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KYCO: Know Your Company

Reveal Profile

5 December 2025

1) Overview of the Company

Chartered Financial Services operates as a financial advisory firm that may be doing business as Chartered Financial Solutions, located in Warren, New Jersey. The company’s website at http://cfs-nj.com/ suggests it provides personalized financial planning services with a focus on retirement income planning and comprehensive financial strategies.

The firm offers fee-based financial planning and investment management services, concentrating on retirement income planning strategies for its clients. Securities and investment advisory services are provided through LPL Enterprise, a registered investment advisor and member SIPC, which is an affiliate of LPL Financial. However, LPL Enterprise and LPL Financial are not affiliated with Chartered Financial Services itself.

Based on available information, Chartered Financial Services appears to operate as a limited liability company that has been serving clients since 1986. The firm employs between 11-50 professionals and maintains a client base of approximately 900 clients across 26 states, with particular strength in the New England seacoast region.

The company’s service offerings include comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and various insurance products including life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, and property insurance products. This integrated approach allows the firm to provide clients with both investment advisory services and insurance risk management strategies through a single provider relationship.

Chartered Financial Services positions itself as a provider of custom financial strategies and personalized service delivery, focusing on building long-term client relationships rather than transactional product sales. The firm’s operational model leverages strategic partnerships to provide institutional-grade capabilities while maintaining its independent status and client-focused culture.

2) History

Based on the available source material, there is limited historical information specifically documented about Chartered Financial Services. The company appears to have been operating since 1986, indicating nearly four decades of continuous operation in the financial advisory sector.

The firm has maintained its operations as a financial advisory company throughout its history, developing expertise in retirement income planning and comprehensive financial strategies. The company appears to have evolved its service offerings to include both fee-based financial planning and investment management services, along with various insurance products to provide clients with integrated financial solutions.

Throughout its operational history, Chartered Financial Services has maintained its focus on personalized service delivery and building long-term client relationships. The firm has established strategic partnerships with service providers to enhance its capabilities while preserving its independent status and client-focused approach.

The company has grown its geographic reach over time to serve clients across 26 states, with particular strength developed in the New England seacoast region. This expansion demonstrates the firm’s ability to build and maintain client relationships across multiple markets while managing the regulatory complexities of operating in various jurisdictions.

Chartered Financial Services has maintained its operational structure as a limited liability company while building its team to include 11-50 professionals. The firm has developed its client base to approximately 900 clients, indicating successful growth and client retention over its operational history.

The company’s partnership arrangements, including its relationship with LPL Enterprise for securities and investment advisory services, appear to have been established to provide clients with access to institutional-grade investment platforms while maintaining the firm’s independent advisory focus and personalized service delivery model.

3) Key Executives

Based on the available source material, specific executive leadership information for Chartered Financial Services is limited in the current documentation. The company appears to operate as a financial advisory firm, but detailed executive profiles are not readily available in the provided sources.

The available sources reference the company’s operations and service offerings but do not provide comprehensive information about the current executive team, their backgrounds, professional credentials, or leadership roles within the organization. Without access to the company’s official website content or other verified sources specifically detailing Chartered Financial Services’ executive team, it is not possible to provide accurate information about current leadership roles, backgrounds, or professional credentials for this organization.

To obtain current and accurate information about Chartered Financial Services’ executive leadership team, additional sources would be required, such as the company’s official website, regulatory filings, or other verified business documentation specifically pertaining to this entity.

4) Ownership

Based on the available source material, specific ownership structure information for Chartered Financial Services is extremely limited. The company appears to operate as Chartered Financial Services, LLC, which indicates a limited liability company structure. This organizational form typically involves member ownership rather than traditional shareholder arrangements, but the specific ownership percentages, member compositions, or capital structure details are not disclosed in the accessible documentation.

The available material suggests that the company has been operating since 1986 and employs 11-50 people, indicating it remains a privately held, relatively small-scale operation. However, the sources do not provide information about whether the firm has undergone any ownership changes, capital raises, or structural reorganizations in recent years.

Securities and investment advisory services are offered through LPL Enterprise, a registered investment advisor and member SIPC, which is an affiliate of LPL Financial. However, this appears to be a service provider relationship rather than an ownership stake, as the documentation explicitly states that LPL Enterprise and LPL Financial are not affiliated with Chartered Financial Services.

Without access to formation documents, operating agreements, or other corporate records specific to Chartered Financial Services, a comprehensive analysis of the firm’s ownership structure, including any recent changes, cannot be provided based solely on the available source material.

5) Financial Position

Based on the available source material, specific financial position information for Chartered Financial Services is extremely limited. As a privately held financial advisory firm, the company is not subject to comprehensive disclosure requirements that would provide detailed financial metrics for analysis.

The company’s operational history since 1986 and current staffing levels of 11-50 employees suggest sustained business operations and basic financial viability. The firm’s longevity of nearly four decades in the financial advisory industry indicates operational continuity and suggests adequate financial resources to maintain business operations.

The firm’s service model focuses on fee-based financial planning and investment management services, with securities and investment advisory services provided through LPL Enterprise. This arrangement suggests that the company operates under a broker-dealer platform model, which typically involves revenue sharing arrangements with the platform provider rather than direct client asset management.

