What Uvest Financial does

Uvest Financial is an independent financial advisory practice headquartered in Tallahassee, Florida, founded in 2019 and affiliated with LPL Financial. The firm operates 12 office locations across Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Virginia, Vermont, and South Carolina, and serves a diverse client base that includes families, high-net-worth individuals, late-career professionals, business owners, entertainers, athletes, veterans, and households with special-needs planning requirements. Leadership comprises CEO Michael P. Davino, CFP® and President Dustin Johnson, CFP®, ChFC®, both of whom have received third-party industry recognition including Forbes and AdvisorHub advisor awards.

The firm's core service offering spans comprehensive financial planning and wealth management: investment management, retirement planning, insurance solutions, legacy and estate planning, education funding, and small-business financial services. Operationally, Uvest runs on LPL Financial's brokerage and advisory platform, which provides custody, clearing, compliance, product shelf, and back-office technology; this lets the practice focus on advisor recruitment, client acquisition, and plan delivery while inheriting LPL's infrastructure and regulatory footprint. The practice reports over $1 billion in combined brokerage and advisory assets administered through the LPL platform.

Uvest's go-to-market is sales-led (advisor recruiting and affiliation) combined with event-driven client acquisition through financial-planning seminars. Revenue mechanics follow the standard independent-channel model: asset-based advisory fees on managed accounts, commissions on brokerage transactions, and fees on insurance and planning deliverables. The firm has pursued growth primarily through three announced 2026 mergers — with Pinnacle Advisors, Financial Seasons Group, and Private Wealth Management & Consulting — alongside multi-state branch expansion, with no venture capital or private equity capital in the capitalization.

Name

Uvest Financial

Legal name

U-Vest Financial

Website

https://u-vestfinancial.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Uvest Financial is an LPL-affiliated independent financial advisory practice headquartered in Tallahassee, FL, operating 12 offices across six states and serving families, HNW individuals, business owners, athletes, entertainers, veterans, and special-needs households with comprehensive financial planning, investment, retirement, and insurance services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Financial Planning (FSAEAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL), Special Needs & Supplemental Needs Trust Services (FSAAANAJ)

Keywords

• Financial planning services
• Investment management
• Retirement planning
• Wealth management advisory
• Insurance and estate planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Tallahassee

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Financial Planning Fees: Fees charged for comprehensive financial planning services including retirement, estate, education, and insurance planning for individuals and businesses.
2. Investment Management Fees: Portfolio management fees for ongoing investment advisory services, utilizing strategic long-term and tactical short-term investment strategies.
3. Insurance Products: Commissions from insurance products including life, disability, long-term care, and group insurance offered through arrangements with third-party insurance companies via LPL Financial.
4. Business Retirement Plan Services: Services for employer-sponsored retirement plans including 401(k), SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, and profit-sharing plans for small businesses.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

U-Vest Financial is an independent financial advisory practice that delivers comprehensive financial planning, investment management, retirement services, insurance, legacy/planned giving, education funding, and business retirement plan services to individuals, families, professionals, athletes, entertainers, military families, special needs families, and business owners. Services are provided through credentialed advisors (CFP, ChFC, AIF, CLU, CRPC) operating out of multiple regional offices and supported by LPL Financial's broker-dealer and investment advisory platform.

Product overview

U-Vest Financial operates as an independent financial advisory firm offering a unified suite of financial planning and investment management services through its partnership with LPL Financial. The firm's core offerings span financial planning, investment management, retirement services, insurance, estate planning, education funding, and specialized services for business clients and special needs families. All services are delivered through a network of experienced advisors using a combination of the latest technology and personalized financial guidance.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning services covering retirement, accumulation, estate, education, and insurance planning, tailored to individual and business client needs.
• Investment Management Portfolio management and advisory services combining technology with experienced advisors to monitor and adjust client portfolios based on long-term goals and market conditions.
• Retirement Services Retirement planning services including traditional and Roth IRAs, employer-sponsored plans, and distribution planning for retirees.
• Insurance Risk management and insurance planning services including life, disability, long-term care, and Medicare planning offered through third-party insurance companies via LPL Financial.
• Legacy / Planned Giving Estate planning and charitable giving strategy services to help clients preserve and transfer wealth to future generations.
• Education Funding Education savings planning including 529 accounts and college funding strategies for families.
• Business Services Business financial planning services including employer-sponsored retirement plans, group insurance, and employee financial education.
• Business Retirement Plans Design and implementation of employer-sponsored retirement plans for businesses including 401(k), SEP-IRA, SIMPLE IRA, profit-sharing, and defined benefit plans.
• Special Needs Family Planning Specialized financial planning for families with disabled family members, including Special Needs Trusts, ABLE accounts, and lifetime care planning.
• Informational Seminars Financial literacy education seminars for businesses and organizations covering retirement, investing, education funding, and insurance topics, with both in-person and online options.

Segments9 records

Ideal customer profiles6 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 Integration · 1 January 1989U-Vest Financial operates as an independent practice working with LPL Financial, a established broker-dealer and investment advisor since 1989. LPL provides access to a full suite of financial planning services and technology to serve clients. LPL does not offer proprietary investment products, meaning advisors are not pressured to sell LPL products. LPL is publicly traded under ticker symbol LPLA.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Carson Group: RIA and business coaching platform that acquires and partners with independent advisory firms. Closely comparable roll-up strategy that adds advisors and AUM through partnerships, mirroring U-Vest's Pinnacle/Financial Seasons/PWMC merger playbook.
• Focus Financial Partners: Partnership-focused RIA platform that affiliates with independent wealth management firms. Directly comparable affiliation model — U-Vest's merger pattern resembles how Focus onboards new firms under a centralized brand.
• Creative Planning: One of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., providing wealth management, financial planning, and estate services. Comparable independent, fee-based advisory model with strong organic and inorganic growth, though at substantially larger scale than U-Vest.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large independent RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax services to families and institutions. Highly comparable independent, fee-based advisory model and multi-state footprint, though at meaningfully larger AUM scale.
• Sanctuary Wealth: Partnership platform for independent advisors and RIAs seeking affiliation while retaining some autonomy. Comparable mid-market RIA roll-up/affiliation model with similar advisor recruitment and acquisition approach.

Broad incumbents

• Cetera Financial Group: Independent broker-dealer and RIA platform serving affiliated financial professionals. Comparable role to LPL Financial in U-Vest's structure; large incumbent alternative affiliation option for independent practices.
• Avantax Financial Partners: Wealth management and tax-focused advisory firm serving individuals and small businesses. Comparable holistic financial planning and small-business retirement plan focus that overlaps with U-Vest's Business Services segment.
• Commonwealth Financial Network: Large independent broker-dealer and RIA that affiliates with independent practices. Comparable affiliation model — U-Vest is to LPL what many Commonwealth affiliates are to Commonwealth, providing a like-for-like IBD partner benchmark.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Large national RIA combining financial planning with employer-sponsored plan services. Comparable comprehensive financial planning and 401(k) plan offerings, though at substantially larger scale than U-Vest.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Independent broker-dealer supporting a large network of financial advisors. Comparable IBD-affiliation model to LPL, representing the same competitive set U-Vest competes with for advisor talent.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/u-vest

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles34 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 Uvest Financial