True Blue Financial, A Registered Investment Advisor

What True Blue Financial, A Registered Investment Advisor does

True Blue Financial is an independent, privately held Registered Investment Advisor founded in 2008 by Luke Brown and headquartered in Stevensville, Michigan, with a second office in Benton Harbor. The firm delivers an integrated wealth-management offering that bundles financial planning, investment management, retirement planning, insurance planning, tax planning, charitable planning, and estate planning under a single team that includes multiple CFP® designees and four CPAs, supplemented by seasonal tax preparation through a True Blue Tax, LLC subsidiary. Its primary customer base is 900+ families in Southwest Michigan, with specialized service lines built around employees of three anchor employers—Whirlpool, Corewell Health, and American Electric Power (including Cook Nuclear Plant)—plus additional manufacturing and education clients such as Hanson Mold, Holt Bosse, LECO, and Berrien RESA.

The firm operates a hybrid business model through a core partnership with LPL Financial, under which its advisors serve as both investment advisor representatives and registered representatives. Revenue is generated through three streams: linear-tier managed-account advisory fees (percentage declining as AUM grows), transactional brokerage commissions on a per-trade basis, and per-form tax preparation fees benchmarked to National Society of Accountants pricing. Client acquisition relies on a free in-person or virtual consultation funnel, referral networks within employer channels, and multi-channel digital marketing (website/blog, email newsletter, and social platforms). The firm is licensed across multiple U.S. states and supports virtual service delivery beyond Southwest Michigan.

True Blue Financial uses no proprietary technology platform; its operational stack consists of industry-exclusive retirement-planning and projection software accessed via its LPL Financial affiliation, standard secure client portals for document exchange, and conventional productivity tools. No AI/ML capabilities, proprietary models, or data assets are disclosed. Capital structure is straightforward: no external funding rounds, no parent company, and no M&A activity to date. Competitive positioning rests on the founder-led continuity, the CFP/CPA integration under one roof, and deep relationships with anchor-employer employee populations in the Southwest Michigan market.

Name

True Blue Financial, A Registered Investment Advisor

Legal name

True Blue Financial

Website

https://trueblue.financial

Company type

Private

Founded year

2008

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

True Blue Financial is an independent Registered Investment Advisor in Southwest Michigan providing integrated financial planning, investment management, retirement, tax, and insurance services to over 900 families and to employees of major regional employers including Whirlpool and Corewell Health.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Private Banking & UHNW Wealth Advisory (FSAEABAC)

Keywords

• Registered investment advisor
• Wealth management services
• Retirement planning services
• Financial planning advisory
• Tax planning services

Headquarters

HQ city

Stevensville

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, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Fees: Managed account structure following a linear tiered system where the more you invest, the lower your fee percentage becomes. Comprehensive fee covers all trading, management, and research costs.
2. Brokerage/Transactional: Brokerage-style account operating on a transactional basis involving sales charges or commissions for each trade or change made in the portfolio.
3. Tax Preparation Services: Seasonal tax prep services including IRS Form 1040, resident and non-resident state returns, estimated tax payments, and electronic tax filing. Charges per form based on National Society of Accountants pricing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

True Blue Financial is an independent Registered Investment Advisor that delivers integrated wealth management services including financial planning, investment management, insurance planning, retirement planning, tax planning, and charitable planning. Advisory representatives operate under a hybrid model through LPL Financial, offering both managed-account advisory engagements and brokerage-style transactional accounts, supported by an in-house CPA tax preparation and planning team.

