What does McAdam Financial do?
McAdam Financial’s financial advisor service is an advisor-led wealth management and financial planning service. It is mainly designed for people who want help with retirement planning, portfolio management, tax-aware planning, insurance-related strategy, estate planning coordination, and broader wealth decisions.
McAdam LLC was formed in 2014 and is wholly owned by Michael McAdam. As of Dec. 31, 2025, the firm reported $2.66 billion in discretionary assets under management and $14.59 million in non-discretionary assets under management.
The core service combines financial planning, consulting, and investment management. Planning may cover:
- Business planning
- Cash-flow forecasting
- Trust and estate planning
- Financial reporting
- Investment consulting
- Insurance planning
- Retirement planning
- Risk management
- Charitable giving
- Distribution planning
- Tax planning
- Manager due diligence
For investment management, McAdam generally manages portfolios on a discretionary basis. It primarily allocates client assets among mutual funds, ETFs, individual debt and equity securities, and independent managers.
McAdam’s investment approach is mainly fundamental. It evaluates factors such as management team, investment strategy, style drift, past performance, reputation, and financial strength, then aligns portfolios with the client’s risk tolerance, time horizon, goals, and investment policy statement.
What are the pros and cons of McAdam Financial?
McAdam’s main strength is its broad advisor-led planning model. Its main trade-offs are fee variability and the use of investment products that can add complexity.
Here’s a summary of the key advantages and disadvantages to guide your choice.
Pros of McAdam Financial:
- Broad planning scope: The service can address retirement, tax planning, estate planning coordination, insurance planning, cash flow, and investment consulting under one advisor relationship.
- Customized portfolio management: McAdam tailors portfolios around client objectives, risk tolerance, time horizon, liquidity needs, and reasonable client restrictions.
- Strategy flexibility: McAdam does not rely on a single portfolio format. It can use mutual funds, ETFs, individual securities, independent managers, and asset allocation models, which gives the service more room.
- Ongoing review process: The firm monitors portfolios continuously, conducts account reviews at least quarterly, and contacts ongoing advisory clients at least annually.
Cons of McAdam Financial:
- Fees are not standardized: McAdam’s investment advisory fee is negotiable and can be as high as 1.75%, so pricing depends on factors such as portfolio size, services used, complexity, representative, and negotiation.
- Complex fee structure: Clients may pay more than the advisory fee, including fixed planning fees, direct indexing fees, Orion administrative fees, fund expenses, custodian charges, and independent manager fees.
- Investment approaches can be complex: Portfolios may include ETFs, mutual funds, individual securities, direct indexing, private funds, structured notes, interval funds, and other investments. This range adds flexibility, but clients need to understand the related liquidity, product, and fee risks.
McAdam Financial fees: How much does McAdam Financial cost?
McAdam uses a fee-based pricing model. Costs depend on the scope of planning, the amount of assets managed, portfolio complexity and negotiated terms.
- Investment management fee: McAdam charges an annual asset-based advisory fee that is negotiable and can be up to 1.75% of assets under management.
- Financial planning and consulting fees: Stand-alone or wealth management planning fees generally range from $500 to $5,000 on a fixed-fee basis, or up to 1.75% of net worth or assets, depending on the scope and complexity of the service.
- Direct indexing fee: Clients who use direct indexing pay an additional 0.15% on assets allocated to a direct indexing portfolio.
Clients may also pay mutual fund or ETF expenses, brokerage commissions, transaction fees, custodian fees, independent manager fees, margin costs, wire fees, transfer fees, and other brokerage-account charges.
What is McAdam Financial’s minimum account size?
McAdam does not disclose a formal minimum account size or minimum fee for starting and maintaining an investment management relationship.
However, independent managers used in some portfolios may impose their own minimums or billing practices, and McAdam may adjust account requirements to accommodate those outside managers.
Who should choose McAdam Financial?
McAdam Financial works best for investors who want an advisor-led relationship that combines financial planning with portfolio management.
McAdam Financial works well for:
- Clients wanting broader planning: A wide planning scope, including business, estate, tax, insurance, risk management, charitable giving, and cash-flow topics.
- Retirement-focused households: McAdam fits clients who want retirement planning tied to investment management, tax considerations, and income planning.
- Executives and business owners: McAdam’s Advanced Advisory Model™ is positioned for doctors, lawyers, executives, and CEOs who need advice around executive compensation plans, tax mitigation strategies, qualified retirement plans, and exit strategy or liquidity-event planning.
- Investors who want customization: McAdam allows reasonable account restrictions and tailors portfolios to client objectives and constraints.
Who might not benefit as much:
- Fee-sensitive investors: The advisory fee can reach 1.75%, and additional product, platform, custodian, and manager costs can apply.
- Investors wanting a simple robo-advisor: McAdam is an advisor-led service, not a low-cost automated investing platform.
- Investors with basic financial needs: Clients who only need a simple investment account or basic ETF portfolio may not need McAdam’s broader planning model and complex strategies.
McAdam Financial: Is it secure?
McAdam is a registered investment adviser, with client assets typically held by independent third-party financial institutions. McAdam generally recommends Schwab Advisor Services or Fidelity for investment management accounts when clients request a custodian recommendation. Clients also receive account statements directly from the custodian at least quarterly.
McAdam also offers cybersecurity and privacy controls, including administrative, technical, and physical safeguards for non-public personal information, controls over data access and incident response, and vendor safeguards.
The above measures still cannot eliminate all risks.
McAdam Financial: Customer service
Customer service is mainly advisor-led. The firm remains available for ongoing consultation and conducts account reviews at least quarterly, while also contacting ongoing advisory clients at least annually.
The official also provides phone number, email address, meeting scheduling option, and office locations, including Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Radnor, and Tysons Corner.
Is McAdam Financial worth it?
McAdam Financial is worth considering for investors who want an advisor-led planning relationship with broad retirement, tax, estate, insurance, and investment-management coverage.
It is a better fit for clients who value customized planning and regular advisor contact, and a weaker fit for investors who want simple pricing, low costs, or a fully digital platform.
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