MainStay Capital Management

What MainStay Capital Management does

MainStay Capital Management is an independent, fee-only Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) founded in 2002 and headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, with additional offices in Troy, Novi, and Ann Arbor, Michigan, and Naples, Florida. The firm manages over $4.5 billion in assets under management (AUM) and focuses on workplace savings plan portfolio management — particularly 401(k), 403(b), and 457 accounts — for active employees and retirees. It is highly specialized in serving automotive industry plan participants (General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, BorgWarner, Visteon, Rolls-Royce, Allison Transmission, Aptiv, International UAW) as well as State of Michigan employees, with expertise in pension lump-sum decisions, PBGC implications, and retirement income planning.

The company's service offering spans investment management, 401(k)/403(b)/457 account management, comprehensive financial planning, tax planning, and estate planning, delivered by a staff of Senior Wealth Advisors holding CFP and CRC credentials. Underlying technology consists of industry-standard advisory and planning software — RightCapital, MoneyGuide Pro, Portfolio Center, and Morningstar Advisor Workstation — supplemented by proprietary non-AI frameworks including the Mainstay Compass retirement planning program and the Visteon Pension Payment Analyzer. The firm has been continuously ranked in Barron's Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors for seventeen years, was inducted into the Barron's Hall of Fame in 2019, and was recognized with the Schwab IMPACT Trailblazer Award in 2017.

The revenue model is subscription/recurring advisory fees charged to clients as a percentage of AUM; the firm earns no commissions, operates under a fiduciary standard, and is registered with the SEC. Go-to-market relies on enterprise field sales via Senior Wealth Advisors, supported by an outsized media positioning built around CEO David Kudla's recurring appearances on Bloomberg, CNN, FOX Business, CNBC, and his Forbes contributor column. Operational signals also indicate investment in seminars, a free Information Kit lead magnet, and a Calendly-based online scheduling system as secondary acquisition channels.

Name

MainStay Capital Management

Legal name

Mainstay Capital Management, LLC

Website

https://mainstaycapital.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

MainStay Capital Management is a fee-only Registered Investment Advisor managing over $4.5 billion, specializing in 401(k)/403(b)/457 workplace savings plan portfolio management for automotive industry employees and retirees across Michigan and Florida.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Grand Blanc

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory Fee Revenue: The firm operates as a fee-only, independent Registered Investment Advisor. Revenue is generated through advisory fees charged to clients for investment management and financial planning services. No commissions are earned from product sales. Advisors receive base salary plus quarterly and annual bonuses.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MainStay Capital Management is an independent, fee-only Registered Investment Advisor that delivers comprehensive wealth management services, with deep specialization in managing workplace savings plan accounts (401(k), 403(b), 457) for employees and retirees of major corporate plan sponsors. The firm bundles investment management, financial planning, tax planning, and estate planning into a unified advisory offering led by Senior Wealth Advisors, supported by proprietary planning tools such as Mainstay Compass and the Visteon Pension Payment Analyzer.

Product overview

MainStay Capital Management is an independent, fee-only Registered Investment Advisor offering a unified wealth management platform focused on workplace savings plan portfolio management and retirement planning. The core offering consists of investment management services, 401(k)/403(b)/457 account management, and comprehensive financial planning including tax and estate planning. The company specializes in serving employees and retirees from major corporate plan sponsors including General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, BorgWarner, and others. Supporting the advisory services, MainStay offers a suite of proprietary financial planning tools including the Mainstay Compass retirement planning program, plus self-service calculators for 401(k) projections, Required Minimum Distributions, retirement income planning, college savings, and life insurance needs. Educational resources including Roth 401(k) guides and Special Reports on market topics complement the service offerings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Management Services Professional management of client investment portfolios consistent with each client's personal retirement plan, provided as part of MainStay's comprehensive wealth management offering.
• 401(k) Account Management Specialized management of individual 401(k), 457, and 403(b) accounts for employees and retirees, with deep expertise for clients from General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, BorgWarner, Visteon, Rolls-Royce, Allison Transmission, Aptiv, and the State of Michigan.
• Wealth Management / Advisory Services Comprehensive financial planning and advisory services covering retirement planning, tax strategy, and estate planning, delivered through MainStay's staff of Senior Wealth Advisors.
• Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning addressing all aspects of a client's financial life, including retirement income strategies and pension decision-making (including lump-sum analysis).
• Tax Planning Strategic tax planning integrated with retirement and investment management to optimize after-tax outcomes for clients, including Roth conversion strategy and required minimum distribution planning.
• Estate Planning Estate planning coordination and advisory services to help clients structure legacy and wealth transfer strategies in conjunction with investment and tax planning.
• Mainstay Compass A proprietary retirement planning program that helps clients build a personalized plan to navigate through retirement, providing guidance on investment allocation and withdrawal strategies integrated with MainStay's wealth management solutions.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 consecutive years ranked in Barron's Top 100 Independent Financial Advisors
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FIA Publishing, LLCminorOthersAffiliated company. MCM does not share client information with this affiliate for marketing purposes.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Partners: Fee-only RIA specializing in retirement-plan and 401(k) advisory services for individuals. Directly comparable to MainStay in workplace-savings-plan specialization and fee-only fiduciary positioning.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning and retirement-plan services. Comparable to MainStay in fee-only structure, retirement focus, and target HNW/retiree client base.
• Carson Group: National fee-only RIA and advisor support platform serving individuals and retirement-plan participants. Comparable to MainStay in fee-only model, advisor-led retirement focus, and active M&A-led growth in the RIA space.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large RIA with strong focus on 401(k) and workplace-plan participants, combining human advisors with digital tools. Highly comparable to MainStay in retirement-plan specialization and corporate-plan-sponsor relationships.
• Creative Planning: Large, independent, fee-only RIA with a national footprint and comprehensive wealth-management services. Closely comparable to MainStay in fee-only fiduciary model, retirement-plan expertise, and Barron's Top 100 ranking profile.

Broad incumbents

• Edward Jones: National full-service wealth management firm with a large branch network serving individuals and retirees. Comparable in targeting retirement savers and individual investors, though broader and more distributed than MainStay's regional model.
• Raymond James: Large diversified financial services firm with a substantial wealth-management and retirement-plan business. Comparable as a competitor for retirement-plan participants and HNW clients, though it operates a hybrid (commission + fee) advisor model versus MainStay's pure fee-only approach.
• Fisher Investments: Large, established independent investment manager with a national advisor force and significant brand presence. Comparable as a Top-tier independent advisory competitor for HNW retirement assets, though broader in product mix.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Digital-first fee-only RIA delivering comprehensive financial planning via virtual advisors. Comparable in fee-only fiduciary model and retirement-planning emphasis, but differentiated by a low-cost digital delivery model that pressures traditional advisory fees.

Regional players

• Greenleaf Trust: Michigan-headquartered wealth management and trust services firm serving HNW families. Regional peer with overlapping Michigan client base and similar comprehensive wealth-management offering, though with a heavier trust/corporate-trust emphasis.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/mainstaycapital
• Facebookfacebook.com/MainstayCapital

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 MainStay Capital Management