What Aria Wealth Partners does

Aria Wealth Partners, LLC is an independent, SEC-registered investment adviser headquartered at 505 Faulconer Drive, Suite 2A in Charlottesville, Virginia. The firm was co-founded in 2025 by Paula Gunter and Caitlin Borland, both Managing Partners, and operates alongside an Office and Client Administrator. It serves high-net-worth individuals, multi-generational families, professionals navigating life transitions, and young families in the Charlottesville market, delivering services through a fee-only, fiduciary model with no commission-based product recommendations.

The firm's core offerings are organized into four pillars: Investment Management (open-architecture portfolio construction, asset allocation, rebalancing, tax-efficient strategies, and market forecasting on an advisor-led platform), Financial Planning (tax, retirement, education, estate/legacy, gifting, debt, and insurance planning), Corporate and Business Solutions (employer-sponsored retirement plans and business risk review), and Financial Education and Behavioral Consulting (events and monthly market updates). The underlying technology stack is an open-architecture investment platform providing access to no-load mutual funds, loaded mutual funds at NAV, institutional money managers, stocks, bonds, UITs, and ETFs, with Charles Schwab serving as custodian and providing the client portal infrastructure.

Aria Wealth Partners generates revenue through asset-based advisory fees billed annually, with no disclosed fee schedule. Go-to-market is relationship-led: community involvement (Women United in Philanthropy, Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Virginia, Central Virginia Estate Planning Council, Virginia Discovery Museum, Ivy Elementary PTO), client referrals, and educational content/events drive top-of-funnel activity. The firm emphasizes its independence and fiduciary standard — including full fee transparency and alignment of advisor and client interests — as its primary commercial differentiation.

Name

Aria Wealth Partners

Legal name

Aria Wealth Partners, LLC

Website

https://ariawealthpartners.com/

Company type

Private

Founded year

2025

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Aria Wealth Partners is an independent, SEC-registered fiduciary RIA in Charlottesville, VA, co-founded by Paula Gunter and Caitlin Borland. It provides fee-based investment management, financial planning, corporate retirement plan services, and behavioral financial consulting to high-net-worth individuals, multi-generational families, and professionals in life transitions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management and Investment Advisory Services

NAICS

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

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) Wealth Management (FSAEABAA)

Keywords

• Investment advisory services
• Financial planning
• Wealth management
• Fiduciary advisory
• Retirement planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlottesville

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, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Asset-Based Advisory Fees: Fee-based model where investment advisors charge a fee based on assets managed. Fees are clearly stated in writing with no commissions on product recommendations. This aligns advisor interests with client interests as there is no incentive to recommend one product over another for higher commission.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aria Wealth Partners is an independent, SEC-registered investment advisory firm (LLC) providing fee-based wealth management, investment management, financial planning, corporate and business solutions, and financial education to individuals, families, and businesses. The firm delivers portfolio construction and monitoring on an open architecture investment platform, alongside holistic financial planning covering tax, retirement, estate, and insurance strategies, with Charles Schwab serving as custodian for client assets.

Product overview

Aria Wealth Partners offers a unified suite of financial advisory services as a single integrated practice. The core offerings include Investment Management (portfolio construction, monitoring, and open architecture investing), Financial Planning (tax, retirement, estate, education, and insurance planning), Corporate and Business Solutions (employer-sponsored retirement plans, risk review), and Financial Education and Behavioral Consulting. These services are delivered through a coordinated, holistic approach where the firm serves as the primary financial life management guide, integrating with clients' existing professional teams including CPAs, attorneys, and other advisors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Management Comprehensive investment management service for individuals and families, including portfolio construction and monitoring, asset allocation and risk assessment, strategic and tactical guidance, tax-efficient strategies, rebalancing, market and economic trend forecasting, and cash management on an open architecture investment platform spanning no-load mutual funds, loaded mutual funds at NAV, institutional money managers, stocks, bonds, UITs, and ETFs.
• Financial Planning Holistic financial planning service for individuals and families covering tax planning, asset location, retirement planning (pre/post strategies, strategic distributions, conversions), cash flow analysis, education planning, estate and legacy strategies, gifting strategies (donor advised funds, philanthropic giving, personal gifting), debt management, and insurance strategies.
• Corporate and Business Solutions Services for employers and business owners including administration of employer-sponsored retirement plans, cash management, and risk review for businesses.
• Financial Education and Behavioral Consulting Educational service for clients including educational events, monthly market updates, and behavioral guidance to promote positive financial habits and informed decision-making.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Charles SchwabcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharles Schwab serves as the custodian for client assets. This strategic alliance allows Aria Wealth Partners to leverage the strength and resources of one of the largest and most reliable names in the wealth management industry while maintaining their independent structure to provide fully customized financial solutions.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Broad incumbents

