What Moneywise does

Moneywise, Inc. is a Fee-Only (no commissions) investment and financial planning firm founded in 1996 by E. Allen Castle and headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. The firm serves individuals and business owners in the Lexington market with personalized financial advisory services delivered under a fiduciary standard by Certified Financial Planner™ Professionals. Service offerings span asset management, investment consulting and second opinions, retirement planning, pension plan decisions (lump sum versus annuitization), Social Security and Medicare decision support, estate plan analysis, insurance needs analysis, and career change advice. Moneywise does not sell insurance policies or draft legal documents; it provides advisory analysis and coordination across these planning domains.

The firm operates on a traditional advisory technology stack with no proprietary platform, no mobile app, and no public APIs. Client assets are custodied and cleared through Fidelity Investments via National Financial Services LLC, with client access provided through a Fidelity Login and a third-party client portal. Client communications are conducted via phone, in-person meetings, contact form, and an SMS opt-in channel. Moneywise is structured as a single-office, founder-led practice with a reported headcount of 1-10 employees and no disclosed subsidiaries, funding, or institutional ownership.

Revenue is generated through fees paid exclusively by clients, with no commission-based compensation. Specific fee schedules are not publicly disclosed and are quoted per client. The go-to-market model is direct-to-consumer advisory services driven by individual outreach, professional network presence, and the founder's personal brand. The firm has operated for over 25 years in a single geographic market with no disclosed expansion, M&A, product launches, or technology platform investments.

Name

Moneywise

Legal name

Moneywise, Inc.

Website

https://moneywiseky.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Moneywise, Inc. is a Fee-Only, fiduciary financial planning and investment advisory firm in Lexington, Kentucky, serving individuals and business owners with retirement, investment, pension, Social Security, and estate planning services under a sole-practitioner model.

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

• Fee-only financial planning
• Investment advisory services
• Retirement planning services
• Wealth management advice
• Fiduciary financial advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Fee-Only Advisory Services: The firm operates as a Fee-Only advisory practice, meaning it is paid exclusively by clients and not by any firm it works with or does business with. This eliminates commission-based conflicts of interest.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Moneywise, Inc. is a Fee-Only (no commissions) Investment and Financial Planning Firm that delivers personalized advisory services to individuals and business owners. The firm provides asset management, investment consulting/second opinions, retirement planning, pension plan decisions, Social Security and Medicare decision support, estate plan analysis, insurance needs analysis, and career change advice, all delivered by Certified Financial Planner™ Professionals operating under a written fiduciary standard.

Product overview

Moneywise, Inc. is a Fee-Only (no commissions) Investment and Financial Planning Firm serving as a single unified offering rather than a modular platform. The firm provides integrated financial advisory services including Asset Management, Investment Consulting/2nd Opinions, Retirement Planning, Pension Plan Decisions, Social Security & Medicare Decision Support, Career Change Advice, Estate Plan Analysis, and Insurance Needs Analysis. All services are delivered by Certified Financial Planner™ Professionals operating under a fiduciary standard.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asset Management Portfolio management services provided after discussions of risk and other factors affecting suitable portfolio selection, delivered under a fiduciary standard to individuals and business owners.
• Investment Consulting / 2nd Opinions Advisory service providing second opinions on investment decisions and portfolio strategy for clients seeking independent guidance on existing investments.
• Retirement Planning Comprehensive retirement planning including saving recommendations (amounts and best account types), retirement plan analysis with help selecting the best plan for business owners, recommendations on withdrawal order from accounts in retirement, and adjustments when life or market events occur.
• Pension Plan Decisions Advisory service helping clients evaluate whether to take a lump sum or annuitize their pension benefit.
• Social Security and Medicare Decision Support Guidance and analysis for clients making Social Security claiming decisions and Medicare enrollment choices.
• Career Change Advice Advisory service providing guidance during career transitions for individuals evaluating job changes or retirement timing.
• Estate Plan Analysis Analysis of estate planning considerations and factors clients should address; the firm is not an attorney and does not draft documents.
• Insurance Needs Analysis Analysis of insurance requirements for clients; the firm is not a licensed insurance agent and does not offer the actual policies.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered supporting.

• Fidelity InvestmentssupportingTechnology or IntegrationFidelity Investments provides brokerage services, account custody, and clearing solutions through its National Financial subsidiary. Securities are protected by SIPC up to $500,000. The relationship is that of service provider to Moneywise, Inc.
• National Financial Services LLCsupportingTechnology or IntegrationNational Financial, a Fidelity Investments company, provides clearing and custody solutions for client accounts. This is a service provider relationship where client assets are held at NFS.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Digital-first financial planning firm delivering flat-fee advice from CFP® professionals to individuals nationwide. Comparable in fee-only positioning and individual-client focus, but competes via a tech-enabled delivery model rather than local in-person service.

Direct peers

• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement services to individuals and business owners. Highly comparable service mix to Moneywise, though at significantly greater scale and national footprint.
• Personal Capital (Empower Personal Dashboard): Hybrid wealth manager combining digital tools with human advisor access for retirement planning, investment management, and financial planning. Comparable client segment and service breadth, with stronger technology stack and brand recognition.
• Carson Wealth: Fee-only RIA group focused on holistic financial planning, retirement, and tax-aware wealth management for individuals. Similar fiduciary, planning-led model and overlapping client segments with Moneywise, with broader national reach.
• XY Planning Network: Network of fee-only CFP® professionals serving individual clients with holistic financial planning on a recurring-fee basis. Closely comparable to Moneywise in business model (fee-only, fiduciary, planning-led) though it operates at national scale through an advisor network rather than a single local office.

Others

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Independent broker-dealer and RIA support platform that provides custody, technology, and compliance infrastructure to small and mid-sized advisory practices. Relevant peer as a potential operating model or partner for a firm like Moneywise seeking scale without building infrastructure.
• Cetera Financial Group: Wealth management platform supporting independent financial advisors and RIAs across the U.S. Comparable in serving individual advisory practices like Moneywise, and a potential acquirer of small fee-only books given active consolidation in the space.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: Large independent RIA providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement-focused advice to individuals and workplace plan participants. Overlapping service offerings with Moneywise, but operates at significantly larger scale with workplace plan channels.
• Betterment: Large digital wealth manager offering automated investing, retirement planning, and access to CFP® professionals. Competes with Moneywise for individual retirement and investment management clients via a low-cost, technology-led model.
• Charles Schwab Intelligent Portfolios: Schwab's automated and advised investment offerings, including access to CFP® professionals for financial planning. Indirectly competes with Moneywise on individual wealth management, with the structural advantage of integrated custody at Schwab.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/castle-lisa-p

Compliance1 record

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 Moneywise