What Cornerstone Financial Planning does

Cornerstone Financial Planning LLC is a women-led, women-owned, fee-only fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor founded in 2004 and headquartered in Portland, Maine, with a second office in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The firm operates as an SEC-registered RIA and NAPFA member, offering a single integrated service — comprehensive Financial Planning & Investment Management — that bundles tax strategies, insurance and protection, estate planning, retirement planning, cash flow analysis, and investment management under one holistic plan delivered by CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioners. The firm also offers Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) options aligned with its Certified B Corporation status, having been named a Best for the World B Corporation in 2021 and 2022.

The business runs on a fee-only compensation model with no commissions, no sales pressure, and no hidden fees, generating revenue through recurring client fees on advisory and planning services. Its underlying technology stack is composed of standard third-party RIA tools rather than proprietary software: ByAllAccounts for account aggregation, eMoney for financial planning, Fidelity and TIAA as custodian/client portals, and ShareFile for secure document exchange; no proprietary platform, app, or API is disclosed. Client acquisition is relationship-driven — referrals, community engagement through Leadership Portland and Leadership Seacoast programs, content marketing (blog, Facebook, LinkedIn), earned media (Down East Magazine, WGME CBS 13, Oak Street Podcast, The Community Cast), and direct outreach via a website contact form that captures investment account ranges up to $5M+. Target clients are individuals, families, and values-driven investors in the Portland, ME and Portsmouth, NH metros seeking holistic, conflict-free planning. The firm is led by co-owners Mackenzie Parsons and Christina Traurig, who assumed ownership in 2022 from founders Susan Veligor and Jill Boynton, and currently maintains a team of roughly 11–50 employees including CFP practitioners, paraplanners, an operations specialist, client service staff, and an office manager.

Name

Cornerstone Financial Planning

Legal name

Cornerstone Financial Planning LLC

Website

https://cornerstoneplanning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2004

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Cornerstone Financial Planning is a women-led, fee-only fiduciary RIA in Portland, ME and Portsmouth, NH delivering holistic financial planning and investment management — covering tax, estate, retirement, insurance, cash flow, and SRI options — to individuals, families, and values-driven investors via CFP practitioners.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Planning & Investment Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

Keywords

• Financial planning services
• Investment management services
• Wealth management advisory
• Fiduciary financial advice
• Retirement planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Planning & Investment Management Services: Fee-only fiduciary financial planning and investment management services. The firm operates without commissions, no sales pressure, and no hidden fees, compensated solely through client fees.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Cornerstone Financial Planning delivers fee-only fiduciary financial planning and investment management to individuals and families in the Portland, ME and Portsmouth, NH region. Its single core service is a holistic, all-in-one financial plan that integrates tax strategies, insurance and protection, estate planning, retirement planning, cash flow analysis, and academic-based investment management. The firm also offers Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) options aligned with its Certified B Corporation mission.

Product overview

Cornerstone Financial Planning offers a single unified product — its comprehensive Financial Planning & Investment Management Service — which is a holistic, fee-only fiduciary offering. The core service covers tax strategies, insurance and protection, estate planning, retirement planning, cash flow analysis, and investment management as integrated components of one all-in-one financial plan. The firm also offers Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) options as part of its B Corp-aligned mission. The firm operates as a women-led, women-owned, fee-only, fiduciary RIA certified as a B Corporation.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning & Investment Management Service A holistic, fee-only fiduciary service covering tax strategies, insurance and protection, estate planning, retirement planning, cash flow analysis, and investment management for individuals and families, delivered by CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER practitioners.
• Socially Responsible Investment (SRI) Options Values-based investment options available to clients within the firm's financial planning and investment management service, aligned with environmental sustainability and social responsibility objectives consistent with the firm's B Corp status.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Maine Coast Heritage TrustminorOthersCornerstone supported Maine Coast Heritage Trust through the Tides of Change event, helping raise awareness and support for land conservation efforts throughout Maine.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Modera Wealth Management: Fee-only RIA with comparable team size and comprehensive financial planning focus serving individuals and families. Similar business model and client profile, including holistic planning and advisor-led delivery rather than digital-first.
• Heron Financial Group: Women-founded fee-only RIA providing comprehensive financial planning for individuals and families, with explicit values-based framing. Comparable in firm size, women-owned positioning, and holistic planning services aligned with client values.
• Veris Wealth Partners: Women-led, impact-focused fee-only RIA based in Portsmouth, NH serving high-net-worth individuals and families with ESG-aligned investment management. Closest direct peer given overlapping geography, mission-driven B Corp-style positioning, women-led ownership, and holistic planning model.
• Bartlett Wealth Advisors: Mid-size fee-only RIA providing financial planning and investment management to individuals and families. Comparable as a privately held, advisor-led practice serving similar client segment with similar fee-only fiduciary structure.

Broad incumbents

• Carson Group: Large advisor platform supporting independent advisors with business coaching, technology, and back-office support for fee-based practices. Comparable in serving independent financial planners, but with a much broader product and platform portfolio.
• Creative Planning: One of the largest independent, fee-only RIAs in the U.S., offering comprehensive financial planning and investment management to individuals and families nationwide. Same fiduciary, fee-only model and holistic planning emphasis, but at vastly greater scale.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Large fee-only RIA platform that supports independent advisors with comprehensive planning and DFA-aligned investment management. Operates the same fee-only fiduciary model at much greater scale and represents both an aspirational benchmark and a potential consolidation acquirer.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National RIA consolidator offering comprehensive financial planning, tax, and investment management to individuals and families. Differs in scale, but operates the same holistic-planning playbook and has been actively acquiring smaller RIAs in regional markets.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Digital-first fee-only financial planning firm offering flat-fee comprehensive planning to individuals nationwide. Comparable as a fee-only fiduciary advisor serving individuals, but distinguished by a fully remote, tech-enabled delivery model that competes for the same end-client.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/cornerstoneplanning
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cornerstone-financial-planning-llc-

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 Cornerstone Financial Planning