For Independent Financial Advisors

The back office that independent advisors build a practice on.

Compliance, operations, technology, transitions, succession — taken care of by a team that has been doing it for CFP® advisors since 2002. So you can spend your time where it counts: investments and client relationships.

~$2B
Assets under management
1,700+
Client households
10+
States served
25+
CFP® professionals
2002
Founded
Why MSFS

A partnership built around your independence — with the weight of a national platform behind it.

MSFS is a fee-only RIA designed to take the running-a-business work off an advisor’s plate without taking the practice away from them. Your brand stays yours. Your client relationships stay yours. The infrastructure underneath grows up.

01 / Independence

Your name on the door.

Keep your brand, your client experience, your investment philosophy. We’re the operating partner — not a roll-up trying to absorb you into a larger label.

02 / Institutional scale

Resources you couldn’t build alone.

An in-house Investment Committee, dedicated compliance, an integrated Orion-based tech stack, and partnerships with CAIS and iCapital for alternatives — available the day you transition.

03 / Long-term continuity

A practice that outlives the founder.

From transition planning on day one to succession strategy at the end of your career, MSFS is built to protect what you’ve built — for clients, for family, for the next generation of advisors.

Capabilities

Twelve capabilities. One home office.

Everything that should be off your plate, taken care of by people who do this for a living — across compliance, operations, technology, growth and succession.

Compliance & Operations

Group 01

Compliance

Disclosures, regulators, exams, filings, promotional material review and account monitoring — all off your plate.

Operations

Clearing firm liaison, client agreements, vendor due diligence — done by people who know how to get them through.

Finance

We handle account billing, payouts and payroll so you can focus on growth, not reconciliation.

People & Practice

Group 02

Human Resources

401(k) administration, employee benefits, new-hire onboarding, cyber training — taken care of.

Coaching

24/7 access to industry veterans who provide ongoing mentorship, accountability and tools for growth.

Virtual Assistant

Skilled VAs who seamlessly step in to support your transition and help establish the business from day one.

Technology & Investment

Group 03

Technology

An integrated stack built on Orion Advisor Solutions, Redtail CRM, social-media integration and more — already configured.

Investment Committee

An in-house Investment Committee that meets regularly to perform due diligence on your product offerings.

Alternative Investments

Manage private placements and alternative product due diligence through our partnerships with CAIS and iCapital. If you’re not talking to clients about alternatives, someone else is.

Growth & Continuity

Group 04

Transition Services

New advisors are taken through a comprehensive strategic transition plan designed to ensure their business moves over seamlessly — hands-on guidance so you can stay focused on serving clients.

Marketing

Website management, content, targeted outreach and digital presence — keeping your brand visible, relevant and connected to your audience.

Succession Planning

If you’re planning your exit, we’ll craft a comprehensive strategy designed to give you peace of mind — for you, your clients and your team.

The Transition

A clear path from first conversation to first client meeting.

Joining MSFS isn’t a leap. It’s a managed transition — a dedicated team and a written plan with milestones, ownership and dates.

  1. Connect

    A confidential conversation with the home office about where you are, where you want to go, and whether MSFS is the right fit. No pressure, no proposal until both sides want one.

  2. Plan

    A written transition plan covering custodian setup, compliance filings, technology migration and client communication — built around your book, not a template.

  3. Transition

    Hands-on execution from your dedicated team — compliance, operations, marketing and a virtual assistant — so your clients experience continuity, not friction.

  4. Grow

    Ongoing coaching, an Investment Committee, alternative-investment access, and a network of MSFS advisors. A day-one transition becomes a multi-decade partnership.

A philosophy in one image

Rooted on Main Street. Built to last.

We named the firm after Main Street for a reason. Independent advisors are the stewards of family wealth in their communities — and that work deserves an infrastructure that’s steady, principled and built to outlast a single career.

Main Street Financial Solutions · Newtown, PA
Home Office

The people you’ll actually talk to.

Not a 1-800 number. A senior team that picks up the phone — and answers your email. Reach out to any of them directly.

Brett R. Danko
CEO & Founder
Brett R. Danko, CFP®
Founded MSFS in 2002. Nationally recognized CFP® educator and personal finance lecturer.
Ted Durkin
President & Managing Partner
Ted Durkin
Leads firmwide strategy and advisor partnerships. Appointed President & Managing Partner in 2023.
Courtney Elliott
Chief Operating Officer
Courtney Elliott
Runs day-to-day operations and the advisor transition experience.
Terry Dzelzgalvis
Chief Financial Officer
Terry Dzelzgalvis
Owns advisor billing, payouts, payroll and firm-wide financial reporting.
Michael Minter
Senior Advisor — CFP®
Michael Minter
Investment Committee member and senior planner serving advisor practices.
Colin Moors
Chief Compliance Officer
Colin Moors
Oversees firm compliance, filings, advisor supervision and regulatory readiness.
MacKenzie Bento
Director, Business & Digital Development
MacKenzie Bento
Leads marketing, digital presence and advisor growth initiatives.
Tori Smith
VP of Finance
Tori Smith
Partners with advisors on practice economics, comp structure and reporting.
Insights & Research

What the home office is thinking about.

