Money is personal. Your plan should be, too.
The individuals, families, and couples we work with reach out to us throughout their lives, but with a common aim. They need a detailed plan to protect their wealth and reach the specific goals that matter most to them.
Getting to know Focus Financial Advisors powered by Farther
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Locations served
Primary office: Rockford, IL Satellite office: Lake Tomahawk, WI
Who we are
Focus Financial Advisors was founded in 1984 on a simple idea: financial advice should be transparent, attentive, and built entirely around the client. More than four decades later, that hasn't changed.
Today, led by Jon Aldrich, CPA, CFP®, our team delivers the boutique feel of a small firm with the resources and capabilities of a large one. We combine intelligent technology with old-fashioned personal relationships to help you develop and pursue your vision for the future.
We've been a fee-based fiduciary since day one. That means we're paid directly by you and obligated to act in your best interests. No commissions. No kickbacks.
What we help with
We pair comprehensive financial planning with tax-integrated investment management so every part of your financial life works together, not in isolation.
Comprehensive financial planning
We build detailed, customized plans that bring it all together into a single, coordinated strategy, with tax planning integrated throughout.
- Retirement planning and income strategy
- Tax planning and tax-efficient withdrawal sequencing
- Estate planning and legacy coordination with your attorney
- Social Security timing and optimization
- Risk management and insurance review
- Charitable giving and donor-advised fund strategy
- College and education funding
- Small business and succession planning
- Equity compensation and executive benefits (stock options, RSUs, deferred comp)
Tax-integrated investment management
We develop a low-cost, diversified portfolios designed to support your long-term plan, with an eye toward managing fees and aiming to reduce the tax drag on your returns.
- Portfolio construction aligned with your plan and time horizon
- Asset allocation and ongoing rebalancing
- Tax-aware trading and tax-loss harvesting
- Traditional, strategic, tactical, and ESG portfolio options
- Account-level tax location (what belongs in taxable vs. tax-deferred vs. Roth)
- Ongoing review as your life and the markets change
Our approach
We strive to be the quarterback of your financial team.
That means we don't work in a silo. We coordinate directly with your accountant, your attorney, and your insurance professionals so every recommendation fits into the bigger picture of your life. And with Jon’s CPA background, tax planning isn't a separate conversation. It's included in the plan from the start.
We commit to serving as your steadfast guide, ensuring you remain on the path to enduring financial well-being.
Who we serve
Our clients generally have between $500,000 and $10 million in investable assets, or they're working toward it. They come to us at different life stages, but with one thing in common: they want a partner who will help them find the right path forward.
Corporate executives
Navigating stock options, RSUs, deferred compensation, and complex benefit packages
Pre-retirees
Building the roadmap that takes you from working life to retirement with confidence
Entrepreneurs and small business owners
Bridging personal and business finances, planning for exit, and choosing the right retirement plans for their teams
Retirees
Managing income, protecting what you've built, and leaving the legacy you want
How we serve you
Our process is designed to get to know you first, not to sell you a product.
Step 1: Determine your goals and what's important to you
We take the time to really listen to what you want to accomplish
Step 2: Take inventory of your current situation
We take an in-depth look at your financial picture, including savings, income, net worth, and obligations. Then we work together to prioritize your goals and set a time horizon for each.
Step 3: Develop the plan
We build a base plan designed to help you get from where you are now to where you want to be, and we walk you through potential outcomes, including what-if scenarios.
Step 4: Implement the plan
Once we've agreed on the courses of action, we put your plan into place. You leave with a one-page overview: the whole plan at a glance.
Step 5: Review and monitor
As your life and the world change, we make adjustments and hold regular reviews to keep you on track, manage risk, and act on opportunities.
Our philosophy
We believe wealth management should feel personal, transparent, and unhurried. We believe your plan should be built around your life, not the other way around. And we believe being a fiduciary isn't a marketing claim; it's the way a firm should work. It's how we've worked since 1984, and it's how we'll continue to work.
Our role is to simplify the complexity, bring structure to the big decisions, and help you move forward with clarity and confidence.
Ready to talk?
Fill out this no-obligation form and we'll be in touch. We look forward to getting to know you.