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services: Investment Advisory Services offered through Bales Financial Advisors, Inc. (BFA), a State of Georgia Registered Investment Advisor. Revenue generated through advisory fees.
2. Fixed Insurance and Annuity Products: Fixed Insurance and Annuity product sales, where annuity guarantees rely on the financial strength and claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer. Commission-based revenue from insurance products.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bales Financial Group is an independent financial advisory firm that provides comprehensive retirement income planning, financial planning, legacy/estate planning, and investment management services to individuals and families. Investment advisory services are delivered through its registered affiliate Bales Financial Advisors, Inc. (BFA), complemented by fixed insurance and annuity product placements. The firm serves pre-retirees, retirees, and working professionals primarily in Georgia and beyond through personalized one-on-one advisory engagements.

Product overview

Bales Financial Group offers a suite of financial advisory services designed to work together and evolve as clients' life needs change. The core offerings include Financial Planning (comprehensive planning covering savings, investments, risk protection, tax management, and estate planning), Legacy Planning (estate protection and asset distribution), Retirement Income Planning (annuity-based income strategies and expense forecasting), and Investments (portfolio management across various asset classes). The company operates as an independent firm providing personalized one-on-one advisory services rather than a software product or platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Bales Financial Advisors, Inc. (BFA)coreOthersInvestment Advisory Services offered through Bales Financial Advisors, Inc. (BFA), a State of Georgia Registered Investment Advisor. BFA is the registered investment advisory arm of Bales Financial Group.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Edward Jones: Large U.S. financial-services firm with a deep branch-based advisor network delivering retirement planning, legacy/estate work, and investments to mass-affluent and pre-retiree households — directly comparable to Bales' local-branch, consultative model.
• Carson Wealth: RIA platform serving retirees and pre-retirees with retirement income planning, legacy planning, and tax-focused advice — comparable integrated planning offering and similar educator/business-owner clientele.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National independent RIA delivering comprehensive financial planning, retirement income planning, and estate/legacy services to high-net-worth and emerging-affluent households — comparable in services mix and target segment.
• Ameriprise Financial: Independent-channel RIA/broker-dealer franchise focused on comprehensive financial planning, retirement income strategies, and insurance solutions for individuals — overlapping with Bales' integrated financial-planning plus fixed-annuity offering.

Emerging players

• Betterment: Direct-to-consumer digital wealth manager offering goal-based retirement planning, tax-efficient portfolio management, and CFP access at low fees — competes with Bales for the same pre-retiree/retiree segment via a purely digital, lower-cost model.

Others

• Focus Financial Partners: Partnership/roll-up platform for independent RIAs, providing capital, M&A, and operational support to wealth-management firms — relevant as a potential acquirer/partner that consolidates firms of Bales' size.
• Cetera Financial: Independent broker-dealer/RIA platform providing compliance, technology, and product support to independent advisors offering retirement, legacy, and insurance-based planning — comparable as the type of infrastructure Bales relies on as an independent RIA.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Independent broker-dealer/RIA platform supporting advisors who deliver retirement income, legacy, and financial-planning services — comparable as the wholesale platform enabling independent advisory practices like Bales.

Broad incumbents

• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer/RIA platform in the U.S., supporting thousands of independent advisors who deliver retirement, legacy, and investment planning — directly comparable to the model Bales runs as an independent RIA.
• Creative Planning: Large national RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, retirement, estate, and tax services to individuals across the U.S. — competes for the same pre-retiree/retiree segment but at significantly greater scale and geographic reach than Bales.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/balesfinancial

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 Bales Financial Group