Commentary from the MSFS Investment Committee, advisor practice management ideas, and notes from the road. Published when there’s something worth saying — not on a content calendar.

Featured · Practice Management

What we look for in a growth-oriented advisor practice.

MSFS partners with CFP® certificants — or those actively working toward the credential — who manage at least $15M (with limited exceptions) and want to build a serious, professional, long-horizon practice. Here’s how we think about fit on both sides of the table.

By the MSFS Home Office Read  →
Featured

Working with Orion: the operating system behind every MSFS advisor.

Technology
Recent

Why we’re custodian-agnostic — and what that means for your clients.

Operations
Recent

If you’re not talking to your client about alternatives, someone else is.

Investment Committee
Field Notes

Notes from Schwab IMPACT: what we’re watching going into 2026.

Field Notes
From LinkedIn

A working community of advisors.

Real moments from the MSFS network — new partner firms joining, advisors hitting milestones, and conversations from the field.

Follow on LinkedIn
M

Welcoming Cloverly Wealth Management to MSFS — adding Tim Lapowsky, Mark Gombita and Ashlee Kozak to the network.

Welcome to MSFS View on LinkedIn
M

Sean Coyle joins MSFS as a Financial Advisor, bringing experience as a business valuation consultant with privately held businesses.

Advisor announcement View on LinkedIn
M

Bill Cuthbertson, CFP®, CRPC™, APMA™ joins MSFS — bringing 20+ years in financial services and a focus on behavioral change strategies for clients.

Advisor announcement View on LinkedIn
M

The MSFS team spent a great few days in Philadelphia at the Charles Schwab IMPACT Conference — productive meetings and a look at what’s coming next from Schwab.

From the field View on LinkedIn
M

Ted Durkin appointed President & Managing Partner — joining Founder & CEO Brett Danko in leading the firm’s next chapter of growth.

Leadership Read coverage
M

“We really have a special group of people, and it’s continuing to evolve.” — Brett R. Danko, Founder & CEO.

Founder note View on LinkedIn
By the numbers

An RIA built one advisor practice at a time — for more than two decades.

MSFS is an independent SEC-registered RIA headquartered in Newtown, Pennsylvania, supporting CFP® advisors across the country.

~$2B
Assets under management
1,700+
Client households
25+
Office locations
23yrs
Serving advisors since 2002
Frequently asked

Common questions from advisors.

The questions we’re asked most often. If yours isn’t here, ask the home office directly.

What services are included when I partner with MSFS?
When you partner with MSFS, you gain access to a comprehensive suite of services covering every part of running an advisory practice:
  • Compliance & regulatory support — ongoing guidance, filings and audit prep
  • Operations & billing — day-to-day operational support and billing management
  • Finance & accounting — bookkeeping, compensation tracking and financial reporting
  • Human resources — recruiting, onboarding and HR support
  • Virtual assistant services — administrative support tailored to your practice
  • Software solutions — integrated tech tools that streamline workflows
  • Practice management & coaching — strategy, growth planning and advisor coaching
  • Succession planning — guidance for growth, exit strategies and continuity
What tech stack do you use?
MSFS leverages Orion Advisor Solutions as the core platform — an integrated suite for portfolio management, performance reporting, billing, trading and client experience. We pair that with Redtail CRM, social-media integration and a curated set of advisor productivity tools.
What custodians do you use?
MSFS is custodian-agnostic and works with some of the industry’s most trusted custodians, including Charles Schwab, Fidelity and Pershing. That flexibility lets advisors prioritize what serves the client best while keeping access to a wide range of investment solutions.
What advisors does MSFS look to work with?
MSFS partners with advisors who are:
  • Current CFP® certificants, or actively working toward completion
  • Managing minimum assets of $15M (with limited exceptions)
  • Growth-oriented, with a high emphasis on professionalism
What makes MSFS different?
Customized, hands-on support built around your goals and business model. Your independence and brand stay front and center. Comprehensive in-house services so you can focus on growth and clients. Flexibility to choose only the services you need, when you need them. And a long-term partnership built to help you scale and eventually transition your practice on your terms.
Start the conversation

Talk with the MSFS home office.

A confidential conversation to see if there’s a fit. No proposal, no pressure, no obligation. If MSFS isn’t right for your practice, we’ll tell you.