What First Wealth Financial Group does

First Wealth Financial Group is an independent, privately-held wealth management firm headquartered in Clinton, Iowa, founded in October 1987 by Breton Williams. The firm delivers personalized financial planning, investment management, and retirement planning services to individuals and families, with a stated operational reach spanning 27 states but a customer base concentrated in the Midwest (primarily Iowa and Illinois). As of the most recent team disclosures, the firm operates through approximately 13 team members — licensed advisors, client service representatives, and support staff — across four physical offices in Clinton, Davenport, and Marshalltown, Iowa, and Morrison, Illinois. The firm services 2,858 brokerage and advisory accounts and reports 143 years of combined advisor experience.

First Wealth's core product set comprises Wealth Advisory Services, Investment Management, and Financial Planning, with Retirement Planning positioned as a specialized offering. The firm does not operate any proprietary technology platform; all brokerage, custodial, and advisory infrastructure is provided by third parties — securities are offered through LPL Financial (Member FINRA/SIPC) and investment advice is delivered through Stratos Wealth Partners, a registered investment advisor. The firm supplements its advisory offering with a Download Library of educational PDFs, a Market Watch market commentary feed, client onboarding forms, and a periodic email newsletter. Differentiators emphasized by the firm include its focus on "financial efficiency" rather than reactive planning, proactive monitoring of markets, tax law, and interest rates, and individualized financial engineering.

The business model is sales-led: licensed advisors deliver face-to-face consultations across the four offices. Revenue is generated through commissions and fees on securities transactions routed through LPL Financial and advisory fees collected via Stratos Wealth Partners, consistent with a subscription/recurring structure typical of independent RIA practices. Pricing is freemium on the front end — a free, no-obligation initial financial plan is offered as a value demonstration — while ongoing fees are not publicly disclosed. The firm was previously affiliated with New York Life from 1987 to 2014 before becoming independent; current ownership is led by President Andrew Meyers, who acquired ownership in the business. Customer segments are individual investors and families, with a particular emphasis on pre-retirees and retirees. No external institutional investors or private equity backing is evident.

Name

First Wealth Financial Group

Legal name

First Wealth Financial Group

Website

https://firstwealthfinancialgroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1987

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

First Wealth Financial Group is an independent, privately-held wealth management firm headquartered in Clinton, Iowa, providing financial planning, investment management, and retirement planning services to individuals and families across 27 states through four offices in Iowa and Illinois.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Financial Planning & Goals-Based Advice (Mass Affluent) (FSAAAAAF)

akta.pro secondary industries

Financial Planning–Led RIAs (FSAAACAB), Retirement & Pension Wealth (401(k)/IRA/SIPP/Superannuation Retail) (FSAAAAAJ)

Keywords

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

Headquarters

HQ city

Clinton

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Securities and Investment Advisory Services: Revenue generated through LPL Financial (member FINRA/SIPC) for securities transactions and through Stratos Wealth Partners for investment advisory services. Firm operates as an independent wealth management practice serving individual clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

First Wealth Financial Group is an independent wealth management practice delivering personalized investment management, financial planning, and retirement income strategies to individuals and families. Services are provided through licensed wealth advisors at four office locations across Iowa and Illinois, with securities offered through LPL Financial (member FINRA/SIPC) and investment advice offered through Stratos Wealth Partners. The firm offers a free initial financial planning engagement to demonstrate value before clients commit to ongoing advisory services.

Product overview

First Wealth Financial Group offers a unified wealth advisory service centered around personalized financial guidance delivered by licensed advisors. The core offering consists of Wealth Advisory Services encompassing Investment Management and Financial Planning, with Retirement Planning as a key specialized module. The company supplements its advisory services with a Download Library of educational resources and a Market Watch financial news service. Client support is facilitated through downloadable forms and client events. Securities are offered through LPL Financial, and investment advice is provided through Stratos Wealth Partners, both separate entities.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Wealth Advisory Services
• Investment Management
• Financial Planning
• Retirement Planning

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

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and former.

• LPL FinancialcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 1 January 2014Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. LPL Financial Registered Representatives associated with this site may discuss and/or transact securities business with residents of specified states. Provides brokerage infrastructure and compliance framework for the firm's securities business.
• Stratos Wealth PartnerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 January 2014Investment advice offered through Stratos Wealth Partners, a registered investment advisor. Separate entity from LPL Financial. Advisors hold Series 66 licenses with both LPL Financial and Stratos Wealth Partners. Firm operates as part of the Stratos Wealth Partners network.
• New York LifeformerStrategic or Co-development PartnerHistorical affiliation from 1987-2014. First Wealth began in 1987 as a New York Life advisor representing them in Clinton, Iowa. Firm became independent in 2014 to open unlimited options for clients.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Independent broker-dealer and RIA network supporting independent financial advisors with planning practices; directly comparable to First Wealth's independent-affiliated model through LPL Financial and Stratos Wealth Partners.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Independent broker-dealer and RIA serving independent financial advisors with planning-led practices; comparable independent-affiliated structure similar to First Wealth's LPL/Stratos relationships.
• Carson Group: Independent wealth management and RIA support platform that provides technology, compliance, and back-office services to independent advisors; comparable to First Wealth's reliance on Stratos Wealth Partners for RIA infrastructure.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Independent national RIA providing comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals and families; comparable model via LPL/Stratos-style independent affiliation structure.
• Edelman Financial Engines: National independent RIA providing financial planning and investment advisory services to individuals and families; comparable mass-affluent planning-led model.
• Creative Planning: Large independent fee-only RIA offering financial planning, investment management, and retirement planning to individuals and families nationwide; overlaps directly with First Wealth's planning-led mass-affluent value proposition.

Broad incumbents

• Ameriprise Financial: Large diversified financial services company offering financial planning, investment advisory, and wealth management through a national advisor force; broader incumbent serving the same mass-affluent planning market as First Wealth.
• Edward Jones: Large national financial-services firm with a branch-based advisor model providing investment and retirement planning to individuals and families; broader incumbent competing with First Wealth for the same Midwest mass-affluent clients.
• Fisher Investments: Large independent investment management firm serving individual and institutional clients; comparable RIA model with discretionary portfolio management as core offering.
• Cetera Financial Group: Large multi-channel independent broker-dealer and RIA network supporting thousands of independent advisors; comparable to LPL Financial as the underlying infrastructure serving First Wealth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/profile.php
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/first-wealth-financial-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 First Wealth Financial Group