Stride Financial

What Stride Financial does

Stride Financial is a privately-held, full-service Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm headquartered in Chicago, Illinois. The firm specializes in retirement and pre-retirement planning with an explicit income-oriented (rather than growth-oriented) philosophy, targeting retirees and pre-retirees across the United States. Its flagship offering is the STRID(e) program — Strategically Tailored Retirement Income Distribution — a proprietary, integrated framework covering income planning, investment management, risk management, tax strategies, and estate considerations. The supporting service stack includes Social Security Maximization, Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Rollover IRA services, and Wealth Management, complemented by sub-products such as Fixed-Income Solutions (built around individually managed bonds rather than bond mutual funds), the College Trust, Strategic Debt Mastery, and the Circle Club referral program.

The firm operates as a fiduciary RIA compensated primarily through AUM-based advisory fees, with additional commission potential from insurance and annuity products and no minimum account balance requirement. Client assets are custodied with Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., and risk assessment is conducted through a Riskalyze integration; estate-planning document storage is handled via Everplans. The firm is an affiliate member of the Retirement Income Source national network of Income Specialists and maintains sub-advisor relationships with Sound Income Strategies, RWA Wealth Advisory Group, and Polaris Greystone to access specialized income-focused strategies.

Go-to-market is dominated by content-led, top-of-funnel marketing — a weekly Mindful Money radio show, Public Education Series webinars, financial blog content, downloadable reports, and active social channels — feeding free educational consultations that convert into advisory relationships conducted via direct advisor meetings in Chicago or virtually. Headcount is in the 1–10 range, with the leadership team anchored by founder/CEO Sam McElroy, PsyD, and CFO Patricia McElroy, CPA, supported by a small bench of financial advisors, an associate advisor, and dedicated client onboarding and marketing staff.

Name

Stride Financial

Legal name

STRIDE Investments, LLC

Website

https://stridefinancialadvisors.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Stride Financial is a Chicago-based, privately-held Registered Investment Advisory firm that specializes in income-oriented retirement planning for retirees and pre-retirees nationwide, offering its proprietary STRID(e) framework, Social Security maximization, and fixed-income management with assets custodied at Charles Schwab.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Financial Planning

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394), Insurance Agencies and Brokerages (52421)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)

akta.pro primary industry

Retirement & Distribution Planning RIAs (401(k)/IRA/Pension Rollovers) (FSAAACAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Insurance-Integrated Wealth Managers (RIA + Insurance Solutions) (FSAAACAI), Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB), Annuity & Insurance-Based Retirement Solutions Advisory (FSAEABAH)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Chicago

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Fees (AUM-based): As a Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm, STRIDE Investments charges fees based on assets under management. The firm is compensated by guiding and directing the management of clients' overall investment portfolios and financial plans rather than earning commissions on the sale of securities.
2. Insurance and Annuity Products: The firm offers a complete line of insurance products including life insurance, annuities, health insurance, property and casualty insurance, and long-term care insurance. These products may generate commission-based revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Stride Financial is a full-service financial services brokerage and Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm that provides comprehensive retirement income planning, wealth management, estate planning, tax planning, and Social Security maximization services to individual retirees and pre-retirees. The firm's signature offering is the STRID(e) (Strategically Tailored Retirement Income Distribution) program, which integrates income planning, investment management, risk management, tax strategies, and estate considerations. The firm operates on a fiduciary basis, charging AUM-based advisory fees and earning commissions on insurance and annuity products.

Product overview

Stride Financial is a full-service financial services brokerage offering a comprehensive suite of financial planning products and services centered on retirement planning and income generation. The core offering is the STRID(e) program (Strategically Tailored Retirement Income Distribution), a comprehensive retirement planning framework. This core is supported by specialized services including Wealth Management, Financial Planning, Social Security Maximization, Estate Planning, Tax Planning, Rollover IRA services, and Fixed-Income Solutions. The company also offers complementary programs including the College Trust for education planning, Strategic Debt Mastery for debt reduction, and the Circle Club referral program. Additional resources include a Retirement Readiness Quiz, Financial Calculators (covering inflation impact, IRA eligibility, Roth conversions, life insurance, and loan acceleration), and a Public Education Series of webinars covering topics from Social Security to estate planning. The company operates as a Registered Investment Advisory (RIA) firm regulated by the SEC, with client assets held in custody at Charles Schwab.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• STRID(e) - Strategically Tailored Retirement Income Distribution

