Copper Financial

What Copper Financial does

Copper Financial Network, LLC is an SEC registered investment adviser, FINRA registered broker-dealer, and state registered insurance agency that operates as a Credit Union Service Organization (CUSO) wholly owned by CommunityAmerica Credit Union. Founded in 2001 and headquartered in Lenexa, Kansas, the company provides investment advisory, financial planning, insurance, and trust services exclusively to credit unions and their members nationwide through a B2B2C distribution model. The company offers four partnership program structures (Dual Employee, Hybrid RIA, Managed Program, and Clear-Through Broker/Dealer) that allow credit unions of varying sizes and maturity levels to offer wealth management services without building in-house broker-dealer infrastructure.

Copper Financial's core technology is a proprietary, cloud-based platform purpose-built for credit union financial advisors, including the Wealth Management 360 Portal (single sign-on access to integrated banking and investment accounts within the credit union's online banking), Guided Investing (automated portfolio construction and rebalancing based on member goals and risk profile), and Digital Client Onboarding (paperless, end-to-end account opening). The platform integrates with Apex Clearing Corporation for custody and trade execution (which routes 100% of orders), Riskalyze for risk tolerance quantification, MoneyGuidePro for financial planning, Orion for portfolio management, iPipeline for insurance, DocuSign for e-signatures, Salesforce for CRM, and National Advisors Trust Company for trust services. Differentiated offerings include special needs planning, an area where Copper Financial claims to be the only credit union-owned broker-dealer providing this service.

The business model combines multiple revenue streams: recurring advisory fees on managed assets, brokerage commissions on investment transactions, insurance commissions through the Ash Brokerage partnership, and platform/managed services fees charged to partner credit unions. The company has 60+ financial professionals serving more than 330,000 credit union members across multiple partner credit unions, with quantified member outcomes including 5x greater balances, nearly 90% engagement rates, and 8x more retained assets for members with a Copper wealth management relationship.

Name

Copper Financial

Legal name

Copper Financial Network, LLC

Website

https://cu.financial

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Copper Financial Network, LLC is a CUSO and SEC registered investment adviser serving credit unions through a proprietary cloud-based wealth management platform. The CommunityAmerica Credit Union subsidiary offers investment advisory, financial planning, and insurance services to credit union members nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Security & Commodity Brokers, Dealers, Exchanges & Services (6200)

akta.pro primary industry

Broker-Dealer Affiliated Wealth Advisory (FSAEABAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Bank-Affiliated Retail Wealth Management (FSAAAAAB)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Investment advisory services
• Credit union CUSO
• Broker-dealer services
• Financial planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lenexa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services: SEC registered investment adviser and FINRA registered broker-dealer providing investment and financial planning services to credit union members. Revenue generated through advisory fees and brokerage commissions on investment transactions.
2. Insurance Solutions: State registered insurance agency offering insurance-based solutions including life, long-term care, disability insurance, and annuities through partnership with Ash Brokerage.
3. Technology Platform Services: Providing proprietary technology platform, practice management tools, clearing and custodial services, regulatory compliance support, and trust services to partner credit unions.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Copper Financial provides a cloud-based wealth management platform and investment advisory services to U.S. credit unions, enabling them to offer their members investment planning, brokerage, financial planning, insurance, and digital investing solutions under the credit union's brand. Services are delivered through multiple engagement models (Dual Employee, Hybrid RIA, Managed Program, and Clear-Through Broker/Dealer) supported by proprietary technology including the Wealth Management 360 Portal, Guided Investing, and Digital Client Onboarding.

Product overview

Copper Financial offers a unified, integrated wealth management platform for credit unions with three primary service delivery models (Dual Employee, Hybrid RIA, and Managed Program). The core platform integrates Guided Investing (digital automated portfolio management), the Wealth Management 360 Portal (single sign-on dashboard), and Digital Client Onboarding (paperless account opening). Advisory services include financial planning, insurance solutions, and specialized special needs planning. Technology integrations include Apex Clearing (custody), Riskalyze (risk assessment), MoneyGuidePro (financial planning), Orion (portfolio management), and DocuSign (e-signatures) among others. The platform is accessible through credit union online banking with full regulatory compliance (SEC, FINRA, state insurance).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Guided Investing: A digital tool that builds and automatically rebalances a diversified and professionally managed portfolio based on a member's unique goals and risk profile, designed specifically for credit unions accessible through online banking
• Wealth Management 360 Portal

Products and services

• Wealth Management Platform for Credit Unions A comprehensive, cloud-based technology platform enabling credit unions to offer investment and wealth management services to their members through integrated online banking access.
• Guided Investing A digital investing solution that automatically builds and rebalances diversified portfolios based on members' unique financial goals and risk tolerance, accessible through credit union online banking.
• Wealth Management 360 Portal Proprietary portal providing members seamless access to view banking and investment accounts via single sign-on through credit union online banking, with 360-degree financial view.
• Digital Client Onboarding Paperless, automated investment account opening platform that reduces manual data entry, ensures regulatory compliance, and expedites account activation for faster advisor-client engagement.
• Dual Employee Model Service model allowing credit union registered representatives to offer investment services through Copper Financial while maintaining employment relationship with the credit union.
• Hybrid RIA Program Service model where Copper Financial serves as broker-dealer while pulling RIA activity into unified platforms for consolidated investment management.
• Managed Program Full-service program enabling credit unions to offer members financial planning and investment services with comprehensive advisor support.
• Clear-Through Broker/Dealer Services Back-office and technology services for credit unions that already have a broker-dealer, including clearing, custodial, compliance, and trust services.
• Insurance Solutions Comprehensive insurance-based solutions including life, long-term care, disability insurance, and annuities offered through the Ash Brokerage partnership.
• Financial Planning Services Expert financial planning including retirement planning, education planning, rollovers, trusts and estate planning, and insurance consultations delivered through wealth advisors.
• Special Needs Planning Center Specialized financial counsel for families with household members with special needs, offered exclusively through Copper Financial as the only credit union-owned broker-dealer with this offering.
• Trust Services Trust representative office services through National Advisors Trust Company for estate and trust administration.

