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Mission Financial Planning
James Bohanan established Mission Financial Planning in 2009, operating as an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Mission Financial Planning
James Bohanan established Mission Financial Planning in 2009, operating as an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) in Knoxville, Tennessee. The firm's founding principle was to deliver fiduciary-level financial planning for high-net-worth individuals, separating itself from commission-based broker-dealer models. Bohanan continues to serve as President, overseeing all client relationships and investment strategies. The firm's approach integrates financial planning with portfolio management, covering retirement planning, estate strategies, tax optimization, and risk management. Mission Financial Planning constructs custom portfolios using low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs), individual equities, and fixed-income securities, with selective exposure to alternative investments such as real estate investment trusts (REITs) and private placements. The geographic focus remains the southeastern United States, primarily Tennessee and surrounding states, serving a client base of business owners, executives, and retirees. Mission Financial Planning operates with a lean team structure, supporting roughly 100 client households for whom it provides ongoing financial oversight and quarterly rebalancing. The firm has no disclosed offices beyond its Knoxville headquarters, nor does it carry institutional capital — it is a pure fee-only advisory practice funded by assets-under-management (AUM) fees of approximately 1% annually. A 2023 regulatory filing with the Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance confirmed the firm's advisory registration status and its fiduciary obligations under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. The firm's structural differentiator is its independence: it owns no proprietary investment products and receives no compensation from product sponsors, eliminating conflicts of interest common to large wirehouses. This allows Mission Financial Planning to operate as a pure fiduciary, with investment policy statements tailored uniquely to each client's liquidity needs, time horizon, and risk appetite. Succession planning for the firm itself remains undisclosed.
General information
Firm type
Multi Family Office
Year founded
2009
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Knoxville
Corporate office
Knoxville, TN, United States
Principals
James P. Bohanan
Founder and President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Mission Financial Planning?
James Bohanan, founder and President, serves as the lead advisor and chief investment decision-maker for all client accounts. He sets the firm's asset allocation framework and approves individual portfolio changes, drawing on his certified financial planner (CFP) credentials and experience since 2009.
How does Mission Financial Planning structure client fees?
The firm charges a fee-only model based on assets under management, typically around 1% annually, with no commissions or product-based compensation. This aligns with its fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, ensuring all advice is free of sales incentives.
Is Mission Financial Planning a single-family office or a multi-client advisory?
It operates as a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) serving multiple high-net-worth client households, functioning similarly to a multi-family office in its scope of holistic financial planning. The firm does not manage a single concentrated fortune but rather advises dozens of families on wealth transfer, tax minimization, and investment strategy.
What investment vehicles does Mission Financial Planning typically use?
The firm primarily uses low-cost exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and individual equities for listed exposure, alongside municipal bonds and treasuries for fixed-income allocations. For qualified clients, it may incorporate alternative investments such as real estate investment trusts (REITs) or private real estate syndications, although these are a small fraction of overall portfolios.
What geographic region does Mission Financial Planning serve?
The firm is based in Knoxville, Tennessee, and serves clients primarily in the southeastern United States, including Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia. It does not market nationally and relies on local referrals, consistent with its practice of managing roughly 100 client households.
Does Mission Financial Planning have any institutional or fund-of-funds structure?
No — the firm operates solely as a direct advisory practice, constructing individual portfolios for each client and maintaining no pooled investment funds or institutional capital pools. Its revenue comes entirely from client AUM fees, not from fund management or carried interest.
How does Mission Financial Planning handle estate and tax planning?
Estate and tax planning are core components of the firm's service, integrated into every financial plan. Advisors work with client attorneys and accountants to structure trusts, gift strategies, and tax-efficient withdrawal sequences, though the firm does not itself draft legal documents.
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