First Aurora Financial Group

Financial Advisory & Wealth Managementfirstaurorafinancialgroup.com

First Aurora Financial Group is an independent financial advisory firm serving individual investors and small employers in Western New York with wealth management, retirement, insurance, and estate planning services delivered through two regional offices.

Company typePrivate
Founded-
HeadquartersEast Aurora, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2C
OfferingServices

What First Aurora Financial Group does

First Aurora Financial Group is an independent, privately held financial advisory firm headquartered in East Aurora, New York, serving individual investors and small employers in Western New York through two physical offices (East Aurora and Clarence). The firm delivers a five-line integrated offering: wealth management, insurance products, retirement plans (including 401(k) and employer-sponsored plans), personal financial planning, and estate planning. It accepts clients across a wide asset range, from approximately $1,000 to $5 million, with minimums of $250 to $50,000 depending on the platform and product selected. The firm positions itself as independent, with advisors explicitly not driven by sales goals or contests.

The business operates on two revenue models: a fee-based managed account that charges a percentage of assets under management quarterly, and a commission-based model using A or C share mutual funds where fees are embedded in fund returns. Securities are offered through LaSalle St. Securities LLC (FINRA/SIPC member) and advisory services through LaSalle St. Investment Advisors, LLC, an affiliated registered investment advisor; First Aurora states it is not itself affiliated with LSS or LSIA. Initial consultations are complimentary, and meeting cadence is client-driven (quarterly to annually). The firm was previously known as EMS Wealth Management and now operates as an affiliate within the EMS Wealth Management ecosystem.

The firm's stated competitive differentiators are advisor independence, transparency of fee structures, and over 250 combined years of experience among its investment professionals serving Western New York. Distribution is direct-to-client through licensed advisors meeting in person at office locations; there is no visible digital acquisition, no mobile app, no third-party technology integrations, and no disclosed AUM, revenue, or headcount beyond a 1-10 employee range.

First Aurora Financial Group firmographics

Firmographics

Name: First Aurora Financial Group
Legal name: First Aurora Financial Group
Website: http://www.firstaurorafinancialgroup.com/
Company type: Private
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: First Aurora Financial Group is an independent financial advisory firm serving individual investors and small employers in Western New York with wealth management, retirement, insurance, and estate planning services delivered through two regional offices.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

First Aurora Financial Group industry classification

Industry

Product category: Financial Advisory & Wealth Management
NAICS: Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)
SIC: Investment Advice (6282), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411)
akta.pro primary industry: Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)
akta.pro secondary industries: Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA), Insurance-Integrated Wealth Managers (RIA + Insurance Solutions) (FSAAACAI)

Keywords

Wealth management services
Retirement planning
Financial advisory services
Insurance products
Estate planning services

Where First Aurora Financial Group is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: East Aurora
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

First Aurora Financial Group business model

Business model

GTM type: B2C
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

Fee-Based Wealth Management: Managed accounts where a percentage of assets under management is charged quarterly, appearing on client statements. Suitable for clients seeking ongoing portfolio management.
Commission-Based Investment Products: Commission-based products including A Shares and C Shares mutual funds. Fees are embedded in fund returns rather than charged separately. The firm educates clients on how these fees work during consultations.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Subscription	Quarterly	Managed/Fee-Based Account
Transaction based/ take rate	Pay-as-you-go	Commission-Based (A or C Shares)

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

First Aurora Financial Group product offering

Product offering

Core offering

First Aurora Financial Group is a full-service independent financial advisory firm that provides wealth management, insurance products, retirement plans (including 401(k) and employer-sponsored plans), personal financial planning, and estate planning services to individual investors and employers in Western New York. Services are delivered through licensed financial advisors operating under a broker/dealer affiliation with LaSalle St. Securities LLC, and are compensated either via fee-based managed accounts (percentage of AUM charged quarterly) or commission-based A/C Share mutual fund products.

