What International Planning Alliance does

Planning Alliance is a privately held financial services and wealth management firm founded with roots tracing back to 1955, headquartered at 50 Tice Boulevard in Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey, with additional offices in Shrewsbury and Rockaway (NJ), Brooklyn (NY), and Boynton Beach (FL). The firm operates as an independent agency of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, with securities and advisory services offered through Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS), a FINRA/SIPC member broker-dealer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian. The firm explicitly states it is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian, indicating an arm's-length distribution partnership rather than direct ownership.

The firm serves three core client segments — individuals and families, business owners, and high-net-worth families/family offices — delivering wealth accumulation, wealth management, wealth preservation, insurance (life, disability, long-term care), retirement planning, estate planning, business continuity, and charitable planning services. Its core technology platform is The Living Balance Sheet (LBS), a proprietary financial planning tool owned by Guardian that enables comprehensive financial analysis and is accessed via a client portal alongside PAS and Guardian Online accounts. The firm also operates an affiliated brokerage wing (Planning Alliance Brokerage) and a network of member firms (Akerman Financial, The Preferred Client Group, Norwood Financial Group, UCEF Insurance Agency, and The Conservative Advisor).

Revenue is generated through a mix of recurring wealth management advisory fees, insurance product commissions on life/disability/long-term care coverage, and securities transaction fees through PAS. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; services are delivered on a personalized, multi-year relationship basis by a network of financial representatives matched to clients by expertise area. GTM is sales-led via direct advisor relationships, supported by a top-of-funnel content marketing presence through a resource center covering retirement, investment, estate, insurance, tax, money, and lifestyle topics.

Name

International Planning Alliance

Legal name

Planning Alliance

Website

https://planningalliance.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1955

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Planning Alliance is a privately held, multi-generational financial services firm providing wealth management, insurance, and advisory services to individuals, families, businesses, and HNW family offices as an independent agency of Guardian Life Insurance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Wealth Management Advisory Services: Comprehensive wealth and risk management solutions including investment advisory, insurance products, and financial planning services tailored to individuals, families, and businesses.
2. Insurance Products: Sale of insurance products including life insurance (term, whole, universal), disability insurance, and other risk management products through agency relationship with Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.
3. Securities Products: Securities products and advisory services offered through Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS), a FINRA member broker-dealer and wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

International Planning Alliance is a multi-generational U.S. financial services firm that delivers wealth management, insurance brokerage, retirement planning, estate planning, investment advisory, business continuity, and family office services to individuals, families, business owners, and high-net-worth families. It operates as an independent agency of Guardian Life Insurance Company of America, distributing insurance products through Guardian and securities through Park Avenue Securities LLC, with personalized advisor matching across offices in New Jersey, New York, and Florida.

Product overview

Planning Alliance operates as a financial services and wealth management firm providing a comprehensive suite of solutions organized around three primary client segments: Individuals, Businesses, and Family Offices. The core offerings include wealth management, investment planning, insurance products (life, disability, long-term care), retirement planning, estate planning, and business continuity services. Supporting these are resource centers offering educational content on retirement, investment, insurance, estate, tax, money, and lifestyle topics. Client access is provided through a client portal linking to The Living Balance Sheet platform and affiliated Guardian/Park Avenue Securities accounts.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wealth Management Services Comprehensive wealth and risk management solutions for individuals, families, and businesses, utilizing investment, insurance, and wealth accumulation strategies to protect and achieve financial goals.
• Individual Financial Services Personalized financial planning for individuals, including term, whole and universal life insurance, investments, disability insurance, charitable giving strategies, college funding, and retirement planning.
• Business Financial Services Business-owner financial services including qualified and non-qualified employee benefits, key person retention planning, business continuity planning, and corporate cash and asset management.
• Family Office Services Private wealth management for high-net-worth families and family offices, providing estate planning, business continuity planning, charitable planning, tax-efficient financial modeling, and multi-generational wealth management.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• UCEF Insurance Agency, LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2018Member firm of the Planning Alliance network. Mickey H. Laniado serves as Director of Life & Disability Insurance with UCEF Insurance Agency, LLC, focusing on families, entrepreneurs, executives, and professionals.
• The Preferred Client Group, LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2007Member firm of the Planning Alliance network. David W. Cerchio co-founded The Preferred Client Group, LLC in 2007, focusing on closely held businesses, their executives, and families.
• Akerman Financial, Inc.minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2005Member firm of the Planning Alliance network. Jacob Akerman founded Akerman Financial, Inc. in 2005 as a member firm, focusing on identifying and addressing the financial protection needs of healthcare professionals.
• Norwood Financial Group, LLCminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2000Member firm of the Planning Alliance network. Steven Fishman launched Norwood Financial Group, LLC in 2000, specializing in estate and business planning for professionals, family business entities, and closely held business owners.
• The Guardian Life Insurance Company of AmericacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPlanning Alliance is an Agency of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), New York, NY. This is a core strategic partnership where Planning Alliance operates as an agency representing Guardian's insurance products and services.
• Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSecurities products and advisory services offered through Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS), member FINRA, SIPC. PAS is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Guardian. OSJ: 50 Tice Boulevard, Suite 280, Woodcliff Lake, NJ 07677.

Scale indicators3 records

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Customer concentration

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 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 International Planning Alliance