What Innovative Advisory Group does

Innovative Advisory Group (IAG) is an independent Registered Investment Advisor founded in approximately 2012 by Kirk Chisholm and operating from Lexington, Massachusetts. The firm provides fee-based wealth management services to high-net-worth individuals and families, with a particular specialization in integrating traditional investments (stocks, bonds, mutual funds) with alternative assets (real estate, precious metals, private mortgages, tax liens, livestock, farmland, and medical equipment) through Self-Directed IRAs and Self-Directed 401(k) accounts. IAG positions itself as an independent advisor whose loyalty is to clients rather than specific products and operates as a Massachusetts LLC without parent company, PE backing, or public listing.

The firm's core service portfolio spans portfolio management, financial planning, risk management, alternative investment advisory, and specialized Self-Directed IRA/401(k) advisory, supported by proprietary research including the monthly Inflation Monitor publication and asset correlation studies. Client accounts are held with third-party custodians — Charles Schwab & Co., Community National Bank, and Pentegra — and the firm itself does not retain custody, limiting regulatory and balance-sheet risk. The technology stack is operational rather than differentiated: DocuSign for electronic signatures, Smart Vault for document hosting, and a content-rich website (innovativewealth.com) functioning as both marketing and educational platform. There is no proprietary technology platform, no public API, and no AI/ML capability evidenced.

IAG operates on a fee-based advisory model with subscription-style recurring compensation detailed in its Table of Fees for Service, and pursues a sales-led go-to-market anchored on content marketing (extensive blog, weekly email newsletter on retirement and inflation), referral channels, and free no-obligation consultations. With only 1-10 employees, the firm is a boutique operation serving a primary segment of HNW households and a secondary segment of self-directed retirement investors; revenue is undisclosed and no funding rounds exist. Founder Kirk Chisholm was ranked #7 on Investopedia's 2022 list of Most Influential Financial Advisors, which functions as the firm's primary external credibility signal.

Name

Innovative Advisory Group

Legal name

Innovative Advisory Group, LLC

Website

https://innovativewealth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2012

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Innovative Advisory Group is an independent Registered Investment Advisor in Lexington, MA providing fee-based wealth management to high-net-worth individuals and families, with specialization in Self-Directed IRAs and alternative investments such as real estate, precious metals, and private placements.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management and Investment Advisory

NAICS

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

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Specialized/Niche-Vertical RIAs (e.g., Medical, Tech, Executives, Athletes) (FSAAACAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Advisory Portfolio Management (Non-Discretionary) (FSAAABAD)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Financial planning advisory
• Self-directed IRA investments
• Alternative investment advisory
• Portfolio management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lexington

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Fees: Fee-based wealth management and investment advisory services for individuals and families. The firm provides portfolio management, financial planning, risk management, and alternative investment advisory. As an independent RIA, they are compensated through advisory fees rather than commissions on product sales.
2. Financial Planning Services: Comprehensive financial planning services including retirement planning, portfolio evaluation, and wealth optimization strategies

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Innovative Advisory Group is an independent Registered Investment Advisor that provides fee-based wealth management to individuals and families. Core services include portfolio management, financial planning, risk management, and specialized advisory for alternative investments held inside Self-Directed IRAs and Self-Directed 401(k) accounts (covering assets such as real estate, precious metals, private mortgages, tax liens, and farmland). The firm operates from Lexington, MA and uses third-party custodians (Charles Schwab, Community National Bank, Pentegra) for account custody.

Product overview

Innovative Advisory Group (IAG) is an independent Registered Investment Advisory firm offering comprehensive wealth management services. The firm's core offering combines traditional investment management (portfolio management, financial planning, risk management) with specialized alternative investment advisory services (self-directed IRAs/401ks, alternative assets). IAG's platform is built on the integration of traditional and alternative investments, supported by proprietary research including the Inflation Monitor publication and a Self Directed IRA Industry research hub. The firm uses DocuSign for electronic document signing and works with third-party custodians (Charles Schwab, Community National Bank, Pentegra) for account custody. IAG positions itself as independent advisors whose loyalty is to clients rather than specific products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Portfolio Management Investment management and portfolio construction for individuals and families, starting with an evaluation of net worth and goals and providing advice to optimize future income potential in line with lifestyle objectives and investment duration.
• Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning service that helps clients create investment plans to enhance their future quality of life, including retirement planning, portfolio evaluation, and wealth optimization strategies.
• Risk Management Risk assessment and management services integrated into wealth management strategies, designed to evaluate and control investment risk across client portfolios.
• Alternative Investments Advisory services for clients looking to diversify beyond stocks and bonds via alternative assets such as real estate, precious metals, horses, livestock, farmland, private mortgages, and tax liens, suitable for clients either with a specific alternative investment identified or still seeking one.
• Self-Directed IRA Advisory service for setting up and managing Self-Directed IRA accounts that allow clients to invest in real estate, precious metals, and a wide range of alternative assets through tax-deferred or tax-free retirement accounts.
• Self-Directed 401k Advisory service for Self-Directed 401(k) plans enabling investment in a wide variety of traditional and alternative assets through tax-advantaged retirement accounts.
• Special Advisor Services Specialized advisory services for clients with specific investment needs or complex financial situations who require tailored guidance beyond IAG's standard wealth management offerings.