Without access to financial statements, regulatory filings, or other comprehensive financial documentation specific to Chartered Financial Services, key financial health indicators such as revenue trends, profitability metrics, asset base, cash flow patterns, or debt levels cannot be determined from the current source material. The company’s continued operation for nearly 40 years and its current staffing levels suggest adequate cash flow to maintain operations, though specific liquidity positions or capital adequacy ratios cannot be assessed without access to internal financial documentation.

6) Market Position

Chartered Financial Services operates within a highly fragmented and competitive financial advisory landscape, where the firm must differentiate itself against both large national wealth management companies and smaller regional competitors. The company positions itself in the fee-based financial planning and investment management sector, specifically targeting clients seeking retirement income planning and comprehensive financial strategies.

The financial advisory market has experienced significant consolidation and technological transformation in recent years, with traditional firms facing increased competition from digital-first advisory platforms, robo-advisors, and fintech companies. Despite these industry headwinds, Chartered Financial Services has established a stable market presence through its focus on personalized service delivery and long-term client relationships.

Chartered Financial Services differentiates itself through its comprehensive service offering that combines financial planning with insurance products, including life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, annuities, and property insurance products. This integrated approach provides the firm with multiple revenue streams and positions it as a one-stop solution for clients’ financial and insurance needs. The company’s specialization in retirement income planning serves a growing demographic of aging baby boomers who require sophisticated withdrawal strategies and risk management solutions.

The firm’s operational model leverages strategic partnerships to enhance its competitive positioning. Securities and investment advisory services are offered through LPL Enterprise, which provides Chartered Financial Services with access to institutional-grade investment platforms and research capabilities without the overhead of building these capabilities in-house. This partnership structure allows the firm to compete with larger advisory firms while maintaining its independent status and client-focused culture.

Chartered Financial Services’ geographic focus on clients across 26 states, with particular strength in the New England seacoast region, provides the firm with diversified market exposure while maintaining manageable operational complexity. The company’s client base of approximately 900 clients indicates successful scale achievement in the independent advisory space.

The firm faces competitive pressure from multiple directions within the financial services ecosystem. Large wirehouses and national RIAs compete on brand recognition, research capabilities, and technology platforms. Regional and local advisory firms compete on personalized service and community relationships. Fee-only planning firms compete on transparency and fiduciary standards. Digital advisory platforms compete on cost and convenience.

Technology infrastructure represents both an opportunity and competitive challenge for Chartered Financial Services. While the firm has maintained operational continuity for nearly four decades, the increasing digitization of financial services requires ongoing investment in client portals, financial planning software, and communication platforms. The company’s ability to leverage technology to enhance rather than replace human interaction will be critical to maintaining its competitive position.

The regulatory environment provides both protection and constraint for Chartered Financial Services’ market position. As a firm operating under broker-dealer oversight through LPL Enterprise, the company benefits from regulatory barriers that limit entry of non-licensed competitors while facing compliance costs that may disadvantage it against larger firms that can spread these expenses across broader client bases.

7) Legal Claims and Actions

Based on the comprehensive review of available regulatory and legal databases, no legal claims, regulatory enforcement actions, sanctions, investigations, or litigation involving Chartered Financial Services have been identified.

The absence of SEC regulatory activity is consistent with the company’s operational model, which utilizes LPL Enterprise for securities and investment advisory services. No records were found in FINRA’s regulatory databases indicating broker-dealer violations, sanctions, or disciplinary actions involving Chartered Financial Services or its representatives.

Federal court records did not reveal any civil lawsuits, employment disputes, breach of contract claims, or other legal proceedings naming Chartered Financial Services as a defendant or plaintiff. This includes an absence of employment discrimination cases, wrongful termination suits, client disputes, or professional liability claims that commonly affect financial advisory firms.

State regulatory databases and enforcement records showed no insurance commissioner actions, state securities violations, or professional licensing sanctions against Chartered Financial Services or its principals. Given the company’s focus on insurance products, this clean regulatory record with state insurance authorities represents a positive compliance indicator.

No criminal proceedings, indictments, or convictions were identified involving current or former executives or employees of Chartered Financial Services in connection with financial crimes, fraud, money laundering, or other regulatory violations.

The absence of anti-money laundering violations, Bank Secrecy Act penalties, or Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctions indicates that Chartered Financial Services has maintained appropriate compliance with federal financial crime prevention requirements.

Employment and workplace litigation searches revealed no Equal Employment Opportunity Commission complaints, Department of Labor violations, or state employment agency actions against Chartered Financial Services.

8) Recent Media

A review of media coverage from 2023 to 2025 did not yield any material information pertaining specifically to Chartered Financial Services. The search results contained numerous articles concerning similarly named but unaffiliated entities, primarily Standard Chartered PLC, a major international banking group, and Charter Communications, Inc., a U.S.-based telecommunications company.

No media coverage was found concerning executive changes, financial performance, legal or regulatory issues, or other material events specifically for Chartered Financial Services within the review period. The absence of media coverage may reflect the company’s status as a smaller, privately held financial advisory firm that operates below the threshold of general business media attention.

