What Strategic Planning Group does

Strategic Planning Group is a privately held financial advisory firm headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, with additional offices in Greenville (SC), Roswell (GA), and Woodstock (GA), serving individuals and business owners across the Southeastern United States. The firm operates as an independent practice under the regulatory umbrella of Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC (HTK), a registered investment adviser and broker-dealer that is a wholly owned subsidiary of Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through HTK, while insurance products are distributed directly. The firm was established with key principals James T. Greenwell and David M. Wash joining in 2003, though the firmographics record dates founding to 2018.

The firm's core offering is a comprehensive financial planning service delivered through what it calls the "Macro Manager" approach, which coordinates all areas of a client's financial life — protection, savings, growth, retirement, estate, tax, and investment — under a single lead advisor backed by a team. This methodology is built on the proprietary LEAP System (Lifetime Economic Acceleration Process), licensed from Leap Systems, LLC (a Penn Mutual affiliate), and protected by multiple registered trademarks including Macro Manager, Wealth In Motion, Personal Macro Economics Process, and the Protection/Savings/Growth (PS&G) Model. Specialized service modules include the Bucket Plan retirement income strategy, business owner services (key person, buy-sell, succession/exit planning), and dedicated offerings for medical professionals. The firm supports client acquisition through a content-marketing apparatus including 35+ interactive financial calculators, an educational video library, and topical articles across seven subject areas.

Commercially, Strategic Planning Group employs a consultative, sales-led GTM motion anchored on free initial consultations (scheduled via Calendly) and long-term relationship-based advisory engagements. Revenue derives from commissions and fees on financial advisory services (through HTK) and insurance product sales (life insurance, key person, buy-sell). The firm serves eight distinct customer segments — Singles, Young Professionals, Full Nest families, Empty Nesters, Retirees, Special Needs Families, Medical Professionals, and Business Owners — though no specific client logos or enterprise contracts are publicly disclosed. The team includes six named financial professionals/advisors, with the broader firm employing 11-50 people. Pricing is quote-based with no public fee schedule, and revenue figures are not disclosed.

Name

Strategic Planning Group

Legal name

Strategic Planning Group

Website

https://strategicplanninggroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Strategic Planning Group is a privately held financial advisory firm operating across the Southeastern US, providing comprehensive wealth, retirement, tax, estate, and insurance planning to individuals and business owners through a team-based Macro Manager approach under the HTK/Penn Mutual broker-dealer umbrella.

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

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Business Owner & Executive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAO), Retirement & Pension Planning (401(k)/IRA) (FSAEAAAD), Estate & Legacy Planning Advisory (FSAEAAAG)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisory Services: Comprehensive financial planning services including retirement planning, investment management, estate planning, insurance, and tax strategies offered through a network of financial professionals. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC (HTK), Registered Investment Adviser, Member FINRA/SIPC.
2. Insurance Products: Life insurance and related insurance products for protection planning, including key person coverage, buy-sell coverage, and business continuation strategies for business owners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Strategic Planning Group is a financial advisory firm that delivers comprehensive financial planning services through a team-based "Macro Manager" approach. The firm coordinates protection, savings, and growth strategies across retirement, investment, estate, insurance, and tax planning for individuals, families, and business owners. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC (HTK).

Product overview

Strategic Planning Group offers comprehensive financial planning and advisory services through a multi-advisor 'Macro Manager' approach. The core offering is a unified financial planning service that encompasses protection, savings, and growth strategies, supplemented by specialized services for retirement income (including the Bucket Plan strategy), estate planning, tax planning, investment management, and business owner services. The firm serves diverse client segments including individuals at various life stages (singles, young professionals, families, empty nesters, retirees), those with special needs, and medical professionals. The practice also provides digital tools including financial calculators, educational videos, and article content to support client education and planning needs.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Macro Manager Financial Planning Services Comprehensive financial planning service that coordinates all aspects of a client's financial life including wealth management, tax strategy, retirement planning, and legacy preparation, delivered through a team-based advisory model using the LEAP System methodology. For individuals and families across life stages.

Quantifiable outcome

• Comprehensive coordinated financial strategy across all life stages and financial needs

Named customers2 records

Segments8 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

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC (HTK)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHTK is a Registered Investment Adviser and broker-dealer, Member FINRA/SIPC, and wholly owned subsidiary of Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company. Strategic Planning Group offers securities and investment advisory services through HTK. HTK provides the regulatory infrastructure and brokerage services that enable the firm to offer investment products and advisory services to clients.
• Leap Systems, LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationLeap Systems, LLC is an independent affiliate of Penn Mutual Life Insurance Company and developer of the LEAP System methodology used by Strategic Planning Group. Al Dickens serves as a National Trainer for Leap Systems. The LEAP System provides the proprietary framework for the firm's financial planning approach including Macro Manager, Personal Macro Economics Process, and Wealth In Motion concepts.
• Penn Mutual Life Insurance CompanycoreTechnology or IntegrationPenn Mutual is a life insurance company and parent of HTK. The firm has earned multiple leadership awards including 15 years of invitations to Penn Mutual's Royal Blue conference for outstanding performance. HTK is a wholly owned subsidiary of Penn Mutual.
• KPMGminorOthersDavid Wash previously worked as a Senior Manager at KPMG before joining Strategic Planning Group in 2003.
• Bearing PointminorOthersDavid Wash previously worked as a Senior Manager at Bearing Point before joining Strategic Planning Group in 2003.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Independent broker-dealer supporting RIAs of comparable size with comprehensive financial planning offerings; similar in providing regulatory infrastructure to advisor teams delivering holistic planning.
• NorthStar Resource Group: Independent financial advisory firm of similar scale offering comprehensive financial planning and insurance-based wealth strategies; closely comparable in team size, Southeast presence, and holistic planning approach.
• Cetera Advisor Networks: Independent broker-dealer and RIA support platform that hosts small-to-mid-sized advisory practices similar to SPG; comparable in business model where independent advisors offer planning under a larger compliance umbrella.
• Sanctuary Wealth: Independent advisor-owned wealth firm supporting RIA and broker-dealer affiliated practices; comparable in offering independent advisors access to institutional resources while preserving local autonomy.

Broad incumbents

• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large multi-channel wealth management firm offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services; comparable in holistic service model but operates at significantly larger scale across multiple geographies.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large national RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement services; comparable in holistic planning model though at substantially greater scale and with a national footprint.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., supporting thousands of small-to-mid-sized advisor practices; comparable as an alternative broker-dealer platform hosting independent comprehensive planners like SPG.
• Carson Group: Large RIA support and coaching organization serving independent financial advisors; comparable in targeting advisor teams with comprehensive planning practices, though it operates at much greater scale and provides practice management infrastructure.
• Focus Financial Partners: RIA aggregator partnering with independent wealth management firms; comparable as a model for scaling independent advisory practices, though its partner firms are typically much larger and more established than SPG.

Others

• Penn Mutual (HTK) affiliated practices: Other independent advisory practices operating under Hornor, Townsend & Kent, LLC (HTK); these firms share SPG's exact regulatory and product infrastructure and represent the closest direct comparables for benchmarking revenue, AUM, and growth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StrategicPlanGrp
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/strategicplangrp

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Strategic Planning Group