Eureka Financial Planners

Stephen J. Shapiro serves as the firm's founder and managing partner, and he exercises control over all investment sourcing and structuring decisions. Per the firm's regulatory filings, Shapiro holds principal and supervisory roles across both its SEC-registered investment adviser and FINRA-registered broker-dealer entities. There are no other named investment principals publicly disclosed.

Eureka operates as a boutique investment adviser and placement agent, sourcing private placements and alternative investment opportunities directly rather than aggregating third-party funds. The firm structures many of its own offerings — often real estate partnerships and private credit instruments — and presents them to a network of qualified clients. This contrasts with the fund-of-funds or manager-access platforms common among larger RIAs.

The firm executes through private placements and direct syndications rather than commingled funds. Eureka's dual registration as both an SEC investment adviser and a FINRA broker-dealer enables it to structure compensation as either advisory fees or placement commissions depending on the instrument. Known structures include private debt arrangements, direct real estate partnerships, and access to alternative investment strategies.

Eureka is a regulated investment adviser and broker-dealer, not a family office. The firm serves external clients and is registered with both the SEC and FINRA. Its exempt reporting adviser status suggests assets under management below $100 million, consistent with a compact advisory practice rather than a multi-family office aggregator.

The firm's observable activity centers on direct placements and structured transactions rather than commitments to third-party commingled funds. Eureka has historically structured its own private placements — particularly in private credit and real estate — and presented these as individual investment opportunities to clients, though it may also facilitate access to hedge fund allocations on a case-by-case basis.

Eureka holds dual registration with the SEC as an investment adviser and with FINRA as a broker-dealer. This dual-hatted structure allows the firm to operate under both a fiduciary standard when providing advisory services and a suitability standard when executing brokerage transactions. For clients, this means the firm can structure private placements with compensation models tailored to the specific instrument, though it also introduces potential conflicts of interest that must be disclosed.

Eureka serves a concentrated base of qualified individuals and small institutions rather than a broad retail or mass-affluent clientele. The firm's focus on private placements and alternative investments requires clients to meet accredited investor or qualified purchaser thresholds. The compact size — reflected in exempt reporting adviser status — suggests a relationship-driven model with a limited number of accounts rather than an institutional-scale book.