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Phase III Advisory Services
Phase III Advisory Services opened in 1984 in suburban Chicago and has operated continuously since, making it one of the older independent RIAs in the region.
Phase III Advisory Services
Phase III Advisory Services opened in 1984 in suburban Chicago and has operated continuously since, making it one of the older independent RIAs in the region. Founders John Bever and Jim Uren, both CFP® certificants, positioned the firm around retirement readiness, a focus that the website's podcast series The Year You Retire and its stepwise planning process reflect. The firm advises individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and corporations from its single office at 1110 West Lake Cook Road in Buffalo Grove. The firm's core service is constructing investment strategies inside a financial plan that aims to preserve capital while funding client spending goals. Its website emphasizes measurable goal-setting and a discovery meeting as the starting point of every engagement. Asset-class exposure is not listed on the public site, but the firm's content warns about overreliance on the S&P 500, suggesting a multi-asset orientation that includes insurance and other defensive holdings. The practice serves a predominantly Illinois-based clientele with no stated institutional or international footprint. Team size and total assets under advisement are not disclosed. The website identifies only the two principals, Bever and Uren, and no additional advisors, analysts, or support staff by name. There are no recorded satellite offices, adjacent family-office vehicles, philanthropic foundations, or limited-partner structures associated with Phase III. No capital-markets transactions, fund launches, or leadership changes have been reported by third-party publications in 2024 or 2025. The firm's structural position is that of a classic main-street RIA that has outlasted multiple market cycles by staying small and working directly with retiree households. It operates without outside private-equity backing, a broker-dealer affiliation, or an institutional asset-management arm — a simple architecture that contrasts with the consolidating wealth-management landscape around it.
General information
Firm type
Bank / Wealth / Trust
Year founded
1984
AUM
Undisclosed
Location
Region
North America
Country
United States
City
Buffalo Grove
Corporate office
1110 W. Lake Cook Road, Ste 265 ABC, Buffalo Grove, IL 60089, United States
Principals
John Bever
CFP ®
Jim Uren
CFP ®
Sector focus
Frequently asked questions
Who runs investment decisions at Phase III Advisory Services?
The firm is led by John Bever and Jim Uren, both of whom hold the CFP® designation. Their website presents them as the firm's principals, though it does not itemize whether one serves as CIO or if investment decisions are made jointly. No additional investment committee members are publicly named.
Does Phase III Advisory Services disclose its assets under management?
No. The firm does not publish AUM on its website or in regulatory filings that are readily accessible. The practice has remained small enough that it has avoided the AUM-disclosure conventions common among larger RIAs. External databases assign no verifiable figure.
What is the firm's primary investment philosophy?
Phase III anchors its process on retirement income planning, not accumulation. Its public materials stress creating certainty around retirement spending and warn investors against anchoring expectations to the S&P 500, which implies an emphasis on diversification, sequence-of-returns risk management, and income-producing assets.
Does Phase III operate as a multi-family office or a standard RIA?
It operates as a registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth individuals, trusts, and corporations. There is no evidence of multi-family office services such as consolidated reporting, bill pay, or family governance. Its public-facing language aligns with traditional financial-planning and portfolio-management services.
Does the firm participate in private-market or direct investments?
Phase III does not advertise any private-market capabilities. No venture, private equity, or direct-deal activity is mentioned on its website or attributed to the firm by third-party sources. Its client-facing content centers on publicly traded securities, insurance, and retirement-account strategies.
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