Whiteford Wealth Management

What Whiteford Wealth Management does

Whiteford Wealth Management, Inc. is a privately held, founder-owned financial advisory practice headquartered in South Haven, Michigan, with a secondary office in Frankfurt, Illinois. The firm was established by Kevin S. Whiteford in November 1997 initially as a public accounting practice serving small businesses and individual taxpayers, and expanded into investment advisory and financial planning in 1999 after the founder obtained his Series 7 and Series 66 licenses. The firm offers an integrated suite of services under two core practice areas — Business Planning (qualified retirement plans, executive benefits, key person insurance, group life) and Personal Planning (investment management, traditional and Roth IRAs, term and permanent life insurance products, estate conservation, and college funding via UGMA/UTMA accounts). Securities are offered through registered representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., and fixed insurance is offered through Kevin S. Whiteford directly.

The firm's revenue model combines transaction-based commissions on securities and insurance products, recurring advisory fees on managed investment accounts, and professional services revenue from the related Whiteford Tax & Financial Services, Ltd. entity. The go-to-market motion is relationship-based and consultative, targeting small business owners and individuals in Michigan and Illinois, with all client engagement delivered through licensed registered representatives via phone, email, and in-person consultations. The technology stack is entirely non-proprietary, relying on standard brokerage, advisory, and CRM tools provided through the Cambridge relationship; there is no disclosed proprietary platform, mobile app, API, or AI/ML capability.

The firm is small, family-tied, and tightly held: Kevin S. Whiteford (CPA, M.S.T.) serves as President, Founder, and Owner; Mary P. Whiteford (co-founder) handles marketing and event coordination; Scott A. Whiteford, Thomas P. Sharwarko, and Ken Whiteford serve as Registered Representatives and Investment Associate. Operating geographies are limited to the Midwest (Michigan and Illinois), constrained further by the registration requirements of individual financial professionals. The firm is FINRA- and SIPC-compliant through Cambridge, has no external funding, no parent company, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed M&A, restructuring, or leadership transition events beyond the gradual addition of the founder's son into the practice.

Name

Whiteford Wealth Management

Legal name

Whiteford Wealth Management, Inc.

Website

https://whitefordwealth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Whiteford Wealth Management is a private, founder-owned financial advisory and tax practice based in South Haven, Michigan with a secondary office in Frankfurt, Illinois, serving small business owners and individuals in Michigan and Illinois with integrated tax, investment, retirement, and life insurance planning through Cambridge Investment Research.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (52394)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Business Owner & Executive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Wealth Planning (Tax, Estate & Succession) (FSAAABAE), Financial Planning & Goals-Based Advice (Mass Affluent) (FSAAAAAF)

Keywords

• Financial planning
• Wealth management
• Retirement planning
• Life insurance
• Tax advisory

Headquarters

HQ city

South Haven

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

Revenue model

1. Securities Commissions: Commissions earned on securities transactions including stocks, bonds, mutual funds, and annuities sold through Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.
2. Advisory Fees: Investment advisory services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a registered investment advisor.
3. Insurance Commissions: Fixed insurance products including life insurance and annuities offered through Kevin S. Whiteford.
4. Public Accounting/Tax Services: Tax preparation and accounting services through Whiteford Tax & Financial Services, Ltd., established November 1997.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Whiteford Wealth Management, Inc. provides integrated financial advisory services for individuals and small business owners, with two principal service lines: Business Planning and Personal Planning. Personal Planning covers retirement planning, life insurance, estate planning, and personal wealth strategies, while Business Planning addresses small business owner financial needs. Tax services are delivered through the affiliated Whiteford Tax & Financial Services, and securities products are offered through Cambridge Investment Research.

Product overview

Whiteford Wealth Management is a financial advisory firm offering a unified suite of financial planning services through two integrated practice areas: Business Planning and Personal Planning. Business Planning encompasses qualified retirement plans (SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, 401(k), 403(b)), executive benefits, and business insurance products. Personal Planning covers investment management, IRA products (Traditional, Roth, rollovers), life insurance (Term, Whole, Universal, Variable, Variable Universal), estate conservation, and college funding via UGMA/UTMA accounts. The firm is built around President Kevin S. Whiteford, who provides comprehensive financial guidance across all service areas, while the team handles specialized functions in investments, operations, and marketing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments2 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.

• Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecurities offered through Registered Representatives of Cambridge Investment Research, Inc., a Broker/Dealer, member FINRA/SIPC. Advisory Services offered through Cambridge Investment Research Advisors, Inc., a Registered Investment Advisor. The partnership enables the firm to offer regulated securities and advisory services under proper licensing.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Ameriprise Financial: Diversified financial services company with a national franchise of independent advisors offering retirement planning, investments, and insurance to individuals and small business owners — overlapping substantially with Whiteford's product mix.
• Waddell & Reed Financial Advisors: Mid-sized financial advisory firm offering investment, retirement, and insurance planning through a network of financial advisors — directly comparable in target market and product set to Whiteford.
• LPL Financial: Largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., supporting independent RIAs and financial advisors with a similar affiliation model to Whiteford's Cambridge arrangement; comparable product breadth and small-business client focus.
• Robert W. Baird: Employee-owned financial services firm with regional branches offering wealth management, retirement, and estate planning — overlapping with Whiteford's Midwest small-business-owner focus.
• Edward Jones: Large national financial advisory franchise with thousands of branch offices in small and mid-sized U.S. communities — directly comparable local-office wealth management model targeting individual savers and small business owners.
• Raymond James Financial: Major diversified financial services firm with a large independent advisor channel providing investment, retirement, and tax planning services to individuals and small business clients — similar in scope and target customer.
• Cambridge Investment Research: The large national broker-dealer and RIA that Whiteford partners with for securities and advisory services. Cambridge supports thousands of independent advisors under a similar affiliation model, making it the closest structural peer and channel partner.
• Cetera Advisor Networks: Independent broker-dealer and RIA support platform providing compliance, technology, and product access to mid-sized advisory practices serving individuals and small business owners — analogous to Whiteford's Cambridge relationship at scale.

Emerging players

• Hightower Advisors: Fast-growing RIA platform that recruits breakaway advisors and small wealth management firms; relevant peer showing the consolidation pathway available to founder-led RIAs like Whiteford seeking scale and succession solutions.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National RIA platform providing integrated wealth advisory, tax, and estate services to high-net-worth individuals and business owners — illustrates the roll-up strategy relevant to a founder-led tax+advisory firm like Whiteford.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/pub/kevin-s-whiteford-cpa-mst/29/a68/88a

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 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 Whiteford Wealth Management