Independent Investment Advisors

What Independent Investment Advisors does

Independent Investment Advisors (operating as MLIG Management Group Inc.) is a privately-held, fee-only fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor founded in 2015 by Goran Ognjenovic and headquartered in Hillsboro, Oregon, with a secondary location in Portland. The firm operates a boutique practice that serves a deliberately limited number of clients — primarily high-net-worth individuals and families, technology professionals managing equity compensation (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPPs), small business owners, corporate executives, and HOA/nonprofit reserve funds — concentrated in the Pacific Northwest (Portland Metro, Hillsboro, Beaverton, Seattle) and extending nationwide via virtual engagements.

The product set is built around three managed portfolio programs: an Allocated Portfolio for long-term diversified exposure across equities, bonds, ETFs, and professional managers; a Tactical Portfolio using ETFs, individual securities, and options for shorter-term opportunities; and a Defined Outcome Portfolio using ETFs and options for structured downside risk management and moderate growth. Direct Indexing with individual-security tax-loss harvesting and alternative investments access round out the investment menu. The underlying technology combines a proprietary Trading-Tools Real Tick API engine (built in-house over 18 months) for custom market scans, automated rules, and cross-portfolio order management with non-custodial integrations to Charles Schwab Institutional, Interactive Brokers, and Wedbush Securities for custody, plus Right Capital for financial planning, Blueleaf for performance reporting, and SharePoint for client collaboration.

Revenue is generated through a fee-only advisory model with transparent, fixed or capped fees rather than uncapped percentage-of-AUM pricing, supported by an advisor-led go-to-market using educational content marketing, paid PR placements in Forbes/Nasdaq/MSN/USA Today, referrals, and direct-to-consumer introductory consultations booked through Microsoft Outlook. The firm cites awards including ETF.com's Top 100 Financial Advisors (2024), Five Star Wealth Manager (2023, 2024), Best of Portland (2022, 2023), and Financial Advisory of the Year — Oregon (2022) as credibility markers for prospective clients.

Name

Independent Investment Advisors

Legal name

MLIG Management Group Inc.

Website

https://independentadvisorsnw.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Independent Investment Advisors is a fee-only fiduciary RIA in Hillsboro, Oregon serving high-net-worth individuals, technology professionals with equity compensation, and small business owners across the Pacific Northwest with custom portfolio construction, direct indexing, and integrated tax planning.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management & Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive/Full-Service RIAs & Independent Wealth Managers (FSAAACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Fee-only financial advisory
• Fiduciary wealth management
• Portfolio management services
• Financial planning advisory
• Investment management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Hillsboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory Fee (Fee-Only): Fee-only fiduciary firm that does not earn commissions, fees, or kickbacks on investments. Uses fixed or capped fee structure rather than percentage of assets under management with no cap. Client states the firm charges 'fixed or capped fee' not percentage of AUM.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Independent Investment Advisors is a fee-only fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor that provides customized investment management, financial planning, tax planning, retirement planning, and estate/inheritance planning to high-net-worth individuals, technology professionals, small business owners, and corporate executives. The firm operates three managed portfolio programs (Allocated, Tactical, and Defined Outcome) and uses third-party custodians (Charles Schwab, Interactive Brokers, Wedbush Securities) for asset custody while building every portfolio from scratch.

Product overview

Independent Investment Advisors is a boutique wealth management firm offering integrated financial services through a unified advisory platform. The core offering centers on Wealth Management combining financial planning, tax strategies, and investment portfolio management. The investment management arm provides three distinct portfolio programs: Allocated Portfolio (long-term diversified strategy), Tactical Portfolio (actively managed with ETFs and options), and Defined Outcome Portfolio (structured risk-managed growth). Advanced solutions include Direct Indexing Strategies and Alternative Investments access. The firm also offers specialized services for tech professionals (equity compensation planning) and small business owners (retirement plans, business cash management), alongside core services in retirement planning, estate planning, and tax optimization. All services are delivered through a fee-only fiduciary model with access to multiple custodians including Charles Schwab, Interactive Brokers, and Wedbush Securities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wealth Management Comprehensive wealth management integrating financial planning, tax strategies, and custom portfolio management for high-net-worth individuals, families, and business owners.
• Allocated Portfolio Long-term diversified investment strategy across equities, bonds, ETFs, and professional managers with dynamic allocation adjustments based on client needs and market conditions.
• Tactical Portfolio Actively managed portfolio using ETFs, individual securities, and options for clients seeking shorter-term opportunities with higher risk tolerance.
• Defined Outcome Portfolio Structured portfolio using ETFs and options designed to manage downside risk while pursuing moderate growth; suited for investors without long-term investment horizon.
• Direct Indexing Strategies Customized index exposure by directly owning individual securities to enable tax-loss harvesting at the individual security level and manage concentrated stock positions.
• Retirement Planning Customized retirement plans including income stream structuring, withdrawal optimization, Roth conversion evaluation, and Social Security coordination.
• Tax Planning Tax-efficient investment strategies, equity compensation management, Roth conversion planning, tax-loss harvesting, and coordination with CPAs for proactive tax optimization.
• Estate Planning Legacy goal alignment, estate document coordination with attorneys, beneficiary designation review, and estate tax minimization strategies.
• Equity Compensation & Concentrated Stock Planning Strategies for managing RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPPs, diversification of concentrated stock positions, and optimization of exercise timing for tax efficiency.
• Alternative Investments Access to private equity, private credit, hedge funds, real estate, and infrastructure for qualified investors seeking diversification beyond traditional markets.
• Small Business Owner Solutions Comprehensive financial solutions for small business owners including retirement plans (SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Simple 401k), business cash management, succession planning, and integrated tax strategies.
• Tech Professional Wealth Management Wealth management tailored for technology professionals including equity compensation planning (RSUs, ISOs, NSOs, ESPPs), diversification strategies, and IPO/exit planning.

