John Friedman Financial

The firm provides project-based financial health advisory services and consultations to individuals, families and small businesses, operating as a solo practitioner with a very small client roster (about 11 clients). It offers advice-only engagements, does not sell financial products, and — unlike most independent advisers — does not provide portfolio management for individual accounts.

The firm’s work focuses on helping clients design investment approaches (frequently using low‑cost, passive strategies), on retirement and cash‑flow modeling, and on selecting or overseeing external money managers when delegation is desired. Services are delivered on a per-project or hourly consultation basis, supported by proprietary educational and spreadsheet tools, and the firm does not take custody or discretionary authority over client accounts.

Notable deviations from peer practices include an explicit avoidance of asset‑gathering and percentage‑of‑assets‑under‑management billing in favor of negotiated project and hourly arrangements, a small, long‑running sole‑practitioner model, and tailored offerings such as comprehensive “whole‑shebang” engagements, numeric workups, and options for socially conscious carve‑outs. The firm also describes a transparent referral process to specialists when clients need services outside the adviser’s scope.