Prism Planning Partners

What Prism Planning Partners does

Prism Planning Partners is a fee-only fiduciary financial planning firm headquartered at 321 S. Milwaukee Ave, Libertyville, Illinois, operating as an SEC-registered investment advisor (Prism Planning Partners, LLC) since its founding in 2018. The firm delivers comprehensive financial planning services to entrepreneurs, ambitious professionals, busy families, and through its dedicated sub-brand Prism Physician Planning, to physicians and healthcare professionals (including MDs, DOs, PAs, NPs, CRNAs, PharmDs, ODs, and DDSs) at every career stage. Core service lines include investment management, protection planning, cash flow planning, employee benefits review, tax planning, wealth management strategies, retirement readiness planning, legacy planning, and retirement income planning, with specialized physician-focused offerings covering student loan strategy and PSLF, disability and life insurance analysis, and practice ownership advisory.

The firm operates as a service-based advisory practice with no proprietary technology stack, relying instead on third-party wealth management and client portal platforms including eMoney, Envestnet, and Fidelity, and on an advisory platform relationship with Focus Partners Advisor Solutions (formerly Buckingham Strategic Partners) and Focus Partners Wealth (formerly The Colony Group) for investment philosophy infrastructure. Distribution is consultation-led: free initial consultations are offered by phone, video, or website form, followed by a second meeting to begin personalized planning, with services delivered in-person at the Libertyville office or virtually across all 50 states. The firm is co-founded by Nicole Sullivan (Director of Financial Planning) and Brandon Clouse (Director of Physician Services, Senior Financial Planner, CFP®), supported by a small team of CFP®-designated professionals, and has been featured in major financial publications including Financial Planning, USA Today, Bloomberg, Investment News, Morningstar, MarketWatch, AARP, CNBC, U.S. News, and Wealth Management.

Revenue is generated exclusively through transparent, fee-only advisory relationships with no commissions from product sales, and pricing is reported as based on client complexity and services required, though specific tiers are not publicly disclosed. The marketing engine is content-driven: regular blog posts, an email newsletter, a resource library including physician-specific toolkits, webinars on student loans, policy changes, cybersecurity, Medicare, and tax planning, and earned media appearances in mainstream financial outlets. Institutional reach into the physician segment is built through speaking engagements at medical schools and residency programs including Northwestern, Rush, Loyola, UIC, University of Chicago, Barnes-Jewish, University of Colorado, and Medical College of Wisconsin.

Name

Prism Planning Partners

Legal name

Prism Planning Partners, LLC

Website

https://prismplanningpartners.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Prism Planning Partners is a fee-only fiduciary financial planning firm serving entrepreneurs, professionals, families, and physicians via its Prism Physician Planning sub-brand, offering investment, tax, retirement, and protection planning through CFP®-led consultations delivered in person in Libertyville, IL and virtually across all 50 states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Planning Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Investment Advice (6282), Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA), Retirement Benefits & Social Security/Medicare Planning (FSAEABAI)

Keywords

• Fee-only financial planning
• Fiduciary advisory services
• Retirement planning
• Physician financial planning
• Tax and wealth planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Libertyville

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

Revenue model

1. Fee-Only Financial Planning Services: Prism Planning Partners operates exclusively on a fee-only basis, meaning they are compensated solely by their clients and do not earn commissions from selling financial products. Their fees are transparent and based on the complexity of the client's financial situation and the services required.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Prism Planning Partners is a fee-only fiduciary financial planning firm that delivers comprehensive ongoing financial planning services to individuals, families, entrepreneurs, and healthcare professionals. Services include investment management, protection planning, cash flow planning, employee benefits review, tax planning, wealth management strategies, retirement readiness planning, legacy planning, and retirement income planning, with a specialized physician-focused division (Prism Physician Planning) addressing student loans, PSLF, disability insurance, and practice ownership. All engagements are paid exclusively by client fees, with no commissions or product sales.

Product overview

Prism Planning Partners is a fiduciary, fee-only financial planning firm offering comprehensive financial planning services through a team of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals. The core offering includes investment management, protection planning, cash flow planning, employee benefits review, tax planning, wealth management strategies, retirement readiness planning, legacy planning, and retirement income planning. The firm operates Prism Physician Planning as a specialized sub-brand division focused exclusively on physicians and healthcare professionals (MD, DO, PAs, NPs, CRNAs, PharmDs, ODs, DDSs), providing specialized services including student loan strategy and PSLF, disability and life insurance analysis, and practice ownership advisory. All services are delivered on a fee-only basis without commissions or product sales.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Prism Physician Planning: A division of Prism Planning Partners focused solely on helping physicians and healthcare providers with specialized financial planning services including student loan strategy, PSLF, investment planning, disability insurance, tax strategies, and estate planning.

