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Northstar Financial Planning
William B. McAvoy established Northstar Financial Planning in 1994 in Windham, New Hampshire, structuring the practice as a registered investment advisor.
Northstar Financial Planning
William B. McAvoy established Northstar Financial Planning in 1994 in Windham, New Hampshire, structuring the practice as a registered investment advisor. The firm has operated from the same Southern New Hampshire location for over 30 years, building a client base of local individuals, families, trusts, estates, and small charitable organizations. Unlike the consolidator-backed RIAs that have swept the region, Northstar has remained independently owned and operated by its founder, reflecting a deliberate choice to preserve a direct, high-touch advisory relationship rather than scaling through acquisition or private equity partnership. The firm's investment approach centers on portfolio management and comprehensive financial planning delivered under a fiduciary standard. Northstar manages client assets through a mix of individual securities, mutual funds, and exchange-traded funds, tailoring allocations across equity, fixed income, and cash equivalents to each client's objectives. The firm serves a diverse local client base — from pre-retirees navigating Social Security and Medicare decisions to small business owners requiring entity-level planning and charitable organizations managing endowment assets. Its geographic focus remains concentrated in New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts, with client relationships built primarily through community presence and referrals rather than digital marketing or national platform listings. Team size and total assets under management are not publicly disclosed, consistent with a practice that does not market itself to institutional audiences or participate in industry rankings. The firm maintains its primary office in Windham and lists no additional locations. Philanthropic planning for local charitable organizations and estates forms a meaningful component of the practice, integrated into the broader financial planning and portfolio management offerings. In recent years, the firm has continued to operate under William McAvoy's leadership, maintaining the same core service model that has defined the practice since its founding. Northstar's structural differentiator is its resistance to the prevailing industry trend toward aggregation. While hundreds of independent RIAs have sold to consolidators or taken private equity capital to fund growth, Northstar has remained a single-location, founder-led practice. This architecture preserves decision-making authority entirely within the firm — no external capital partner, no platform economics, no national brand standards. For the local clients it serves, that means portfolio decisions, fee structures, and service levels are set in Windham, not in a regional headquarters. The succession question — whether the firm will transition internally or ultimately sell to a larger entity — remains the critical variable in its long-term trajectory.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
1994
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Windham
Corporate office
Windham, NH, United States
Principals
William B. McAvoy
Founder & President
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Northstar Financial Planning?
William B. McAvoy, the firm's founder and president, maintains direct responsibility for investment management and portfolio decisions. Northstar operates as a founder-led RIA without an external investment committee, meaning all allocation choices flow through McAvoy's oversight. The firm's ADV filings and public records consistently identify him as the key decision-maker for both investment advisory and financial planning services.
Is Northstar Financial Planning a single-family office or a traditional RIA?
Northstar Financial Planning is a traditional registered investment advisor, not a family office. The firm serves multiple unrelated clients — individuals, trusts, estates, small businesses, and charitable organizations — under a standard RIA structure. It does not serve a single family, nor does it offer the consolidated tax, estate, and lifestyle services that define family office operations.
Does Northstar Financial Planning participate in fund commitments or direct deals?
Northstar Financial Planning does not participate in private fund commitments, direct private investments, or alternative asset structures. The firm's investment program is concentrated in publicly traded securities, mutual funds, and ETFs. There is no public evidence of venture capital, private equity, hedge fund, or direct real estate investment activity within the firm's client portfolios.
How does Northstar Financial Planning source clients?
Client sourcing is rooted in local community presence and referrals from existing clients within Southern New Hampshire and northern Massachusetts. The firm does not operate through broker-dealer networks, national custodial referral programs, or large-scale digital marketing. This localized approach is consistent with a decades-old practice that has built its reputation through longevity and direct relationships in the Windham area.
What is Northstar Financial Planning's known posture on co-investments alongside external GPs?
Northstar Financial Planning does not engage in co-investment activities alongside external general partners. The firm's investment framework is limited to publicly available securities and traditional portfolio management, with no public record of participating in private placement co-investments, special purpose vehicles, or syndicated direct deals. Its fiduciary model treats each client's portfolio individually, not as part of pooled institutional investment structures.
Where does the underlying wealth of Northstar's clients come from?
Northstar Financial Planning's client base draws from the local economic fabric of Southern New Hampshire — a mix of accumulated retirement savings, small business proceeds, and inherited wealth from the region's professional and entrepreneurial households. The firm does not serve ultra-high-net-worth dynastic families or concentrated technology wealth, reflecting the economic profile of suburban and exurban New England communities.
Does Northstar Financial Planning maintain philanthropic structures?
Northstar Financial Planning advises charitable organizations and manages assets for local philanthropic entities as part of its broader client base, but it does not maintain a separate philanthropic foundation or donor-advised fund program of its own. The firm's service to non-profit and charitable clients is integrated into its standard investment advisory and portfolio management offerings rather than operating through a dedicated philanthropic arm.
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