Collaborative Financial Group

What Collaborative Financial Group does

Collaborative Financial Group, LLC is a private, fee-only retirement plan consulting practice founded in March 2017 by Jon Bebe in Portland, Oregon. The firm serves businesses of all sizes and plan sponsors, providing 401(k) creation, implementation, and ongoing management, SIMPLE IRA setup and administration, plan benchmarking, and 3(38) fiduciary services. Customer segments are primarily small-to-mid-market businesses and plan sponsors in the Pacific Northwest (Portland and SW Washington), with the firm stating capability to serve clients nationally.

The practice operates as a wholly-owned LLC of founder Jon Bebe but delivers advisory services through two affiliated registered investment advisers: Accelerate Investment Advisors LLC (under which Collaborative Financial Group operates as a DBA) and Resources Investment Advisors, LLC (a wholly-owned subsidiary of OneDigital with $10 billion in assets under management). This structure provides SEC registration, compliance oversight (Resources' Chief Compliance Officer), and institutional infrastructure while preserving the firm's independent, fee-only positioning. The technology stack is described as technology-driven, leveraging a client interface, communication tools, and transparent investment strategy technology, with Fiduciary Benchmarks used for plan benchmarking.

The business model is fee-only advisory income earned on a recurring basis through the affiliated RIAs, with a free initial consultation and free plan benchmarking serving as top-of-funnel acquisition. Go-to-market is sales-led and direct, relying on the founder's professional network, association referrals (the firm is listed as a preferred retirement consultant for multiple associations in Portland and SW Washington), and speaking engagements. The firm is a sole-practitioner operation with no disclosed staff beyond the founder, and no external funding, M&A, or leadership changes are evidenced.

Name

Collaborative Financial Group

Legal name

Collaborative Financial Group, LLC

Website

https://collaborativefinancialgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Collaborative Financial Group is a fee-only retirement plan consulting practice in Portland, Oregon, serving small and mid-market businesses and plan sponsors with 401(k), SIMPLE IRA, fiduciary, and benchmarking services delivered through affiliated SEC-registered investment advisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement Plan Consulting

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYFSAEABAE

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension)

Financial & Insurance/Financial Advisory, Brokerage & Intermediation/Wealth & Retirement Advisory

Keywords

• Retirement plan consulting
• 401(k) advisory services
• Fiduciary advisory
• SIMPLE IRA services
• Plan benchmarking

Headquarters

HQ city

Portland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services: Fee-only investment advisory services offered through Accelerate Investment Advisors LLC and Resources Investment Advisors. The firm operates as an independent, fee-only practice providing retirement plan consulting, fiduciary services, and financial guidance to plan sponsors and business owners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Collaborative Financial Group is a fee-only retirement plan consulting firm that designs, implements, and manages employer-sponsored retirement plans — including 401(k) and SIMPLE IRA programs — for business owners and plan sponsors. The firm acts as a 3(38) fiduciary, providing independent investment selection, plan benchmarking, and ongoing plan oversight, with add-on services spanning insurance/risk management and business valuation.