Products and services

• Prism Physician Planning A specialized sub-brand division of Prism Planning Partners providing comprehensive fee-only financial planning services exclusively to physicians and healthcare professionals (MDs, DOs, PAs, NPs, CRNAs, PharmDs, ODs, DDSs) at every career stage from residency through retirement. Coverage spans student loan strategy and PSLF, contract review, investment planning, retirement savings, disability and life insurance analysis, tax strategies and Roth optimization, budgeting and cash flow, asset and income protection, home buying and practice ownership, and estate planning.
• Investment Management Professional investment management services helping clients accumulate wealth and manage their investment portfolios through the firm's fiduciary advisory relationship.
• Protection Planning Planning services focused on protecting clients' assets and income through appropriate insurance strategies.
• Cash Flow Planning Budgeting and cash flow management services to help clients understand income and expenses for better financial decision-making.
• Employee Benefits Review Analysis and optimization of employer-provided benefits including retirement plans, insurance, and other workplace compensation packages.
• Tax Planning Strategic tax planning to help minimize tax burdens and maximize tax-efficient saving and investment strategies.
• Wealth Management Strategies Comprehensive wealth management approaches tailored to client goals including growth, preservation, and transfer strategies.
• Retirement Readiness Planning Planning services to ensure clients are prepared for retirement including savings strategies, Social Security optimization, and withdrawal planning.
• Legacy Planning Estate and inheritance planning services to help clients leave meaningful legacies to heirs, charities, or causes they care about.
• Retirement Income Planning Strategies for generating sustainable retirement income covering essential, variable, and discretionary expenses through guaranteed income sources and systematic withdrawals.
• Student Loan Strategy & PSLF Advisory Specialized guidance for physicians on student loan repayment including Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) optimization and career transition planning.
• Disability & Life Insurance Analysis Analysis of insurance needs without product sales, helping physicians understand appropriate disability and life insurance coverage levels for their circumstances.
• Practice Ownership Advisory Guidance for physicians on home buying, practice ownership, and succession planning for those preparing to sell or transition their practices.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• eMoneycoreTechnology or IntegrationeMoney is a wealth management platform used by Prism Planning Partners for client portfolio management and financial planning tools. Clients can access the platform through the firm's website for account management.
• EnvestnetcoreTechnology or IntegrationEnvestnet is a financial services technology platform providing client portfolio management capabilities. Prism Planning Partners directs clients to Envestnet's platform for account access.
• Focus Partners Advisor Solutions, LLCcoreOthersSEC registered investment adviser through which Prism Planning Partners offers services. Prior to January 2025, named Buckingham Strategic Partners, LLC. Provides investment philosophy, strategies, and market opinions content.
• Focus Partners Wealth, LLCcoreOthersSEC registered investment adviser through which Prism Planning Partners offers services. Prior to January 2025, named The Colony Group, LLC. Provides investment philosophy, strategies, and market opinions content.
• Computer Concepts USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest speaker Lori Tisinai of Computer Concepts USA partnered with Prism Planning Partners to host an educational cybersecurity webinar in February 2026, sharing practical guidance on online security best practices.
• Midwest Medicare AdvisorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGuest speaker Nathan Rubenstein of Midwest Medicare Advisors partnered with Prism Planning Partners to host an educational webinar on Medicare, covering plan options, enrollment timelines, and income impacts on Medicare costs.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carson Group: Fee-only RIA platform that supports affiliated advisors with investment research, technology, and back-office services. Closely parallels Prism's model of pairing bespoke planning with a larger platform partner (Focus Partners).
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large national fee-only RIA providing comprehensive planning, investment management, and tax services to high-net-worth individuals and families. Direct overlap with Prism's planning-led, fee-only proposition.
• Creative Planning: Large, multi-advisor fee-only RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services to individuals and business owners. Comparable to Prism in fiduciary/fee-only model and planning-led service stack, though at substantially greater scale.
• Facet Wealth: Tech-enabled fee-only financial planning firm delivering CFP®-led advice on a subscription/flat-fee basis to professionals and households nationwide. Direct overlap with Prism's virtual, fee-only, subscription-aligned delivery model.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., combining employer-plan advisory with individual wealth management. Overlaps Prism on the planning and investment-management stack but operates at vastly greater scale and with a workplace distribution channel.
• Fisher Investments: Large, well-known RIA primarily focused on discretionary portfolio management for high-net-worth individuals. Comparable on the investment-advisory axis, though more portfolio-led and less planning-led than Prism.
• Schwab Wealth Advisory: Charles Schwab's advisory umbrella, including Schwab Intelligent Portfolios and Schwab Wealth Advisory. Provides planning-led and digital advice to retail and high-net-worth clients nationwide — the broad incumbent Prism competes against for the same demographic.

Emerging players

• Wealthfront: Automated investment and financial planning platform targeting tech-savvy professionals and early-career high earners. Adjacent competitor for the 'ambitious professionals' segment Prism targets.
• Betterment: Leading digital wealth manager offering automated investment management and goal-based planning. Represents the lower-cost, technology-led end of the fee-only advice market that competes with Prism for younger ambitious professionals.

Others

• Focus Partners: RIA platform (formed via the merger of Buckingham Strategic Partners and The Colony Group) through which Prism delivers its services and accesses investment research and back-office infrastructure. Best classified as an enabling/partner platform rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/prismplanningpartners
• Xx.com/PrismPlan

Compliance3 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 Prism Planning Partners