Marion's Independent Financial Planner — Right Here in the Community

If you're looking for a financial planner in Marion, Iowa, you won't have to drive across the metro to find one worth trusting. Clearview Financial Planning is located at 1240 8th Avenue in Marion — and we've been serving families in this community for over a decade.

Local Meetings, Local Knowledge, No Commute

Our office is in Marion. Not Cedar Rapids. Not a suburban office park you have to navigate around. We're here because this is where our clients live — and because good financial planning works better when your advisor actually knows the community you're building your life in.


Whether you're raising a family near Thomas Park, approaching retirement after years of working in the Linn County area, or simply looking for someone who picks up the phone when you call, we're a short drive from anywhere in Marion — and we'd rather meet you in person than over a video call you didn't ask for.

Contact Us Today

Ryan and the Clearview team have been working with Marion-area families for over a decade. We're credentialed, independent, and located right here in the community — not a national firm with a local satellite office. If you're ready to have a real conversation about your financial future, we'd like to be the ones you have it with.


Clearview Financial Planning is a CFP®-led, independent firm serving Marion, Iowa and the surrounding Cedar Rapids metro. With 15+ years of experience and 800+ families served, we bring the credentials and the local knowledge that Marion residents deserve in a financial advisor.

Independent Advice Is a Different Thing Entirely

Marion has bank-affiliated investment services. We're not that. Clearview Financial Planning operates as a fully independent firm — no bank, no wirehouse, no institutional quotas, and no obligation to any investment platform or product line.


That independence matters more than most people realize. When an advisor works inside a bank or a large financial institution, their recommendations exist within a structure that has its own interests. As an independent, fiduciary advisor, our only obligation is to you. We're required by law to act in your best interest — and we've built the firm around that standard from day one.


If you've worked with a bank investment team in Marion and wondered whether there's a better option, the answer is yes. Same community. Different structure.

What We Help Marion Families With

Financial planning looks different depending on where you are in life. Here's what we work on most often with clients in the Marion area:

Retirement Planning

Most of our clients are somewhere in the 10-year window before or after retirement. That's when the decisions get complicated — Social Security timing, pension elections, 401(k) rollovers, and figuring out when you actually have enough to stop working. We build retirement plans that answer those questions with specifics, not estimates.

Retirement Income Strategies

Accumulating assets and turning those assets into reliable income are two very different problems. We work with retirees on income floor strategies, bucket-based approaches, and distribution planning designed to make sure your money lasts as long as you need it to.

Social Security and Pension Analysis

Claiming Social Security at the wrong time can cost a Marion-area household tens of thousands of dollars over a retirement. We run detailed claiming analyses as part of our retirement planning process — and for clients with pension decisions, we help you evaluate lump sum versus annuity options with the same rigor.

Investment Management

We manage investment portfolios for our clients on an ongoing basis, with a focus on tax-efficient positioning and alignment with each client's long-term plan. You're not handed off to a model portfolio — your investments are managed in the context of your full financial picture.

Why Marion Families Choose Clearview

There are financial advisors all over the Cedar Rapids metro. Here's what distinguishes us for clients who want to work with someone local, credentialed, and genuinely independent:

  • Ryan holds a CFP® designation and an MBA — credentials that exceed what most local advisors carry
  • Clearview has served 800+ families across Marion, Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and the surrounding Corridor
  • We've been in this specific market for over 10 years — we know how Linn County families think about retirement
  • Fully independent — no bank affiliation, no product requirements, no commission pressure
  • Process-driven planning with a personalized roadmap, not a generic allocation and a quarterly statement
  • Local office at 1240 8th Avenue, Marion, IA 52302 — real meetings with a real advisor who lives in this community

Questions Marion Residents Ask Us

  • Where is Clearview Financial Planning located in Marion?

    Our office is at 1240 8th Avenue, Marion, IA 52302 — in the FSB Investment Center building. We're centrally located in Marion and easy to reach from anywhere in the city or the surrounding Linn County area.

  • What's the difference between an independent financial planner and a bank advisor?

    An independent financial planner has no obligation to any bank, brokerage, or investment platform. We operate as a fiduciary, which means we're legally required to act in your best interest. A bank-affiliated advisor works within a structure that has its own products and priorities — which doesn't always align with yours.

  • Do you work with people who aren't close to retirement yet?

    Yes. We work with mid-career households in their 40s and early 50s who have handled the basics and want a clear plan for what comes next. You don't have to be five years from retirement to benefit from working with a CFP®.

  • How do I know when I have enough to retire?

    That's exactly the question we're built to answer. We build detailed retirement projections that account for your income sources, spending needs, Social Security timing, and investment portfolio — so you get a clear picture of when retirement is realistic, not just a guess.

  • What does a free consultation with Clearview involve?

    It's a straightforward conversation — no sales pitch, no obligation. We want to understand where you are financially, what decisions are in front of you, and whether we're a good fit to work together. Most people leave with more clarity than they came in with.

  • Do you help with Social Security timing decisions?

    We do, and we treat it as a core part of retirement planning rather than an afterthought. The difference between claiming Social Security at 62 versus 67 or 70 can be substantial over a full retirement. We model your specific situation to help you choose the strategy that makes the most sense for your household.

Serving Marion and the Surrounding Area

Our primary office is in Marion, and most of our clients are within a short drive. We regularly work with families in Cedar Rapids, Hiawatha, and communities throughout the Iowa City Corridor.


If you're in Marion and want to meet in person, our office is easy to find and we keep our schedule accessible. If you're in a surrounding community, we offer flexible meeting options and work with clients across the region.