Financial Life Planners

Sid Mittra, the firm's founder, historically led all investment and planning decisions. He is a professor emeritus of finance with decades of academic and practitioner experience. The firm uses a committee-based approach for portfolio construction, grounded in modern portfolio theory and academic research rather than market-timing or security selection.

No. Financial Life Planners operates as a fee-only registered investment advisor, meaning compensation comes exclusively from client advisory fees. The firm builds portfolios using third-party low-cost index funds and ETFs. It does not manufacture or sell its own mutual funds, annuities, or structured products.

The firm follows a passive, goals-based investment philosophy rooted in modern portfolio theory. Client portfolios are constructed using broadly diversified, low-cost index funds and ETFs. Tactical shifts are infrequent and limited, with the primary focus on matching asset allocation to each client's time horizon, tax situation, and retirement income needs.

The firm serves mass-affluent and high-net-worth individuals, with a particular focus on pre-retirees and retirees. Client engagements are holistic, covering investment management, tax planning, estate planning, and insurance analysis. The firm does not publicly segment its minimum asset thresholds or client count.

The firm is historically rooted in southeastern Michigan, near Sid Mittra's academic base. It can serve clients nationally through remote advisory arrangements, but its in-person client relationships have been concentrated in the Midwest. No satellite offices or regional expansions have been publicly documented.