Lifetime Financial Planning

What Lifetime Financial Planning does

Lifetime Financial Planning, Inc. is a privately held, fee-only registered investment advisory firm founded in 2001 by Dean Knepper, CPA, CFP®, and headquartered in Leesburg, Virginia. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning, investment advice, tax planning and return preparation, retirement and college savings planning, insurance needs analysis, and 401(k)/retirement plan advice to individuals, families, employees, and business owners across Northern Virginia, Frederick and Montgomery Counties in Maryland, and the Washington DC metro area.

The firm's service delivery is built around a single unified offering: hourly fee-only consultations and financial plans with specific recommendations. There are no proprietary software platforms, mobile apps, or APIs; all advisory work is produced manually by the principal, with no underlying technology stack beyond standard office productivity tools. The product surface spans eight documented service lines — financial planning, investment advice, tax planning/return prep, college savings, retirement planning, insurance analysis, retirement plan advice, and cash management/debt reduction — but all are delivered under the same hourly engagement model.

Commercially, the firm operates a pure pay-as-you-go hourly fee model with no commissions, sales quotas, incentive contests, or proprietary product sales, eliminating third-party revenue conflicts. Pricing is not publicly disclosed; customer acquisition relies on the firm website, a Virginia Society of CPAs advice column, national media quotes attributed to Dean Knepper, and NAPFA referral traffic. The firm is founder-owned and operated, with no external institutional capital, no subsidiaries, and a corporate structure that transitioned from LLC (2001-2003) to Inc. (2004-present).

Name

Lifetime Financial Planning

Legal name

Lifetime Financial Planning, Inc.

Website

https://lifetimefp.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Lifetime Financial Planning is a Leesburg, Virginia-based fee-only registered investment advisory firm providing hourly financial planning, investment advice, and tax preparation services to individuals, families, and business owners across Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Washington DC.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Personal Financial Planning & Investment Advisory

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Retirement & Pension Planning (401(k)/IRA) (FSAEAAAD)

Keywords

• Fee-only financial planning
• Investment advisory services
• Tax planning services
• Retirement planning advice
• Personal financial advisor

Headquarters

HQ city

Leesburg

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Hourly Fee-Only Financial Planning: The firm is compensated solely on an hourly fee basis. Clients pay only for the time required for a financial adviser to evaluate their financial situation and provide specific recommendations. There are no commissions, sales quotas, or incentive contests.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Lifetime Financial Planning is a fee-only registered investment advisory firm that delivers hourly financial planning, investment advice, CPA tax planning and return preparation, retirement and college savings planning, insurance needs analysis, and 401(k)/retirement plan advice to individuals, families, business owners, and employees in Northern Virginia, Maryland, and Metro DC. All services are sold on an as-needed hourly basis with no income, net worth, or investment minimums, and the firm does not sell proprietary investment or insurance products or accept commissions.

Product overview

Lifetime Financial Planning offers a single unified service model of hourly fee-only financial planning and advice. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning, investment advice, tax planning and return preparation (via CPA services), college savings planning, retirement planning, insurance needs analysis, and cash management advice. All services are delivered on an as-needed hourly fee basis with no minimum income, net worth, or investment requirements, distinguishing it from fee-based planners who also earn commissions on products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA)coreOthersLifetime Financial Planning is a member of NAPFA, an organization dedicated to providing consumers with comprehensive and objective financial advice on a fee-only basis. NAPFA members do not accept commissions or compensation of any kind based on the products they recommend.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• XY Planning Network: A network of fee-only financial planners serving Gen X and Gen Y clients with no asset minimums, similar to Lifetime's no-minimum positioning. Member firms operate independently but share NAPFA-aligned fee-only principles and use of CFP® professionals.
• Facet Wealth: A digital-native fee-only financial planning firm serving mass-affluent and HNW clients nationwide. Like Lifetime, it sells advice (not products) on a transparent fee basis, but delivers it through a remote advisor model rather than hourly local consultations.
• Savant Wealth Management: A fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services to individuals and families. Comparable to Lifetime in its fiduciary, fee-only model and integrated planning + tax capability, though at materially larger scale.

Emerging players

• Betterment: A leading robo-advisor offering automated financial planning and goal-based portfolios for mass-affluent investors. Relevant because it competes for the same broad-access, low-minimum segment that Lifetime targets, but delivers planning digitally rather than via hourly consultations.

Broad incumbents

• Fisher Investments: A large RIA providing discretionary investment management and financial planning to high-net-worth individuals. While its fee model and target segment are partially different, it represents the kind of scaled fee-based advisory competitor Lifetime's clients may be courted by.
• Charles Schwab Intelligent Portfolios / Schwab Wealth Advisory: Schwab's low-cost automated and advisor-assisted portfolio services. Comparable to Lifetime for mass-affluent clients seeking planning-influenced investment advice, but with far greater scale, technology, and product breadth.
• Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest independent fee-only RIAs in the US, providing financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals and through employer-sponsored programs. Comparable planning-centric, fee-compensated model, but operates at national scale with corporate RIA channels.
• Personal Capital (Empower Personal Dashboard): A hybrid digital + human advisory platform offering financial planning tools and investment management on a fee basis. Comparable to Lifetime in delivering comprehensive planning advice, though it layers in AUM-based wealth management and a tech-enabled dashboard.
• Vanguard Personal Advisor Services: Vanguard's hybrid robo-plus-human advisory service combining automated portfolio management with CFP® advice on a transparent fee schedule. Competes for the same planning-driven clients Lifetime serves, but at lower cost and with broader investment product access.

Others

• National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA): The professional association of which Lifetime is a member. Relevant not as a competitor but as an ecosystem peer: NAPFA's member directory is a primary referral channel for fee-only advisors, and its fee-only, no-commission standards directly shape Lifetime's positioning.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

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 Lifetime Financial Planning