Carington Financial

What Carington Financial does

Carington Financial is a privately held financial advisory firm founded in 2006 and headquartered in Westlake Village, California, with additional offices in St. Louis and Columbia, Missouri. The firm specializes in retirement planning, pension analysis, and wealth management for federal employees (FERS, CSRS), state and local government workers (CalPERS, LACERA, VCERA, CalSTRS, MOSERS), law enforcement officers, and plan sponsors of 401(k)/403(b) plans. Core offerings include retirement income strategies, asset management, annuities, life insurance, tax minimization, and 401(k)/403(b) plan services including ERISA 3(38) Investment Manager offerings, with a "Kingdom First" faith-based advisory vertical as a secondary segment.

Underlying technology is limited and services-oriented: the firm's principal technical asset is a proprietary Computerized Benefits Analysis tool that performs individual federal pension projections, and the firm publishes educational content via its Fiduciary Insights blog and Resource Center. Advisory services are delivered through a partnership with J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc. (JWCA), which provides the registered investment advisory platform, while insurance and annuity products are offered through wholly-owned subsidiary Carington Financial & Insurance Services (CFIS), a licensed insurance agency.

The business model combines fee-based advisory services (recurring AUM-style fees, IRA/401(k) rollovers, plan management) with insurance and annuity commissions through CFIS, plus channel revenue from the Dave Ramsey SmartVestor Pro directory and professional referral alliances for estate, tax, and probate services. GTM is sales-led and direct: complimentary Computerized Benefits Analysis, free 30-minute phone or Zoom consultations, workshops, and content marketing drive client acquisition. The firm operates with a small 1–10 person team anchored by Senior Investment Advisor Richard Bavetz (ChFC, CLU, FRC, Series 65, 35+ years experience, 20,000+ assessments) and Founder/CFO Monica Walker.

Name

Carington Financial

Legal name

Carington Corporation

Website

https://yourcaringadvisor.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Carington Financial is a private financial advisory firm founded in 2006 that provides retirement income strategies, pension analysis, asset management, and insurance products to federal, state, and local government employees, law enforcement officers, and plan sponsors across California and Missouri.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retirement and Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Insurance Agents, Brokers & Service (6411), Life Insurance (6311)

akta.pro primary industry

Retirement Plan Participant Advice & Managed Accounts (FSAEABAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Employer Retirement Plan Advisory (401(k)/Pension) (FSAEABAE), Annuity & Insurance-Based Retirement Solutions Advisory (FSAEABAH), Retirement Income Planning & Decumulation Advisory (FSAEABAD)

Keywords

• Retirement income planning
• Federal employee benefits
• Pension analysis services
• Wealth management advisory
• 401(k) plan services

Headquarters

HQ city

Westlake Village

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Advisory Services: Fee-based advisory services through investment advisory relationships, offering retirement income strategies, asset management, pension analysis, and wealth accumulation planning. Services include IRA & 401(k) rollovers, tax minimization strategies, and financial literacy counseling.
2. Insurance Products: Sale of annuity and life insurance products, with annuities offered through Carington Financial & Insurance Services (CFIS), a licensed insurance agency.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Carington Financial is a fiduciary financial advisory firm that provides retirement income strategies, pension analysis for federal/state/local government systems, asset management, wealth accumulation, annuities, life insurance, and tax minimization planning. The firm specializes in serving federal employees, law enforcement officers, and state and local government workers, with proprietary computerized benefits analysis software used to generate individualized retirement projections. Advisory services are offered through J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc. (JWCA) and insurance/annuity products through its licensed agency Carington Financial & Insurance Services (CFIS).