Quantifiable outcome

• Vanguard study: Average $500K investment grows to $3.4 million under advisor care over 25 years vs $1.69 million self-managed (50% less)

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Charles SchwabcoreTechnology or IntegrationCharles Schwab Institutional provides custody and brokerage services for allocated portfolio clients, especially in fixed income. Industry leader supporting more independent advisors than any other custodian.
• Interactive BrokerscoreTechnology or IntegrationInteractive Brokers provides custody, direct deposit, bill pay, and transaction history management through their account management portal. Offers global investment access.
• Wedbush Securities InstitutionalcoreTechnology or IntegrationWedbush Securities Advanced Clearing Services provides custom tailored clearing, custody, and full-service solutions. 40+ years as clearing leader.
• Right CapitalcoreTechnology or IntegrationRight Capital provides comprehensive financial planning platform and spending aggregation/reporting. Clients access their financial plan and net worth tracking through this platform.
• BlueleafsupportingTechnology or IntegrationBlueleaf provides comprehensive investment performance reporting platform for client access.
• Trading-Tools (SS&C Eze)coreTechnology or IntegrationSS&C Eze provides Real Tick API engine for building granular market scans, automated trading systems and rules, and order placement/management across portfolios.
• The Fly on the WallsupportingTechnology or IntegrationResearch platform providing market news and analysis integrated into investment decision-making process.
• SharePointsupportingTechnology or IntegrationMicrosoft SharePoint collaboration portal for file sharing and ongoing financial planning action items. Personalized to each client.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Betterment: Betterment is a flat-fee digital wealth manager with automated portfolio management, tax-loss harvesting, and goal-based planning. It competes for the same fee-sensitive HNW and tech-professional clients, but at lower cost and lower touch than IIA's bespoke model.
• Personal Capital (Empower Personal Dashboard): Personal Capital (now under Empower) built its brand serving tech-wealth HNW clients with integrated financial planning and wealth management, very similar to IIA's tech-professional segment. Both emphasize holistic planning over AUM-style brokerage relationships.
• Facet Wealth: Facet is a flat-fee, fiduciary digital RIA serving HNW clients with comprehensive financial planning, the closest direct analogue to IIA's fixed-fee, full-service positioning. Same target persona (tech professionals, busy HNW families) and same pricing philosophy make it the most directly comparable peer.

Regional players

• True Wealth Design: True Wealth Design is a Pacific-Northwest-based fee-only RIA serving tech professionals and HNW families in the Seattle/Bellevue area. Highly comparable in persona (tech equity comp), fee-only model, and regional focus.

Broad incumbents

• Creative Planning: Creative Planning is one of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering wealth management, tax, and estate services to HNW clients. Comparable full-service fiduciary value proposition at vastly larger scale.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Edelman Financial Engines combines advisor-led planning with a large RIA platform serving HNW and mass-affluent clients. Comparable in the integrated financial-planning-plus-investment-management bundle IIA sells.
• Schwab Intelligent Portfolios: Schwab's robo-advisor and broader Schwab Wealth Advisory represent the low-cost incumbent alternative for IIA's target clients. As a custodian partner of IIA, it is also the platform that could subsume boutique advisors at the margin.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Mariner is a large, independent RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, tax planning, and estate services to HNW clients nationally — a much larger scaled version of IIA's full-service fiduciary model. Useful comp for where IIA could scale toward with additional headcount and capital.
• Carson Group: Carson Group is a large RIA platform and partner firm network serving HNW clients with holistic financial planning. Provides a relevant benchmark for the scaled-RIA operating model and exit/liquidity paths that IIA could pursue.
• Fisher Investments: Fisher is a scaled, fee-based RIA serving HNW individuals with discretionary portfolio management. While its model is more institutional/discretionary than IIA's bespoke approach, it competes for the same HNW client dollar.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/FiduciaryAdvisorNW
• Instagraminstagram.com/independentinvestmentadvisors
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/independent-advisors-nw
• Xx.com/InvestAdvisorNW

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 Independent Investment Advisors