What Kooman and Associates does

Kooman & Associates is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisory firm (RIA) headquartered in Altoona, Pennsylvania, founded in 1991 by Marty Kooman after he left a national brokerage house to build a fee-based, client-aligned practice. The firm employs 11 people organized around a multi-generational ownership structure — founder Marty Kooman alongside his daughter Kate Kooman Starkey and her husband Jeff Starkey — plus five financial planners and an operations team, delivering personalized wealth management to individuals and institutional consulting to nonprofit organizations across Central and Western Pennsylvania.

The core product suite spans Comprehensive Wealth Management, Retirement Planning, Financial Planning, Investment Management, Risk Management, Income Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Charitable Giving, and Institutional Consulting. These are operationalized through the proprietary Transformative Wealth Process™ — a five-step framework (Discovery, Clarity, Mutual Commitment, Implementation, Maintaining Discipline) — and supported by The Optimistic Investor® quarterly memo, client educational resources, and a complimentary Second Opinion Review funnel. The technology stack relies on interactive financial planning tools, back-office portfolio/reporting systems, and dual custodial integrations with Charles Schwab and Raymond James for client account access; no proprietary technology platform, mobile app, or API surface is offered.

The firm operates a fee-based recurring revenue model as a registered investment adviser, charging advisory fees disclosed in Form ADV Part 2A rather than product commissions. Distribution is direct-to-client, relationship-led, and primarily regional, with marketing executed through content (quarterly memo, blog-style resources), community involvement (Rotary, Mount Aloysius College board, YMCA, Leadership Blair County), and earned media (consecutive Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisor and Top Women Wealth Advisor recognitions from 2021 through 2026). The firm is privately held with no disclosed external investors, funding events, subsidiaries, or M&A activity.

Name

Kooman and Associates

Legal name

Kooman & Associates, LLC

Website

https://kooman.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Kooman & Associates is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisory firm in Altoona, Pennsylvania, founded in 1991, that provides fee-based wealth management, retirement planning, and institutional consulting to individual clients and nonprofit organizations across Central and Western Pennsylvania using its proprietary Transformative Wealth Process™.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

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

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB), Corporate Retirement Plan Advisory RIAs (ERISA 401(k)/403(b)) (FSAAACAF), Institutional Consulting RIAs (OCIO/Endowments/Foundations/Pensions) (FSAAACAG)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Altoona

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Fees: SEC registered investment adviser providing advisory services. The firm is fee-based, charging for advisory services rather than commissions on products sold. Form ADV Part 2A disclosure document details advisory services and fees.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Kooman & Associates is an independent, fee-based SEC-registered investment advisory firm offering comprehensive wealth management and financial planning services. The firm provides personalized retirement planning, investment management, income tax planning, estate planning, risk management, and charitable giving strategies for individuals, alongside institutional consulting for nonprofit endowments. All services are delivered through the firm's proprietary Transformative Wealth Process™ framework, supported by Charles Schwab and Raymond James custodial platforms.