Product overview

Carington Financial is a financial services firm offering a comprehensive suite of advisory and planning services for individuals, families, and businesses. The core offering consists of retirement income strategies, pension analysis, asset management, wealth accumulation, annuities, life insurance, tax minimization strategies, and financial literacy counseling. The firm specializes in serving public employees (federal, state, and local government workers including law enforcement) with proprietary pension analysis software and benefits coordination services. Supporting services include 401(k)/403(b) plan management for employers with 3(38) investment manager capabilities, ROTH strategies, estate planning coordination, SmartVestor Pro (Dave Ramsey-affiliated), and a Second Opinion service. The firm also provides extensive educational resources through its Resource Center. The overall architecture is a service-centric model built around personalized financial planning rather than a technology product platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Retirement Income Strategies
• Pension Analysis (Public/Corporate)
• Asset Management
• Wealth Accumulation
• Annuities
• Life Insurance
• Tax Minimization Strategies
• IRA & 401(k) Rollovers
• Estate Planning
• 401(k)/403(b) Plan Services
• 3(38) Investment Manager Services
• ROTH 401(k) Strategy
• Federal Employee Benefits Services
• Law Enforcement Benefits Services
• Second Opinion Service
• Financial Literacy Program

Quantifiable outcome

• Complimentary Computerized Benefits Analysis provides detailed retirement projections

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc. (JWCA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdvisory services offered through J.W. Cole Advisors, Inc. (JWCA). Carington Financial and JWCA are unaffiliated entities. JWCA provides the RIA platform for registered investment advisory services.
• Carington Financial & Insurance Services (CFIS)coreTechnology or IntegrationInsurance and annuity products and services are offered through Carington Financial & Insurance Services (CFIS), a licensed insurance agency. CF and CFIS are dba's of Carington Corporation, a Missouri corporation.
• Dave Ramsey SmartVestor ProgramminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCarington Financial participates in Dave Ramsey's SmartVestor program, which provides a directory of vetted investment professionals aligned with Dave Ramsey's personal finance philosophy.
• Professional Service Providers (Trusts, Estate Planning, Tax, Probate)minorOthersStrategic alliances with professionals providing trusts, charitable giving, IRA Legacy Planning, estate planning, tax planning, and probate services. These are referral relationships to complement core financial advisory services.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Cetera Advisor Networks: Broker-dealer and RIA network supporting independent financial advisors with practice management, compliance, and product access. Relevant as a broader incumbent offering retirement advisory infrastructure to advisors.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Independent broker-dealer and RIA platform supporting thousands of advisors with retirement planning and advisory tools. Comparable platform-level peer to Carington's JWCA-based delivery model.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., supporting advisors offering retirement, wealth, and insurance solutions. Comparable as an incumbent providing the platform layer behind many small advisory practices.
• Fisher Investments: Large asset manager providing discretionary portfolio management and retirement-focused advisory to high-net-worth individuals. Comparable as an established incumbent offering retirement income and wealth management services.
• T. Rowe Price Retirement Plan Services: Incumbent retirement-plan recordkeeper and managed-account provider offering investment lineup, advisory, and participant education services. Comparable to Carington's 3(38) and plan sponsor offerings but at much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Edelman Financial Engines: National RIA combining personal financial planning, retirement income strategies, and employer plan participant advice. Comparable in offering holistic retirement-focused advisory to individuals and plan sponsors.
• Empower Retirement: Large-scale retirement plan services provider serving both plan sponsors and individual participants, with bundled advisory and managed-account solutions. Directly comparable to Carington's participant advice and 401(k)/403(b) plan services.

Others

• J.W. Cole Advisors: RIA platform that provides the registered investment advisory infrastructure for Carington's advisory services. Directly comparable as the platform enabler and a partnership-level peer.

Emerging players

• AE Wealth Management: Hybrid RIA platform providing advisor support, investment solutions, and practice management tools for retirement-focused practices. Comparable as a growth-stage platform supporting niche advisory firms.
• Vanguard Personal Advisor Services: Hybrid digital-and-advisor retirement advisory service combining low-cost investment management with human advice for retirement savers. Comparable as an emerging hybrid advisory competitor to Carington's traditional advisor-led model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/caringtonfinancial

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries1 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 Carington Financial