Product overview

First Aurora Financial Group is a full-service financial advisory firm offering an integrated suite of wealth management, insurance, and retirement planning services. The core offering includes Wealth Management, Insurance Products, Retirement Plans (including 401(k) and employer-sponsored plans), Personal Financial Planning, and Estate Planning. The firm operates on a fee-based or commission-based model (offering A or C Shares) and serves clients in Western New York through two office locations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Companies that use First Aurora Financial Group

Customer profile

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

First Aurora Financial Group technology and API

Technology

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

First Aurora Financial Group partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

LaSalle St. SecuritiescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorBroker/dealer affiliation providing securities offerings and regulatory infrastructure. Securities are offered through LaSalle St. Securities LLC (LSS), member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory services are offered through LaSalle St. Investment Advisors, LLC (LSIA), a Registered Investment Advisor affiliated with LSS. First Aurora Financial Group operates as an independent affiliate under this broker/dealer relationship.
EMS Wealth ManagementminorOthersEMS Wealth Management is referenced as an affiliate in the company ecosystem. First Aurora Financial Group is listed as an affiliate of EMS Wealth Management. EMS handles personal information collection for investment products and services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

First Aurora Financial Group competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Direct peers

Edward Jones: Large national network of independent financial advisors serving mass-affluent and individual clients with wealth management, retirement, and insurance products. Directly comparable in go-to-market (local advisor offices, fee + commission model, individual investor focus).
Ameriprise Financial: Independent advisor franchise model serving individuals with wealth management, retirement, and insurance products. Comparable business model (independent advisor affiliated with a broker/dealer), service mix, and target client segment.
Cambridge Investment Research: Independent broker/dealer supporting thousands of financial advisors offering wealth management, retirement, and insurance solutions. Comparable in advisor-affiliation model, service stack, and small-to-mid-market advisor support.
Northwestern Mutual: Insurance-led financial services network where advisors sell wealth management, retirement, and life insurance to individuals and families. Comparable in integrated insurance-plus-wealth offering and individual-client focus.

Broad incumbents

Cetera Financial Group: Large broker/dealer and RIA platform that supports independent financial advisors, including LaSalle St. Securities affiliates. Comparable because First Aurora operates as an independent advisor under Cetera-affiliated (LSS) infrastructure.
LPL Financial: Largest independent broker/dealer in the U.S., supporting RIAs and financial advisors with wealth, retirement, and insurance offerings. Comparable because First Aurora's LaSalle St. Securities affiliation sits in the same independent-advisor ecosystem.
Stifel Financial: Diversified wealth management and investment bank serving individuals and small businesses through regional advisor offices. Comparable in offering wealth management, retirement, and insurance to mass-affluent clients in regional markets.
Raymond James Financial: Diversified financial services firm with a large independent advisor channel providing wealth, retirement, and estate planning. Comparable service stack and client focus, though materially larger in scale.
Wells Fargo Advisors: Wirehouse and independent advisor channel offering wealth management, retirement, and insurance products to individuals. Comparable product mix and individual-investor target, though structured inside a much larger bank.

Emerging players

Schwab Personal Advisor Services: Large retail brokerage with a fee-based advisory service competing for mass-affluent investors seeking independent wealth management. Comparable in target client and fee-based AUM model, though delivered through a national digital-plus-advisor platform.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

First Aurora Financial Group financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

First Aurora Financial Group leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

First Aurora Financial Group funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

First Aurora Financial Group M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about First Aurora Financial Group

What does First Aurora Financial Group do?

Is First Aurora Financial Group a public or private company?

First Aurora Financial Group is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.

When was First Aurora Financial Group founded?

First Aurora Financial Group was founded in -1. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is First Aurora Financial Group based?

First Aurora Financial Group is headquartered in East Aurora, United States, in the North America region.

How does First Aurora Financial Group make money?

Two revenue lines are on record. Fee-Based Wealth Management is the primary driver. The others are commission-Based Investment Products.

Who are First Aurora Financial Group's main competitors?

Direct peers on record are Edward Jones, Ameriprise Financial, Cambridge Investment Research and Northwestern Mutual. Broad incumbents are Cetera Financial Group, LPL Financial, Stifel Financial, Raymond James Financial and Wells Fargo Advisors. Schwab Personal Advisor Services is listed as an emerging player.

Does First Aurora Financial Group have an API?

No public API is recorded for First Aurora Financial Group.

What industry is First Aurora Financial Group in?

First Aurora Financial Group's product category is Financial Advisory & Wealth Management. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAACAB, Financial Planning–Led RIAs, with a secondary code of FSAEABAA, Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management. Its NAICS code is 523940 and its SIC code is 6282.