Product overview

Kooman & Associates is an independent SEC-registered investment advisory firm offering a unified suite of financial planning and wealth management services. The core offering centers on Comprehensive Wealth Management, supported by specialized services including Retirement Planning, Financial Planning, Investment Management, Risk Management, Income Tax Planning, Estate Planning, Charitable Giving, and Institutional Consulting. The firm's proprietary Transformative Wealth Process™ framework guides client engagements through five stages: Discovery, Clarity, Mutual Commitment, Implementation, and Maintaining Discipline. Additional offerings include The Optimistic Investor® quarterly client memo and the Second Opinion Review service for prospective and existing clients. The firm primarily serves individual clients and nonprofit institutions in Central and Western Pennsylvania.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Comprehensive Wealth Management Full-service wealth management integrating all aspects of clients' personal and business assets to work together efficiently, often requiring collaboration with clients' CPAs and attorneys. Targeted at individuals and families with complex financial situations.
• Retirement Planning Strategic planning for retirement decisions across Social Security, Medicare, 401(k), 403(b), pension, IRAs, Roth IRAs, and annuities, coordinating all pieces for maximum success. Targeted at individuals approaching or in retirement.
• Financial Planning Holistic planning covering cash flow optimization, education planning, insurance assessment, investment portfolio building, tax liability management, and generational wealth planning. Targeted at individuals and families seeking a unified financial roadmap.
• Investment Management Portfolio construction based on asset allocation and diversification principles, emphasizing discipline, risk avoidance, tax efficiency, and fee minimization over speculation. Targeted at clients seeking ongoing discretionary or collaborative portfolio management.
• Risk Management and Wealth Preservation Identification of potential financial risks and protective strategies to shield families from accidents, illnesses, and disabilities that could cause financial hardship. Targeted at individuals and families concerned about protecting accumulated wealth.
• Income Tax Planning Tax-efficient planning through careful management of income sources, distribution timing, and coordination with accountants and tax attorneys. Targeted at clients seeking to minimize tax liability across retirement, investment, and estate events.
• Estate Planning and Wealth Transfer Planning to preserve accumulated wealth, provide for heirs, streamline estate administration, and minimize taxes while meeting intended purposes. Targeted at clients with multi-generational wealth transfer goals.
• Charitable Giving Philanthropic strategies incorporated into financial plans, providing personal satisfaction and potential income and estate tax advantages. Targeted at individuals and families seeking to align charitable goals with tax efficiency.
• Institutional Consulting Advisory services for nonprofit organizations on endowment management, helping volunteer board members fulfill fiduciary obligations and balance current distributions with long-term growth. Targeted at nonprofit institutions in Central and Western Pennsylvania.
• Second Opinion Review Complimentary review service for existing financial plans and investment portfolios, offered to prospects already working with another financial professional. Targeted at prospective clients seeking validation or alternative perspectives on their current financial strategy.

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Charles SchwabcoreTechnology or IntegrationCustodial platform provider for client accounts. Clients access their accounts through Charles Schwab's online portal for account management, reporting, and money movement.
• Raymond JamescoreTechnology or IntegrationCustodial platform provider for client accounts. Raymond James provides account access and management capabilities for a portion of client portfolios.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium: Schwab Intelligent Portfolios Premium is a hybrid robo-advisor with access to CFP® professionals, offered through one of Kooman's custodial partners (Charles Schwab). It represents an emerging low-fee, technology-enabled alternative targeting the same planning-oriented client segment.
• Vanguard Personal Advisor Services: Vanguard Personal Advisor Services combines low-cost index investing with human advisor-led financial planning, appealing to cost-conscious mass-affluent clients — a partial competitor to Kooman for clients seeking hybrid digital-plus-human wealth management at lower fees.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: Edelman Financial Engines is a large national independent RIA combining traditional advisor-led planning with digital advice tools — overlapping Kooman's wealth and retirement offerings while operating at significantly greater scale across a national footprint.
• Creative Planning: Creative Planning is one of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering comprehensive wealth management, retirement, tax, and estate services nationally — overlapping Kooman's service set but operating at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Carson Group: Carson Group is a national RIA platform providing financial advisors with wealth management, coaching, and back-office services — comparable in offering comprehensive planning to clients but operating through a partner-firm and corporate-platform model far larger than Kooman's standalone practice.
• Fisher Investments: Fisher Investments is a large independent investment management firm serving individuals and institutions with discretionary portfolio management — overlapping Kooman's investment management and advisory offering but at national scale and a more asset-management-led approach.
• Hightower Advisors: Hightower is an RIA platform serving high-net-worth individuals, families, and institutions with comprehensive wealth management — comparable service mix to Kooman, but as a multi-office national platform with significantly greater scale and resources.

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Buckingham is an independent, fee-only RIA providing evidence-based financial planning, tax, and investment management to individuals and institutions — comparable in business model, planning-led philosophy, and SEC-registered structure to Kooman & Associates.
• Ritholtz Wealth Management: Ritholtz Wealth Management is an independent, fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning and investment management to individuals, with a content-driven brand and strong thought leadership presence — directly comparable to Kooman's planning-led, content-marketing (The Optimistic Investor) approach.
• Moneta Group: Moneta is an independent, fee-only RIA serving individuals, families, and institutional clients with comprehensive wealth management, retirement, and estate planning — directly comparable in service breadth, fee model, and SEC RIA registration to Kooman.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/KoomanAndAssociatesLlc

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 Kooman and Associates