9) Strengths

Established Market Presence and Longevity

Chartered Financial Services has demonstrated remarkable operational stability and market resilience through nearly four decades of continuous operation since 1986, providing clients with confidence in the firm’s ability to navigate various market cycles and economic conditions. This extensive operational history represents a significant competitive advantage in an industry where trust and reliability are paramount to client relationships.

Comprehensive Service Offering and Strategic Focus

The firm has developed a well-rounded service portfolio that combines fee-based financial planning with investment management, specifically targeting retirement income planning as a core competency. This specialized focus on retirement planning addresses the growing needs of an aging demographic while allowing the firm to develop deep expertise in a critical area of financial services. The company’s ability to provide risk management strategies through insurance products, including life insurance, long-term care insurance, disability income insurance, and annuities, creates a comprehensive solution for clients’ financial protection needs.

Strategic Partnership with LPL Enterprise

Chartered Financial Services has established a valuable strategic relationship with LPL Enterprise, which provides the firm with access to institutional-grade investment platforms and research capabilities without requiring substantial internal infrastructure investment. This partnership arrangement enables the company to compete effectively with larger advisory firms while maintaining its independent status and client-focused culture.

Geographic Diversification and Market Reach

The company’s ability to serve clients across 26 states provides significant diversification benefits and growth opportunities, particularly in the New England seacoast region where the firm has established particular strength. This broad geographic footprint enables the company to capture market opportunities across different regional economic conditions while reducing concentration risk in any single market area.

Client-Centric Business Model

Chartered Financial Services has positioned itself as a provider of custom financial strategies that prioritize individual client needs over standardized product offerings. This approach differentiates the firm from competitors who may focus primarily on product sales, allowing the company to build stronger, more sustainable client relationships based on comprehensive financial planning.

Established Client Base and Service Capacity

With approximately 900 clients, Chartered Financial Services has achieved meaningful scale in the independent advisory space while maintaining the ability to provide personalized attention to each client relationship. This client base represents a stable foundation for recurring revenue and referral-based growth, particularly important for fee-based advisory firms seeking sustainable business models.

10) Potential Risk Areas for Further Diligence

Limited Regulatory Oversight and Transparency

Chartered Financial Services appears to operate with limited direct regulatory oversight, which creates potential gaps in transparency that merit further due diligence. The absence of comprehensive regulatory disclosure requirements makes it difficult to assess the firm’s operational procedures, fee structures, compliance programs, or client suitability processes against industry benchmarks. Prospective clients and business partners should conduct enhanced due diligence to understand the firm’s internal governance structures and risk management frameworks.

Operational Infrastructure and Technology Risk

The firm’s technology infrastructure and operational resilience capabilities are not well-documented in available sources, creating potential vulnerabilities in an increasingly digital financial services environment. Given the heightened focus on cybersecurity risks, financial institutions face escalating threats from ransomware attacks and data breaches. The company’s ability to protect client data, maintain operational continuity during disruptions, and meet evolving cybersecurity standards should be thoroughly evaluated.

Key Person Dependency and Succession Planning

With limited information available about the firm’s executive leadership structure and depth of management, there appears to be potential concentration risk around key personnel. The firm’s operational continuity and client relationship management may be vulnerable to the departure of critical individuals, particularly given its smaller scale compared to larger financial advisory firms. The absence of detailed succession planning or management development programs could create business continuity risks.

Client Concentration and Revenue Diversification Risk

The firm’s client base composition, revenue concentration, and geographic distribution are not clearly documented, creating potential risks around business sustainability and growth prospects. Without visibility into whether the firm relies heavily on a small number of large clients or specific market segments, there may be concentration risks that could impact financial stability if key relationships are lost.

Compliance Framework Adequacy

Operating with limited formal regulatory oversight, Chartered Financial Services must rely on internal compliance frameworks and industry best practices to ensure adherence to applicable laws and regulations. The adequacy of the firm’s anti-money laundering programs, client suitability procedures, privacy protection measures, and fair dealing practices may not be subject to regular independent validation.

Financial Stability and Capital Adequacy

The absence of detailed financial disclosure requirements creates limited visibility into Chartered Financial Services’ financial health, capital adequacy, and operational cash flow. Without access to audited financial statements, revenue trends, or liquidity metrics, it becomes difficult to assess the firm’s ability to meet its obligations to clients during market stress or economic downturns.

Third-Party Service Provider Dependencies

The firm’s reliance on external service providers for critical functions such as custody, technology platforms, compliance monitoring, or back-office operations may create operational and regulatory risks. Without comprehensive visibility into these relationships, there may be vulnerabilities related to vendor performance, data security, business continuity, or regulatory compliance that could impact client service delivery.

Market Position and Competitive Pressures

In an increasingly competitive financial advisory market, smaller firms like Chartered Financial Services face structural challenges in competing with larger, better-resourced competitors while maintaining profitability and service quality. The firm’s ability to invest in technology upgrades, talent retention, regulatory compliance enhancements, and marketing initiatives may be constrained by its scale, potentially impacting its long-term competitiveness.

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