Quantifiable outcome

• Members with wealth management account carry 5 times greater balances compared to those without
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Apex Fintech Solutions Inc.coreTechnology or Integration · 26 February 2024Collaboration with Apex Fintech Solutions to launch Guided Investing - a digital wealth management solution designed specifically for credit unions accessible through member's online banking. Apex provided infrastructure and industry leadership to help bring the vision to market.
• RiskalyzecoreTechnology or Integration · 30 June 2021Advisors gained access to Riskalyze's premier risk alignment platform which quantifies client risk tolerance using the Risk Number (1-99) built on Nobel Prize-winning framework. Tool helps match client's goals with risk tolerance, assisting advisors in crafting right portfolios and creating better member experiences.
• Apex Clearing CorporationcoreTechnology or Integration · 8 June 2021Expanded partnership with Apex Clearing Corporation as the business-to-business custody and clearing platform. Apex's technology enables CAFS to provide robust investment experience including digital account opening with single sign-on, self-directed trading, and fractional share capabilities. Partnership provides frictionless experience for advisors and members.
• Ash BrokeragecoreTechnology or Integration · 13 July 2020Exclusive partnership making Ash Brokerage the brokerage general agency for life, long-term care, disability insurance, and annuities. Ash provides advisors access to in-house expertise, resources, and industry-leading tools. Partnership allows expansion of insurance presence across the country with seamless technology integration.
• National Advisors Trust CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationCopper Financial is a Trust Representative Office of National Advisors Trust Company providing trust services to credit union members.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• LPL Financial: LPL Financial is the largest independent broker-dealer in the US, with a significant credit union practice and dedicated CUSO program. While LPL's reach extends well beyond credit unions, its sheer scale, technology investments, and established relationships with credit unions make it Copper's most consequential broad incumbent competitor for both advisor-channel and platform business.
• Fidelity Institutional Wealth Services: Fidelity provides institutional wealth services to credit unions, including custody, clearing, retirement, and increasingly digital advisory capabilities through Fidelity Wealth Services. It is a broad incumbent competitor for credit union institutional relationships with significantly greater scale, brand recognition, and product breadth than Copper.
• Cetera Financial Group: Cetera Financial Group is a major independent broker-dealer serving financial institutions (including credit unions), independent advisors, and retirement plan advisors. Its institutional services arm offers turnkey wealth programs that compete with Copper's Clear-Through Broker/Dealer model for credit unions with existing advisors.
• Osaic (formerly Advisor Group): Osaic is a large diversified wealth management platform operating multiple broker-dealer and RIA brands (formerly FSC Securities, Royal Alliance, SagePoint). It serves institutional clients including credit unions and competes for outsourced wealth program business with established technology stacks and broad product shelves.

Others

• Riskalyze: Riskalyze is a risk tolerance assessment platform that Copper Financial has integrated for advisor-client portfolio risk alignment. While not a direct competitor, it is an ecosystem partner and a potential enabling platform for credit unions building their own wealth programs in-house — which could reduce reliance on Copper's platform.

Emerging players

• Cambridge Investment Research: Cambridge Investment Research is a large independent broker-dealer that supports financial advisors at credit unions, banks, and independent channels with practice management, technology, and clearing services. It is a partial competitor for advisor-facing infrastructure business at credit unions seeking outsourced wealth platforms.
• Kestra Financial: Kestra Financial is an independent broker-dealer with a growing financial institutions practice serving credit unions, banks, and trust companies with wealth management infrastructure. It competes with Copper for credit unions seeking outsourced or hybrid wealth programs, with emphasis on advisor-friendly technology.

Direct peers

• Members Trust Company: Members Trust Company is a CUSO providing trust and wealth management services to credit unions, focused on investment management, trust administration, and financial planning for member clients. It overlaps with Copper's trust services offering (via National Advisors Trust Company) and competes for the same credit union institutional relationships.
• CUNA Brokerage Services / TruStage Wealth Brokerage Services: CUNA Brokerage Services (now part of TruStage, the CUNA Mutual-affiliated brand) is a long-standing CUSO investment services provider exclusively serving credit unions. It is the closest direct competitor to Copper Financial — both are CUSO-anchored broker-dealers offering investment, insurance, and advisory services to credit union members nationwide.
• Members Investment Services (LPL Financial CUSO): Members Investment Services is LPL Financial's dedicated credit union CUSO program, providing broker-dealer, advisory, and wealth management infrastructure to credit unions. It directly competes with Copper's Dual Employee and Hybrid RIA program offerings, with the key difference being LPL's massive independent broker-dealer scale vs. Copper's credit-union-owned focus.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/copper-financial

Compliance6 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 Copper Financial