South Bend, IN Lincoln Way West Office

Creative Financial Planning Advisors, Inc. primarily serves individual and high-net-worth clients, along with corporations, various IRA accounts and not-for-profit organizations. The firm provides discretionary portfolio management as its core service and also offers financial planning, retirement planning, tax planning and return preparation, estate planning consultation, and non-discretionary consulting engagements.

CFPA relies on fundamental analysis and third‑party research sources (for example, Morningstar, S&P, Schwab and The Wall Street Journal) to construct individualized portfolios rather than using a single model for all clients, and typically uses mutual funds and ETFs to gain small‑cap and international exposure. Accounts are generally managed on a discretionary basis with client restrictions permitted, while the firm also offers fixed‑fee or hourly consulting and, for investors with longer time horizons, may allocate to private capital, long/short or hedge‑fund strategies.

Noteworthy aspects include its long operating history (incorporated in 1982) and small, owner‑managed structure—roughly two advisors managing about $30 million for approximately 76 clients—which the firm cites as supporting tailored portfolio construction. The firm accepts certain custody arrangements (trusteeship, check‑writing or standing letters of authorization) that are subject to annual surprise audits, does not routinely aggregate client orders into block trades, and relies on Schwab‑provided research and technology—operational choices that can affect trade execution and the handling of client accounts.