Product overview

Collaborative Financial Group is a holistic retirement plan consultant practice for businesses of all sizes. The firm offers a unified set of financial advisory services centered on retirement planning, including 401(k) creation, implementation and ongoing management, SIMPLE IRA services, and plan benchmarking. Additional offerings include fiduciary services, insurance and risk management, business valuation, and referrals to independent service providers. The company operates as a fee-only financial practice leveraging technology-driven client interfaces and transparent investment strategies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• 401(k) Creation and Implementation Planning, implementation, and ongoing service for new 401(k) plans, targeted at business owners and plan sponsors seeking to establish an employer-sponsored retirement plan from scratch.
• 401(k) Management and Holistic Services Ongoing holistic management of existing 401(k) plans, including investment selection, monitoring, and plan oversight for businesses and plan sponsors with established retirement programs.
• SIMPLE IRA Services Setup and ongoing service for SIMPLE IRA plans, designed for small business owners seeking a streamlined, low-cost employer-sponsored retirement plan option.
• 401(k) Plan Benchmarking Complimentary benchmarking of an existing 401(k) plan against industry peers, including review of fees, investment options, and plan design; offered free of charge to plan sponsors with existing plans.
• Fiduciary Services (3(38)) Section 3(38) fiduciary responsibility for plan sponsors, including discretionary investment management and oversight, offloading fiduciary burden from the employer.
• Insurance and Risk Management Services Insurance and risk management advisory for business owners, including buy-sell agreements, key person insurance, deferred compensation, split-dollar life insurance, business overhead expense coverage, and disability income planning.
• Business Valuation Services Non-biased business valuation services provided to business owners, available as a complementary offering alongside retirement plan and insurance advisory work.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Accelerate Investment Advisors LLCcoreTechnology or IntegrationAccelerate Investment Advisors LLC is a federally registered investment adviser that offers investment advisory services under the DBA Collaborative Financial Group. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where Accelerate and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. Collaborative Financial Group operates as a separate entity from Accelerate.
• Fiduciary BenchmarkscoreTechnology or IntegrationFiduciary Benchmarks is utilized by Collaborative Financial Group to review the health of existing 401(k) plans. The benchmarking service reviews quality of current investment lineup, fee comparison, and participation grades. This service helps plan sponsors comply with Department of Labor regulations.
• Independent Service ProvidersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative Financial Group provides referrals to independent service providers including health insurance brokers, CPA resources, HR resources, payroll, business planning, and legal services. These partnerships enable a holistic approach to retirement planning and business services.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• CAPTRUST: One of the largest US retirement plan advisory firms, serving plan sponsors with fee-based 401(k) consulting, investment management, and fiduciary services — directly comparable business model to Collaborative Financial Group, scaled nationally.
• Alliance Benefit Group: Mid-market retirement plan consulting firm providing 3(21)/3(38) fiduciary services, plan design, and investment advisory to plan sponsors — directly comparable mid-sized peer to CFG's fee-only retirement plan consulting model.
• Futureplan by Ascensus: National retirement plan consulting and plan-design practice under Ascensus, serving plan sponsors with 3(21)/3(38) fiduciary services, plan benchmarking, and provider comparisons — a scaled version of the same business model CFG pursues in the Pacific Northwest.

Broad incumbents

• Empower Retirement: Major retirement plan recordkeeper and advisor serving millions of participants across thousands of employer plans. While CFG partners with recordkeepers rather than competing head-on, Empower is a broad incumbent shaping the same employer-sponsored plan market.
• Cetera Advisor Networks: Large independent broker-dealer and RIA support platform serving thousands of financial advisors with retirement plan services. Comparable to the RIA infrastructure CFG accesses through Resources/Accelerate, but at much greater scale.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the US, supporting thousands of advisors including those offering retirement plan consulting to plan sponsors. Comparable in the sense that CFG operates as an advisor operating under a larger RIA infrastructure (Accelerate/Resources), much like LPL advisors do.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large national RIA offering workplace retirement plan advisory alongside participant advice and individual wealth management. Overlaps with CFG on the employer-sponsored plan advisory side and dominates the broader retirement plan services space.
• OneDigital: Parent company of Resources Investment Advisors, OneDigital is a large US employee benefits and retirement plan advisory brokerage. It provides institutional scale, technology, and RIA infrastructure that Collaborative Financial Group leverages as a partner.
• Charles Schwab Advisor Services: Custodian and RIA support platform serving independent advisors offering retirement plan services. Comparable enabling infrastructure for fee-only advisors like CFG, with broad institutional positioning in the employer-sponsored plan market.

Emerging players

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Independent broker-dealer and RIA platform supporting advisors offering retirement plan consulting, wealth advisory, and holistic financial planning. Comparable as an advisor-support model in the fee-only retirement plan niche.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/collaborative-financial-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Collaborative Financial Group