Brooklyn Fi skips venture capital, boards, billion exits. Co-founders Shane Mason and Ally Jane Ayers target creatives, tech pros, HENRYs. Amid robo/roll-ups, this outlier grows via referrals, equity expertise.
AUM $130-370M [FinanceHQ, Unknown] [Kitces.com, Unknown]. Recent $227.5M/1,177 accounts [SmartAdvisorMatch, Unknown]. 400 households avg $850k+ [Indyfin, Unknown]. Bootstrapped since 2017, services scale.
The equity compensation wedge
Traction from equity packages. Mason CPA/CFP, PwC [Brooklyn Fi website, Unknown]. Ayers developer/CFP/RLP [Brooklyn Fi website, Unknown] [Wealthtender, Unknown]. Tax + tech/creative fits RSUs/options.
Fee-only comprehensive: investments, tax, preservation [Brooklyn Fi website, Unknown]. Clients pay for conflict-free vs sales. Podcast Liquidity Event, Ayers book Creative Money Penguin Fall 2026 [NAPFA, 2026] [Substack, Unknown].
A bootstrapped growth trajectory
Referrals, hiring drove growth. 100% YoY, 6 employees to remote [Jetpack Workflow, Unknown]. Ayers 50/50 post-2018 CFP [Jetpack Workflow, Unknown]. Caitlin Fastiggi Director [RocketReach, Unknown].
High-touch dictates scale.
| Metric | Reported Figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Assets Under Management (AUM) | $227.5 million | [SmartAdvisorMatch, Unknown] |
| Client Accounts | 1,177 | [SmartAdvisorMatch, Unknown] |
| Estimated Client Households | 400 | [Indyfin, Unknown] |
| Average Client Size | $853,721 | [Indyfin, Unknown] |
| Year-Over-Year Growth (historical) | 100% | [Jetpack Workflow, Unknown] |
The ceiling on a services bet
Strengths constrain. Linear growth via planners. No tech moat; expertise/fiduciary key.
Rivals: giants, RIAs, digital. Niche/authenticity defends.
Path to bigger AUM: higher minimums or acquisitions avoided.
- Scalability limit. AUM/planner tied.
- Niche dependence. Tech/creative demand.
- Brand as a moat. Reputation/content [LinkedIn, Unknown].
Model works. Hiring CFP [Brooklyn Fi website, Unknown]. Question: scale practice true to ethos?
Sources
- [FinanceHQ, Unknown] Brooklyn Fi: Investment Advisor Firm | https://www.financehq.com
- [Kitces.com, Unknown] Fast-Growth Hiring Challenges Of Scaling From Scratch To $5M | https://www.kitces.com
- [SmartAdvisorMatch, Unknown] Brooklyn Fi, LLC | https://www.smartadvisormatch.com
- [Indyfin, Unknown] Brooklyn FI - Financial Advisory Firm in Brooklyn, NY | https://www.indyfin.com
- [Jetpack Workflow, Unknown] How This Accounting Firm Grew 100% YoY with Financial Planning Services | https://www.jetpackworkflow.com
- [Brooklyn Fi website, Unknown] Your Trusted Financial Advisors in Brooklyn | BKFi | https://www.brooklynfi.com/
- [Brooklyn Fi website, Unknown] AJ Ayers, Brooklyn Fi | https://www.brooklynfi.com/ajayers
- [Wealthtender, Unknown] AJ Ayers, CFP®, EA, CEP, RLP - Wealthtender | https://wealthtender.com/financial-advisors/aj-ayers-cfp-ea/0/
- [NAPFA, 2026] Keynote Speakers - NAPFA Spring 2026 National Conference | NAPFA | https://www.napfa.org/conferences/napfa-spring-2026-national-conference/keynote
- [Substack, Unknown] GROW: How AJ Ayers’s thoughtful approach to financial advice paid off | https://www.substack.com
- [RocketReach, Unknown] Brooklyn Fi Finance Department | https://rocketreach.co
- [LinkedIn, Unknown] Ally Jane Ayers, CFP®, EA, CEP, RLP on LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com