Quantifiable outcome

• Difference between best and second-best Social Security filing strategy could mean $100,000+ in additional lifetime benefits
• +1 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationCharles Schwab serves as the primary custodian for STRIDE Financial client accounts. Schwab Advisor Services serves independent investment advisory firms, providing custody, trading, and support services while STRIDE Financial provides investment advice.
• Retirement Income SourcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTRIDE Financial is an affiliate member of The Retirement Income Source, a national network of Income Specialists with the common goal of helping retirees and pre-retirees reduce exposure to stock market risk and establish ongoing income streams for retirement.
• National Social Security Association (NSSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSTRIDE Financial advisors are certified with the NSSA, which provides nationally recognized training for Social Security planning education and helps individuals maximize their Social Security benefits in retirement.
• Sound Income StrategiessecondaryTechnology or IntegrationRegistered sub-advisor of STRIDE Investments, LLC providing income-focused investment strategies including Sound Enhanced Fixed Income ETF (SDEF) and Sound Equity Income ETF (SDEI).
• RWA Wealth Advisory GroupsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationRegistered sub-advisor of STRIDE Investments, LLC providing additional wealth advisory services.
• Polaris GreystonesecondaryTechnology or IntegrationRegistered sub-advisor of STRIDE Investments, LLC (referenced in older Form ADV documentation).
• TD Ameritrade InstitutionalsecondaryTechnology or IntegrationSTRIDE Investments has partnered with TD Ameritrade Institutional to offer access to stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and ETFs along with analytic tools to identify suitable products for client goals.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Creative Planning: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering comprehensive retirement, tax, estate, and wealth management nationally. Comparable RIA business model and retirement focus, but operates at vastly greater scale and breadth than Stride.
• Edelman Financial Services: Large national RIA known for retirement-income and annuitization-oriented advice. Comparable in retirement-income specialization and fiduciary positioning; substantially larger and broader in product breadth than Stride.
• Fisher Investments: Large RIA managing portfolios for high-net-worth and retirement-focused individuals via institutional research and active management. Comparable in active portfolio management focus, but growth/equity-oriented versus Stride's income-first orientation.
• Cetera Advisor Networks: Independent broker-dealer and RIA platform supporting advisors serving retirement-age clients with insurance, annuity, and wealth products. Comparable in hybrid RIA + insurance product model and retiree target segment.

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Fiduciary, fee-only RIA serving individuals and families with retirement, tax, and estate planning across multiple U.S. offices. Comparable because of fee-only RIA model, retirement-income emphasis, and integrated financial planning approach similar to Stride's STRIDE program.
• Schultz Financial Group: Independent RIA headquartered in Reno, NV serving retirees and pre-retirees with comprehensive retirement-income planning and wealth management. Closely comparable in business model (fiduciary RIA, AUM fees, retirement-income specialization) and target client as Stride.
• Carson Group: Large RIA platform that supports independent advisors focused on retirement planning and wealth management, with a multi-channel content/marketing engine (podcasts, webinars, books). Comparable as a multi-advisor RIA serving retirees, though materially larger than Stride.

Emerging players

• Sanctuary Wealth: Independent RIA and advisory platform supporting breakaway advisors building fiduciary practices serving HNW and retirement clientele. Comparable RIA platform model and target clients, but operates as a multi-firm platform rather than a single practice.
• Wealth Enhancement Group: Acquisitive independent RIA platform acquiring small advisory firms to scale retirement and wealth services nationwide. Comparable RIA roll-up thesis to the one Stride could face, with the same retiree target segment.
• Retirement Income Source: National network of "Income Specialists" of which Stride is an affiliate member. Direct comparable in income-first philosophy and retiree specialization, but operates as a referral/network model rather than a single advisory firm.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/stride_chicago
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdUk30JpRJNslyi5TNYlDJQ/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/stridefinancialadvisors
• Instagraminstagram.com/stridefinancialadvisors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Stride Financial