Quantifiable outcome

• Co-founded by industry veteran with 15+ years of Wall Street experience at Paine Webber and co-founding IAG approximately 10 years prior to 2022

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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Charles Schwab & Co., Inc.coreOthersSchwab is a registered broker-dealer and serves as a custodian for client accounts held at IAG. IAG has agreements with Schwab under which Schwab provides services related to client accounts. IAG is independently owned and operated, not affiliated with Schwab.
• Community National BankcoreOthersCommunity National Bank serves as a custodian for certain client accounts. The firm has a working relationship with CNB to enable effective management of client portfolios.
• Smart VaultminorOthersSmart Vault provides document hosting portal services for IAG clients at no additional cost. IAG has formed a working relationship with Smart Vault for secure document storage and management.
• PentegracoreOthersPentegra serves as a custodian for certain retirement accounts managed by IAG. Clients may have accounts at Pentegra depending on account type and investment preferences.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Fisher Investments: Fisher Investments is a large independent investment manager serving high-net-worth individuals and institutions with discretionary portfolio management. It competes with IAG for HNW wealth management clients but does not specialize in Self-Directed IRAs or alternative assets.
• Empower (formerly Personal Capital): Empower is a large hybrid wealth management platform combining digital tools with human advisory services for HNW and mass-affluent clients. It is comparable as a hybrid-advice incumbent that competes for the same independent-advice-driven segment of investors that IAG serves.
• Creative Planning: Creative Planning is a large, fee-only independent RIA offering comprehensive wealth management including alternative investments and retirement planning. It is comparable as a broad incumbent in the independent RIA space, though it serves a much larger and more diversified client base than IAG.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Edelman Financial Engines is one of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering comprehensive wealth management across traditional and alternative strategies. It is comparable as a broad independent RIA competitor, though it operates at far greater scale and is not specialized in the SDIRA niche.

Others

• Orion Advisor Solutions: Orion Advisor Solutions provides portfolio accounting, CRM, and practice-management technology to thousands of independent RIAs. It is ecosystem-adjacent to IAG, serving as enabling infrastructure that an independent RIA could adopt to scale operations and advisor productivity.
• Equity Trust Company: Equity Trust Company is one of the largest Self-Directed IRA custodians in the U.S., enabling clients to hold alternative assets within retirement accounts. It sits adjacent to IAG's offering as infrastructure IAG and its clients interact with, rather than as a direct advisory competitor.
• MainStar Trust: MainStar Trust is a Self-Directed IRA custodian specializing in alternative-asset retirement accounts including real estate, private equity, and promissory notes. It is ecosystem-adjacent to IAG, providing custody services that complement IAG's advisory role for SDIRA clients.

Direct peers

• Rocket Dollar: Rocket Dollar offers Self-Directed IRA and Solo 401k accounts designed for investing in alternative assets such as real estate, notes, and private companies. Like IAG, it focuses on the SDIRA + alternative-investment niche and competes for the same investor segment seeking diversification beyond stocks and bonds.
• AltoIRA: AltoIRA is a digital Self-Directed IRA platform that enables individuals to invest retirement funds in alternative assets including real estate, private equity, and crypto. It directly competes with IAG's SDIRA advisory offering by streamlining the alternative-investing workflow that IAG supports manually through consultations.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Facet Wealth is a tech-enabled hybrid advice platform pairing certified financial planners with digital tools to deliver affordable wealth management to mass-affluent and emerging HNW clients. It is comparable as a next-generation independent advisory model targeting a similar client need for fiduciary advice outside the wirehouse model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/iagwealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/innovative-advisory-group

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Innovative Advisory Group