What JLB & Associates does

JLB & Associates, Inc. is a privately held, SEC-registered investment advisory firm headquartered in Plymouth, Michigan, founded in 1983 by James L. Bashaw. The firm constructs and manages custom investment portfolios for individual investors, corporate clients, and pension and profit-sharing plans, investing in bonds, common stocks, or combinations thereof based on each client's objectives. Over 42 years, JLB has grown from 5 client relationships to over 290, managing more than $768 million in client assets with a team of 1–10 employees.

The firm's investment process centers on a proprietary quantitative security selection methodology that ranks a defined universe of approximately 200 highly profitable, low-leverage companies by risk-adjusted expected returns, supplemented by an investment-grade fixed income management procedure that avoids unusually long maturities and callable bonds. Service delivery is rounded out by account administration, transfer facilitation, and quarterly performance reports comparing client returns against relevant benchmarks. The firm partners with Charles Schwab (Alliance platform) and RBC Wealth Management for custodial account access, and it explicitly does not engage in marketing, relying instead on client referrals to drive growth. Leadership continuity is family-driven: James E. Bashaw (son of the founder) serves as President, and Tyler J. Bashaw joined as a third-generation Portfolio Analyst in 2018.

The business model is a standard AUM-based fee structure typical of registered investment advisors, with revenue derived from investment advisory and management fees on the $768M+ asset base. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is presumably quote-based per client mandate. The firm's competitive positioning rests on long client tenure, disciplined (non-market-timing) portfolio construction, personalized service, and the credibility of CFA-credentialed and Series 65-licensed professionals, rather than on technology differentiation or active distribution.

Name

JLB & Associates

Legal name

JLB & Associates, Inc.

Website

https://jlbinvest.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

JLB & Associates is a Plymouth, Michigan-based, SEC-registered investment advisor founded in 1983 that manages over $768M in custom bond and equity portfolios for individuals, corporations, and pension plans, growing via referrals with no formal marketing.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Management Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Investor Education, Research & Portfolio Analytics Services (Retail) (FSAAAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industry

Style Equity — Value (Active) (FSAAAIAH)

Keywords

• Investment management
• Portfolio management
• Registered investment advisor
• Performance reporting
• Quantitative security selection

Headquarters

HQ city

Plymouth

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory and Management Fees: JLB & Associates generates revenue through investment advisory and management fees for managing client portfolios. The firm manages over $768 million in client assets for individuals, corporations, and pension/profit-sharing plans. Revenue is derived from AUM-based fee structures typical of registered investment advisors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

JLB & Associates is a registered investment advisory firm that constructs and manages custom investment portfolios for individuals, corporations, and pension/profit-sharing plans, investing in bonds, common stocks, or combinations thereof using a proprietary quantitative security selection process. It also provides account administration and quarterly performance reporting.

Product overview

JLB & Associates offers a unified investment advisory service built around custom portfolio management. The core offering is Portfolio Management Services, which uses a proprietary quantitative security selection process to construct custom portfolios using bonds, common stocks, and cash based on each client's investment objectives. This is supplemented by Account Administration and Maintenance services for account setup and transfers, and Reporting and Performance Calculation services that deliver quarterly performance reports alongside standard custodian reports. The three services work together as an integrated investment management offering rather than separate standalone products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Portfolio Management Custom portfolio construction to meet individual client investment objectives, investing in bonds, common stocks, or combinations thereof. Uses a proprietary quantitative security selection process with fundamental analysis for stock selection and investment-grade fixed income management. Serves individuals, corporations, and pension/profit-sharing plans.
• Account Administration and Maintenance Simplifies account opening processes, facilitates transfers, and processes all necessary paperwork for maintaining client accounts.
• Reporting and Performance Calculation Quarterly client reports detailing assets under management, earnings/losses, and performance relative to benchmarks, supplementing standard monthly custodian reports.

Quantifiable outcome

• Goal to outperform S&P 500 Composite Stock Index over 3-5 year time horizon
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration2 records

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Charles SchwabcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCharles Schwab Alliance platform is listed as an investor center resource for JLB clients, providing account access and administration through Schwab's custodial platform.
• RBC Wealth ManagementcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRBC Wealth Management is listed as an investor center resource providing secure account access for JLB clients through RBC's wealth management platform.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Broad incumbents

• Creative Planning: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering comprehensive wealth management to HNW clients. Comparable end-client services and represents the scaled competitor that a firm like JLB would benchmark against.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large independent RIA serving mass-affluent and HNW households with portfolio management and financial planning. Comparable end-client demographics and competes directly for JLB's individual investor segment.
• Mercer Advisors: National RIA delivering investment management, financial planning, and tax services primarily to HNW households. Comparable service breadth and target client as a larger-scale model of JLB's offering.
• Focus Financial Partners: Leading RIA roll-up platform that acquires and partners with high-quality RIAs including many $500M-$2B firms. Comparable as a strategic acquirer/integration partner for a firm of JLB's scale and profile.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large national RIA platform that has aggressively consolidated smaller RIAs. Highly relevant as a potential acquirer/roll-up counterparty and as a benchmark for the broader RIA-of-similar-services category JLB operates in.
• Carson Group: RIA platform and advisor community providing wealth management, coaching, and technology to independent advisors. Comparable as a partner or acquisition path for boutique RIAs seeking scale and operational support.

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: National RIA focused on evidence-based portfolio management for HNW individuals and institutions. Comparable business model (fee-based, advisor-led portfolio management) with a similar proprietary investment process orientation.
• Greenleaf Trust: Michigan-based, multi-generational wealth management and trust firm headquartered in Kalamazoo. Comparable as a privately held Michigan RIA serving HNW individuals, families, and institutions with discretionary portfolio management and a similar boutique-client model.
• Sigma Investment Counselors: Michigan-based registered investment advisor providing discretionary portfolio management for individuals, retirement plans, and endowments. Closely comparable in scale, fee model, and client mix to JLB.

Regional players

• Plante Moran Financial Advisors: Michigan-headquartered investment advisory arm of the Plante Moran accounting firm, serving individuals, businesses, and institutions in the Midwest. Comparable geographic base and HNW/institutional client overlap with JLB.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 JLB & Associates