• Creative Planning: Creative Planning is a large, independent, fee-only RIA serving HNW individuals and families with comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services. It is comparable to Aria Wealth Partners because both operate as fiduciary, fee-based practices offering holistic planning and open-architecture investing, but Creative Planning is significantly larger and operates nationally.
• Carson Group: Carson Group is a large wealth management firm and RIA support platform serving advisors and their clients with financial planning, investment management, and business consulting. It is comparable to Aria Wealth Partners because both deliver holistic financial planning to HNW clients through fee-based fiduciary advisors using open-architecture platforms, though Carson is much larger and operates through an advisor network.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Edelman Financial Engines is one of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering fee-only financial planning, investment management, and workplace retirement advice. It is comparable to Aria Wealth Partners because both are independent, fee-based RIA models focused on comprehensive planning rather than commission product sales, though Edelman Financial Engines serves a much broader client base nationally.
• Truist Wealth: Truist Wealth is the wealth management division of Truist Financial, providing investment management, financial planning, and private banking services to HNW clients. It is comparable to Aria Wealth Partners because both target HNW households with comprehensive planning and investment management, but Truist Wealth operates as part of a large bank-affiliated broker-dealer rather than as an independent fiduciary RIA; co-founder Caitlin Borland previously served there as VP and Wealth Advisor.
• Wealth Enhancement Group: Wealth Enhancement Group is an independent wealth management firm providing financial planning, investment management, and tax services, formed largely through advisor acquisitions. It is comparable to Aria Wealth Partners because both are independent, fee-based RIAs serving HNW clients with holistic planning; Wealth Enhancement represents the scaled, roll-up version of the model Aria is operating at the local level.
• J.P. Morgan Private Bank: J.P. Morgan Private Bank is a global wealth manager serving ultra-HNW individuals, families, and institutions with investment management, lending, and planning services. It is comparable to Aria Wealth Partners because both serve HNW and multi-generational family clients with comprehensive wealth planning, but J.P. Morgan operates at dramatically greater scale and is one of the firms where co-founder Caitlin Borland previously worked.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Mariner Wealth Advisors is a national, fee-only RIA providing investment management, financial planning, tax, and estate services to HNW individuals and families. It is comparable to Aria Wealth Partners because both emphasize fiduciary, fee-based advice and integrated wealth planning for multi-generational HNW households, but Mariner operates at significantly greater scale.

Emerging players

• Facet Wealth: Facet Wealth is a digital-first RIA offering flat-fee financial planning and investment management to HNW clients nationwide. It is comparable to Aria Wealth Partners because both target HNW households with comprehensive planning delivered by fiduciary advisors, but Facet competes on a tech-enabled, remote-service model rather than Aria's local, relationship-led approach.
• Sanctuary Wealth: Sanctuary Wealth is a platform that partners with elite independent advisors transitioning from wirehouses to deliver HNW wealth management under a fiduciary model. It is comparable to Aria Wealth Partners because both are independent, fee-based RIA models focused on HNW households; Sanctuary represents an alternative operating structure (multi-advisor partnership) that competes for the same advisor and client segments.
• Schwab Wealth Advisory: Schwab Wealth Advisory is the managed-portfolio and advisory offering from Charles Schwab, combining digital planning with access to dedicated advisors. It is comparable to Aria Wealth Partners because both use the Schwab custodial platform to deliver fee-based advisory services to retail HNW clients, and Schwab Wealth Advisory represents the in-house, scaled competitor that operates on the very custodian relationship Aria leverages.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aria-wealth-partners-llc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Aria Wealth Partners