Consolidated Planning Review

Consolidated Planning has been operating as a financial planning firm since 1981, starting with just four advisors out of Charlotte, North Carolina.

Today it has grown to over 110 advisors and professionals across more than 12 locations, with clients served both in person and virtually across the United States.

The firm works with two main audiences: individuals and families who want to get their financial lives organized, and business owners navigating complex decisions around growth, succession, and tax efficiency.

What separates it from the average financial services outfit is a stated commitment to building financial strategy first and selecting products second.

The firm describes its origin bluntly: it was born out of frustration with an industry it felt was failing clients. That framing is baked into how they present their entire operation.

Their homepage tagline, "Advice for Today. Planning for Tomorrow," is fairly standard, but their About page goes further, describing a "protection first philosophy" designed to challenge the industry's standard product-push model.

Securities products and advisory services are offered through Park Avenue Securities, LLC (PAS), a wholly owned subsidiary of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America.

Consolidated Planning itself is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian. That distinction matters if you're evaluating the firm, because it defines the regulatory and oversight structure the advisors operate within.

Here's a quick snapshot of the firm's core data points:

A lot of financial firms say they're client-first. Consolidated Planning's version of that is more operationally specific.

They describe their method as "process-first," where a financial strategy gets designed around what a client actually needs, and then products are selected to execute that strategy.

The reverse, choosing products first and retrofitting them to a client's situation, is what they argue the rest of the industry tends to do.

That's not a revolutionary idea, but most firms don't foreground it this explicitly. The fact that they lead with it across multiple pages suggests it's a genuine internal value, not just website copy.

The practical result is that clients go through a consultative process before any product recommendations come into play. This is framed around three principles:

• One strategy tailored to your situation
• One consolidated place to organize your finances
• One financial professional who acts as your primary point of contact over the long term

The long-term relationship piece is something they emphasize repeatedly. Their homepage specifically calls out the problem of "jumping from financial professional to financial professional" as a symptom of bad-fit relationships.

They're positioning themselves as an antidote to that.

For individuals and families, Consolidated Planning breaks its service offering into four specific tracks:

Get Financially Organized This is the entry point for clients who feel scattered across accounts, insurance policies, and financial decisions with no unified picture. The goal is to get a clear view of where things stand and what direction makes sense.

Become a World Class Saver This track focuses on finding uncaptured savings opportunity within someone's existing cash flow. Less about product, more about behavior and allocation habits.

Monthly Fee-Based Subscription Planning A subscription model for ongoing advisory services. Clients pay a regular fee in exchange for continued guidance focused on progress toward specific financial goals.

This is a less traditional structure for financial planning firms in this category, and it reflects a broader industry shift toward fee-based over commission-based relationships.

Maximize My Retirement Income Built around sustainable cash flow in retirement, with tax minimization as a secondary priority.

This is where the firm's capabilities get more technically specific. Business owners face a different class of financial decision than individuals, and Consolidated Planning addresses four scenarios directly:

Selling to an Insider If you plan to pass your business to a family member or key employee, this service maps the financial, risk, and cash flow implications of that path.

These transactions are notoriously complicated, involving valuation, financing structures, and tax treatment that most general practitioners aren't equipped to handle cleanly.

Selling to an Outside Buyer Same framework, different buyer profile. Third-party sales come with different negotiation dynamics and due diligence expectations.

Retaining Key Employees Developing compensation and incentive structures that reduce turnover risk among high-value staff. This typically involves deferred compensation arrangements or equity-adjacent strategies.

Tax Reduction Through Qualified Plans Coordinated design and implementation of qualified retirement plans as a mechanism for reducing current tax burden.

For business owners in higher income brackets, this can be one of the highest-leverage financial tools available.

The consolidated (no pun intended) service model has real appeal for clients who are tired of managing fragmented relationships across a CPA, an insurance agent, and a separate investment advisor who never talk to each other.

Having one professional who understands the full picture is a legitimate value proposition.

The team-based structure is another point worth noting. The firm describes itself as one of the largest planning firms in the Southeast, and says its size enables more innovation in solving complex planning problems.

Smaller shops can struggle when a client's situation gets complicated. A firm with 110 advisors and an apparent culture of internal collaboration has more tools to bring to the table.

At the same time, prospective clients should know that securities and advisory services run through Park Avenue Securities, which is FINRA and SIPC registered.

You can verify the background of any Consolidated Planning advisor through FINRA's BrokerCheck database.

This is standard practice before engaging any financial professional, and it's worth doing before your first meeting.

The process, as described on the site, starts with a conversation: "Let's talk about where you are and where you want to be." Simple enough.

From there, the firm focuses on defining goals and organizing financial affairs into a single view. Then, action steps. Then ongoing guidance.

There's no fee schedule publicly listed on the website, which is common for firms operating in this space. Advisors can be located through the site's Find an Advisor tool, and initial consultations are the expected next step.

Is Consolidated Planning a fiduciary?

The firm operates advisory services through Park Avenue Securities. Whether a specific advisor is acting in a fiduciary capacity depends on the nature of the engagement.

PAS's Form CRS (Client Relationship Summary) is linked on the website and outlines the obligations of the advisory relationship.

Does Consolidated Planning only serve clients in the Southeast?

No. The firm serves clients nationwide, both in person across its 12+ locations and virtually.

What kinds of clients benefit most from Consolidated Planning's services?

Based on the service structure, the firm appears best suited for business owners managing complex financial decisions and individuals who want a unified, long-term advisory relationship rather than transactional product purchases.

How is CP compensated?

The website references both a fee-based subscription model and traditional advisory arrangements. Compensation specifics should be discussed directly with the advisor during an initial consultation.

Can I verify my advisor's credentials?

Yes. FINRA's BrokerCheck at brokercheck.finra.org allows you to review the professional background of any registered financial professional.

Consolidated Planning occupies a clear position: a regionally grown financial planning firm that has built a scalable operation without abandoning its original emphasis on process-driven, protection-first advice.

For the right client, the combination of broad service capability and a commitment to long-term advisory relationships is worth a serious look.