Product overview

True Blue Financial operates as a full-service Registered Investment Advisor offering an integrated suite of financial services delivered by a team of CFPs, CPAs, and financial advisors. The core offerings include Financial Planning, Investment Management, Insurance Planning, Retirement Planning, Tax Planning, and Charitable Planning—all designed to work together under one roof. The firm also provides specialized retirement planning services for employees of major regional employers (Whirlpool, AEP, Corewell Health) and seasonal tax preparation services. The business model emphasizes a hybrid approach where advisors serve as both investment advisor representatives of LPL Financial and registered representatives, providing both fee-based managed accounts and brokerage-style transaction options.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning services that clarify financial goals, integrate assets, liabilities, protection, investments, and taxes into an actionable strategy; includes asset allocation, college tuition, debt cancellation, estate planning, insurance needs analysis, and Social Security maximization for individuals and families.
• Investment Management Investment management services that determine the appropriate product mix for client goals, risk tolerance, and time horizon, building personalized portfolios and providing ongoing monitoring across managed accounts, mutual funds, annuities, IRAs, CDs, brokerage accounts, stocks, bonds, 529 plans, structured investments, and Treasury/government securities.
• Insurance Planning Insurance planning services that prepare clients for unexpected events and protect families and assets through coverage needs analysis across term, whole, universal, variable, and last-survivor life insurance; long-term care insurance; and disability income insurance.
• Retirement Planning Retirement planning services that identify goals and customize short- and long-term strategies including retirement income planning, Social Security optimization, 401(k) and IRA rollover strategies, pension maximization, tax-efficient retirement strategies, Medicare and healthcare cost planning, long-term care planning, and inflation and market risk management.
• Tax Planning Tax planning services that go beyond annual filing, providing proactive tax-minimization strategies including tax-loss harvesting, Roth conversions, legacy planning, capital gains management, charitable giving strategies, and "stealth tax" threshold analysis, integrated with the client's financial plan.
• Charitable Planning Charitable giving planning services including Donor Advised Funds, Charitable Trusts, Qualified Charitable Distributions from RMDs, and tax-appropriate giving strategies aligned with clients' philanthropic goals.
• Estate Planning and Wealth Transfer Estate planning services that create a roadmap for transferring assets to heirs, including will preparation, trust strategies, power of attorney designations, and guardianship provisions, integrated with retirement and wealth transfer goals.
• Seasonal Tax Preparation Seasonal tax preparation services including IRS Form 1040, resident and non-resident state returns, estimated tax payments, and electronic tax filing, priced per form based on National Society of Accountants pricing.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 900 families served
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• LPL FinancialcoreTechnology or IntegrationTrue Blue Financial's investment advisor representatives serve as registered representatives of LPL Financial, which serves as custodian and broker/dealer. This hybrid model allows the firm to cater to diverse investment needs and preferences while maintaining independent advisory services. Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor, Member FINRA/SIPC.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Schwab Wealth Advisory: Charles Schwab's advisory solution combining dedicated advisors with digital tools for mass-affluent and HNW households—an incumbent competing for the same retiree and employee-plan client base that True Blue serves.
• Focus Financial Partners: National partnership platform for independent RIAs, providing capital, M&A, and back-office support to firms like True Blue—relevant as both a potential acquirer/partner and as a model for scaled independent advisory.
• Edward Jones: Large national broker-dealer with deep physical-office presence in communities like Southwest Michigan, serving mass-affluent and retiree households with retirement and investment products—overlapping target market but operating under a captive (rather than independent) model.

Direct peers

• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Independent RIA focused on evidence-based investment management and comprehensive financial planning for households—directly comparable in fiduciary, fee-only wealth advisory positioning.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large national independent RIA providing comprehensive wealth planning, tax, and retirement advice to individuals and families—directly comparable in service breadth and integrated advisory model.
• Moneta Group: Independent, employee-owned RIA offering investment management, financial planning, and tax services—comparable in independent fiduciary structure and integrated wealth advisory offering.
• Hightower Advisors: Independent RIA platform serving high-net-worth and mass-affluent clients with wealth planning, investment management, and corporate benefit advisory—comparable in fiduciary model and ability to add niche employer-cohort services.
• Carson Group: Hybrid RIA and broker-dealer platform supporting independent advisors with custodial, technology, and back-office services—comparable to True Blue's LPL-affiliated model for scaling independent advisory practices.
• Savant Wealth Management: Independent, fee-only RIA with a strong Midwest regional footprint offering integrated financial planning, investment management, and tax services—closely mirroring True Blue's hybrid wealth/tax model and employer-channel growth strategy.
• Creative Planning: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., offering financial planning, investment management, and tax services to households nationwide—a scaled analog of True Blue's holistic offering.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/TrueBlueFinUSA
• Facebookfacebook.com/TrueBlueFinancialUSA
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/true-blue-financial-usa
• Instagraminstagram.com/truebluefinancial

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 True Blue Financial, A Registered Investment Advisor