What Midwest Associates does

Midwest Associates is a privately held, founder-led financial advisory firm based in the greater Des Moines, Iowa area, specializing in comprehensive financial planning for retirees and pre-retirees. The firm offers a holistic service stack that includes retirement income planning, Social Security optimization, tax-efficient withdrawal and Roth conversion strategies, estate planning, Medicare planning, insurance analysis, and fixed indexed annuities. There is no proprietary technology platform; service delivery is relationship-driven through in-person consultations, supported by a content marketing engine consisting of weekly newsletters, blog posts, educational videos, and workshops.

The firm generates revenue through a professional services and licensing/commission model. Investment advisory services are delivered under the registration of Latitude Investment Group, a Registered Investment Advisor, while securities are offered through broker-dealer partner World Equity Group, Inc. (member FINRA/SIPC). Insurance and fixed indexed annuity products are sourced from third-party carriers and generate commission revenue outside the RIA channel. Fees follow the Latitude Investment Group ADV Part 2 disclosure, and insurance/annuity products carry the fees, surrender charges, and restrictions of the issuing carriers.

Midwest Associates is led by President/CEO Sean R. Stevens, who holds CLU and ChFC designations, is a member of Ed Slott's Elite IRA Advisor Group, and has been serving Des Moines-area clients since founding the firm in 1992. The customer base is entirely individual households in the greater Des Moines market, with no institutional or enterprise clients and no disclosed expansion into other geographies. The firm competes on personalized, holistic planning rather than on technology, scale, or price.

Name

Midwest Associates

Legal name

Midwest Associates

Website

https://midwestfinancialplan.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Midwest Associates is a founder-led financial advisory firm in the Des Moines, Iowa area offering holistic retirement, tax, estate, insurance, and Medicare planning to individual retirees and pre-retirees through relationship-based advisory services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory and Retirement Planning Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD)

Keywords

• Retirement planning services
• Financial advisory services
• Tax planning services
• Estate planning services
• Insurance and annuities

Headquarters

HQ city

West Des Moines

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services: Advisory services are offered through Latitude Investment Group, a Registered Investment Advisor. Midwest Associates provides financial planning services including retirement planning, tax planning, estate planning, and insurance services. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through World Equity Group, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC.
2. Insurance Products: Fixed indexed annuities and various insurance products are offered. These products are issued by insurance companies and are subject to the claims-paying ability of the issuing insurer. Annuities are not securities and are offered separately from advisory services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Midwest Associates is a financial advisory firm that provides personalized financial planning for retirees and pre-retirees in the greater Des Moines, Iowa area. Its core offerings include retirement income planning, investment management, tax planning (including in-house tax preparation and IRS representation), estate planning, insurance products (life, disability, long-term care, Medicare-related), Medicare planning, and fixed indexed annuities. Advisory services are delivered through Latitude Investment Group (RIA) and securities through World Equity Group, Inc.

Product overview

Midwest Associates is a financial advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of financial planning services. The firm provides Financial Services, Tax Planning (with in-house tax planners), Estate Planning, Insurance Services, Retirement Planning, Medicare Services, and Fixed Indexed Annuities. The core offering is holistic, comprehensive advisory services that help clients prioritize and attain their life goals through individualized analysis and financial solutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Services Comprehensive financial planning and investment management services for individual clients, including retirement income planning and portfolio analysis to help clients achieve their financial life goals.
• Tax Planning In-house tax planning services including tax advisory, tax minimization planning, personal income tax preparation, IRS representation, and estate/gift/trust tax return preparation.
• Estate Planning Estate planning services to help clients arrange their financial affairs and preserve capital for transfer to heirs.
• Insurance Services Insurance products including disability insurance, life insurance, long-term care insurance, indexed universal life insurance, Medicare insurance, Medicare supplemental insurance, final expense life insurance, funeral trust insurance, and mortgage protection insurance.
• Retirement Planning Retirement planning services helping clients visualize their retirement goals, position savings for income, and create confidence and peace of mind in retirement.
• Medicare Services Medicare and Medicare supplemental insurance planning services designed for retirees.
• Fixed Indexed Annuities Fixed indexed annuity products that balance growth potential with principal protection for retirement portfolios, issued by insurance companies and offered separately from advisory services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Small adjustments to Social Security claiming decisions could increase lifetime benefits by tens of thousands of dollars
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Latitude Investment GroupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory services are offered through Latitude Investment Group, a Registered Investment Advisor. Midwest Associates operates independently from Latitude Investment Group while providing advisory services under their RIA registration.
• World Equity Group, Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecurities and investment advisory services are offered through World Equity Group, Inc., member FINRA/SIPC. This partnership provides the broker-dealer infrastructure for the firm's investment advisory operations.
• Ed Slott's Elite IRA Advisor GroupminorOthersMembership organization for financial professionals specializing in IRA and retirement planning. Qualifying criteria includes completing specified educational courses. Membership requirements include payment of annual dues. Ed Slott and Company, LLC are not affiliated with Midwest Associates.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Fisher Investments: Large investment manager with a heavy retirement-focused, HNW individual client base — comparable target demographic and retirement-income narrative, though at a different scale and delivery model.
• Edelman Financial: National financial planning firm with a strong retirement income planning focus and integrated services — comparable planning-centric approach, though materially larger and broader in distribution.
• Cetera Financial Group: Large hybrid broker-dealer/RIA supporting thousands of independent advisors with retirement and wealth planning infrastructure — analogous to Midwest Associates' partner-based delivery model but at far larger scale.
• Carson Group: Omaha-based much larger RIA and advisor support platform offering comprehensive retirement and wealth planning — comparable value proposition but operates at significantly greater scale and geographic reach than Midwest Associates.

Others

• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer supporting tens of thousands of independent advisors with retirement planning practices — provides analogous enabling infrastructure to firms like Midwest Associates.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Independent broker-dealer supporting independent RIAs and financial advisors with compliance, custody, and back-office infrastructure — comparable in role to Midwest Associates' partner RIA/broker-dealer relationships.

Direct peers

• Hightower Advisors: Chicago-based comprehensive wealth management firm serving HNW individuals with integrated retirement income, tax, and estate planning — comparable in service breadth and client demographic to Midwest Associates.
• Edward Jones: Large retail financial advisory firm focused on individual retirement, investment, and estate planning for mass-affluent and HNW households — directly comparable target client and planning-centric service set.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Overland Park-based national wealth advisory firm delivering investment, tax, estate, and retirement planning to individuals and families — closely comparable full-service private client model.
• Creative Planning: Kansas City-headquartered comprehensive RIA offering integrated investment, tax, estate, and retirement planning to individuals — directly comparable Midwest-based, multi-service advisory model to Midwest Associates.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/midwest-financial-associates

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 Midwest Associates