Mark Gray Financial

What Mark Gray Financial does

Mark Gray Financial is an independent, owner-operated financial advisory practice headquartered at 1808 James Redman Pkwy #203 in Plant City, Florida, serving individual retail clients across the Tampa Bay metropolitan area, including Tampa, Clearwater, and St. Petersburg. Founded approximately in the mid-2000s, the firm delivers comprehensive financial planning, investment advisory, retirement planning, education savings, estate planning, and insurance products (life, disability, long-term care) through a fee-based model anchored on assets-under-management advisory fees and fee-for-service financial planning engagements. The practice is led by principal Mark Gray, an MBA with over 30 years of corporate finance and management experience at Honeywell, Verizon, and IBM, and operates with a stated team of two; securities are offered through a registered broker-dealer (cfd Investments, Inc.) and advisory services through a registered investment adviser (Creative Financial Designs, Inc.).

The firm's go-to-market is relationship-led and sales-driven, featuring free, no-obligation initial consultations and house calls for client convenience, supplemented by periodic portfolio reviews and rebalancing to drive retention. Technology infrastructure is limited to industry-standard planning tools and the third-party Albridge System client portal, with no proprietary platform, mobile application, or AI/ML capabilities. Marketing relies on a content-led resource center (articles, calculators, videos on retirement, investment, and money topics), a newsletter signup, and a LinkedIn professional presence, with no disclosed paid acquisition or institutional client relationships.

Name

Mark Gray Financial

Legal name

Mark Gray Financial

Website

https://markgrayfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1865

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mark Gray Financial is an independent financial advisory practice in Plant City, Florida, serving individual investors in the Tampa Bay area with retirement, investment, insurance, and estate planning delivered through a fee-based, relationship-led model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Banking & UHNW Wealth Advisory (FSAEABAC)

Keywords

• Financial planning services
• Retirement planning advisory
• Investment management services
• Wealth protection strategies
• Insurance and annuities brokerage

Headquarters

HQ city

Plant City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisory and Investment Management Services: Provides comprehensive financial planning, investment advisory, and portfolio management services to individual clients. Revenue generated through advisory fees associated with assets under management or fee-for-service financial planning engagements. Securities and insurance products are offered through affiliated registered broker-dealer and investment adviser firms.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Mark Gray Financial is an independent financial advisory practice providing personalized financial planning, investment advisory, and portfolio management services to individual clients in the Tampa Bay area. The firm offers retirement planning, investment accounts (IRAs, brokerage), insurance products (life, disability, long-term care), and estate/education planning, delivered through one-on-one consultations including house calls. Securities are offered through affiliated registered broker-dealer and investment adviser firms.

Product overview

Mark Gray Financial offers a comprehensive suite of financial advisory services delivered as a unified financial planning offering. The core products encompass investment accounts (Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA, Simple IRA, Brokerage Accounts, Bonds, Government Securities, Variable Annuity), retirement planning services (401(k), 403(b), Retirement Plans, Money Purchasing Plans), insurance products (Life Insurance, Disability Income Insurance, Long-Term-Care Insurance), and education savings (College Plans). The firm also provides digital tools including financial calculators and educational videos. All services are coordinated through the advisor-client relationship to create comprehensive financial plans tailored to individual client goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning and Investment Advisory Services Comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services for individual clients in the Tampa Bay area, including objective advice on personal financial situations and ongoing portfolio management.
• Retirement Planning Services Planning services for retirement income needs, employer-sponsored plans (401(k), 403(b)), and small-business retirement plans (SEP IRA, Simple IRA, Money Purchase Plans).
• Individual Retirement Accounts (IRAs) Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, and Educational IRA (Coverdell ESA) account products for tax-advantaged retirement and education savings.
• Brokerage and Investment Accounts Taxable brokerage accounts for buying and selling securities including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, government securities, and variable annuities.
• Insurance Products Life insurance, disability income insurance, and long-term care insurance products for individuals and families.
• Estate Planning Services Planning services to manage financial matters during lifetime and distribute assets upon death according to client wishes.
• College Planning Services Planning services for education savings, including 529 plans and other vehicles to save for higher education expenses.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Creative Financial Designs, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationRegistered Investment Adviser firm providing the regulatory and advisory services infrastructure. Advisory services are provided through Creative Financial Designs, Inc.
• cfd Investments, Inc.coreTechnology or IntegrationRegistered Broker/Dealer, Member FINRA & SIPC. Securities products are offered through cfd Investments, Inc., located at 2704 South Goyer Road, Kokomo, IN 46902.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Fisher Investments: Independent RIA providing personalized investment management and financial planning primarily to individual investors and retirees. Comparable in business model (independent advisory practice focused on portfolio management for individuals) but operates at much larger scale.
• Charles Schwab Personal Advisor Services: Schwab's hybrid digital-plus-human advisory service targeting mass-affluent and pre-retiree clients with retirement and investment planning. Directly competes with independent advisors like Mark Gray Financial on the same customer segment, though at greater scale and with a digital-first delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Raymond James Financial: Florida-headquartered diversified financial services firm with a large independent advisor channel serving retail clients with investment and retirement planning. Comparable target market and product mix; offers advisor affiliation similar in spirit to Mark Gray's RIA/broker-dealer arrangement.
• Waddell & Reed Financial (now part of Macquarie): Traditional retail wealth management firm with an advisor-led model serving individuals with investment and retirement planning. Comparable retail wealth management service offering for individual clients.
• Edward Jones: National financial advisory firm with thousands of local branch advisors serving individual investors with retirement and investment planning. Highly comparable service model and target client (mass-affluent and pre-retiree), though operates a franchise structure rather than independent practice.
• Northwestern Mutual: Mutual financial services company delivering comprehensive financial planning that combines insurance (life, disability, long-term care) with investment and retirement advisory. Closely mirrors Mark Gray Financial's bundled planning/insurance/investment offering for individuals.
• Ameriprise Financial: Large diversified financial services firm with an advisor-based model serving individual clients with retirement planning, investment advisory, and insurance. Comparable to Mark Gray Financial in serving retail clients with a comprehensive planning approach, though at much greater scale.

Others

• Cetera Financial Group: Independent advisor network supporting independent financial advisors with broker-dealer and RIA infrastructure, similar to the platform relationship Mark Gray Financial relies on for compliance and securities execution.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Independent broker-dealer supporting independent financial advisors across the U.S. with practice management, technology, and compliance infrastructure comparable to what enables Mark Gray Financial's operating model.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., supporting thousands of independent financial advisors with RIA/broker-dealer infrastructure. Provides the type of back-office platform (analogous to Creative Financial Designs and cfd Investments) that enables practices like Mark Gray Financial to operate.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mark-gray-financial

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 Mark Gray Financial