Granite Bay

What Granite Bay does

Granite Bay Wealth Management, LLC — now operating under the Arca brand — is an independent registered investment adviser founded in 2006 by Paul Stanley and Joseph Skees after their tenures at major Wall Street firms. The firm delivers comprehensive wealth management services to high-net-worth individuals and families across 19 U.S. states, with offices in Portsmouth, New Hampshire and San Francisco, California and approximately $400M–$450M in assets under management. Its service portfolio spans financial planning, investment management, estate and trust planning, education planning (including 529 plans and college planning via the Accolade Financial partnership), and retirement planning, with portfolio management delivered by Certified Portfolio Manager® designees using diversified allocations across stocks, ETFs, and options.

The firm is built entirely on third-party technology infrastructure: Charles Schwab provides custody and trade execution, Black Diamond handles performance reporting and billing, E-Money powers comprehensive financial planning, and Altruist supports client account access. There is no proprietary technology platform or in-house AI/ML capability; differentiation is driven instead by the credentials of its practitioners (CFP®, CPM®, CMT®, CLU®, ChFC®, CEBS®, CFA Level I, CFOA®), the depth of its planning process, and Paul Stanley's media-driven personal brand across Forbes, Barron's, CNBC, and Bloomberg.

The business model is a fee-only AUM-based advisory subscription — the firm charges a percentage of client assets under management rather than earning commissions on product sales, which structurally aligns firm economics with client portfolio outcomes. Revenue streams include ongoing asset-based advisory fees and bundled comprehensive financial planning engagements, supplemented by educational webinars and complimentary initial planning sessions used as lead-conversion tools. The firm is privately held by its two co-founders, has no disclosed institutional investors or M&A activity, and relies on thought leadership content, community involvement, and professional referral networks as its primary go-to-market motion.

Name

Granite Bay

Legal name

Granite Bay Wealth Management, LLC

Website

https://granitebaywm.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Granite Bay Wealth Management (rebranded to Arca) is an independent registered investment adviser founded in 2006 that provides fee-based financial planning, investment management, estate, education, and retirement planning services to high-net-worth individuals and families across 19 U.S. states, managing approximately $400M–$450M in AUM from offices in Portsmouth, NH and San Francisco, CA.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD), Hybrid Advice (Advisor + Digital) Platforms (FSAAAAAE), Digital/Hybrid Robo-Wealth & Retirement Advisory (FSAEABAK)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Portsmouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Assets Under Management (AUM) Advisory Fees: The firm operates as a fee-based advisor earning a percentage of assets under management, aligning firm success with client portfolio performance. No commissions are earned from selling investment products.
2. Financial Planning Services: Comprehensive financial planning services integrated with investment management, estate planning, education planning, and retirement planning services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Granite Bay Wealth Management is an independent registered investment adviser that provides comprehensive wealth management services to high-net-worth individuals and families. Its core offerings include financial planning, investment management, estate and trust planning, education planning, and retirement planning, delivered through CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ and Certified Portfolio Manager® professionals using platforms such as Charles Schwab, E-Money, Black Diamond, and Altruist.

Product overview

Granite Bay Wealth Management is a comprehensive wealth management firm offering financial planning, investment management, estate and trust planning, education planning, and retirement planning services. The firm operates as an independent registered investment adviser using the Charles Schwab advisory platform for brokerage and execution services. Key services include Financial Planning (using E-Money software), Investment Management (using diversified portfolios of stocks, ETFs, and options), Estate & Trust Planning, Education Planning (including 529 plans), and Retirement Planning. The firm has evolved from Granite Bay Wealth Management to the Arca brand.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning services delivered by CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals who organize client data into financial planning software to generate reports and strategies for clients.
• Investment Management Full-service wealth management combining financial planning with investment management services, including portfolio management using stocks, ETFs, and options strategies to meet client objectives.
• Estate & Trust Planning Estate and trust planning services including reviewing wills and trusts, preserving estates for intended heirs, beneficiary designations, and coordination with tax and legal advisors.
• Education Planning Investment and accumulation strategies to help clients pay for their children's education, including 529 plans and college planning services.
• Retirement Planning Retirement planning services including maximizing employer-sponsored retirement plans and IRAs, determining retirement income needs, and managing assets before and during retirement.
• Certified Portfolio Manager Services Portfolio management services provided by Certified Portfolio Manager® designees who have completed in-depth coursework in fundamental analysis, option valuation, foreign currency exchange, credit default swap structure, and asset allocation.

Named customers1 record

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Charles SchwabcoreTechnology or IntegrationCharles Schwab serves as the advisory platform for brokerage and execution services. Granite Bay Wealth Management is an independent registered investment adviser that uses the Charles Schwab advisory platform for custody and trade execution.
• Black DiamondcoreTechnology or IntegrationBlack Diamond provides performance reports and billing services for client portfolio reporting and invoice management.
• E-MoneycoreTechnology or IntegrationE-Money financial planning platform used for creating and managing comprehensive client financial plans.
• Accolade FinancialcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGranite Bay has partnered with Accolade Financial to provide customized college planning solutions for families. Josh Bartlett, a Financial Advisor at Granite Bay, is also a founding member of Accolade Financial and provides Certified College Planning Specialist services. Partnership provides comprehensive college planning including school selection, financial aid, and career counseling.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Savant Wealth Management: Independent, fee-only RIA serving HNW individuals and families with comprehensive financial planning, investment management and tax services — a near-direct comparable in business model, client segment, and service mix.
• Mercer Advisors: National independent RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, estate and tax planning to HNW households — directly comparable service suite and fee-based fiduciary structure.
• Halbert Hargrove: Independent, fee-only wealth advisory firm focused on HNW individuals and families, offering comprehensive planning, investment management and behavioral coaching — closely matched size, segment, and planning-first philosophy.
• Carson Group: Wealth management firm and RIA-support platform serving HNW families through affiliated advisors with planning, investment and estate services — comparable HNW focus with a parallel advisor-ecosystem model.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Independent, fee-only RIA delivering evidence-based financial planning and investment management to HNW individuals — directly aligned in fiduciary model, evidence-based investing, and HNW focus.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large independent RIA providing comprehensive wealth advisory, investment management and financial planning to HNW clients and families — closely aligned services, target market, and fiduciary model.
• Clarfeld Financial Advisors: Independent, fee-based RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, financial planning and tax/estate services to HNW families and business owners — comparable services, segment and fiduciary positioning.
• Modera Wealth Management: Fee-only RIA providing financial planning, investment management and tax-aware advice to HNW households — comparable fiduciary, planning-led offering to HNW clients.
• Creative Planning: Fee-only independent RIA delivering financial planning, investment management, estate and retirement planning to HNW families — comparable pure-RIA model and HNW client focus.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., serving HNW and mass-affluent households with comprehensive planning, investment management and workplace advice — comparable services at materially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/granitebaywm
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/granite-bay-wealth-management

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Granite Bay