Lead generation
Ken is our productLead Generation for Financial Advisors
Ken's database lists 211,201 companies that fit the buyer profile for financial advisors, as of Oct 17, 2026. With a typical deal of $5,000-$18,500 (estimate) and that many buyers, volume outbound in Campaigns fits best.
Buyer counts come from Ken's company database. Ken is our product.
Search These Buyers in Ken
In short 211,201 companies in Ken's database match this buyer filter, as of Oct 17, 2026.
Ken Search
Query
US companies with 11-500 employees that sponsor retirement plans and have owners who need wealth planning: medical practices, legal, accounting, software, consulting, engineering, construction and real estate.
- Companies in Ken's database
- 211,201
- 11-50 employees
- 171,210
- 51-200 employees
- 33,562
- 201-500 employees
- 6,429
Snapshot of Oct 17, 2026, refreshed weekly. Counts only, no company records.
Who Buys From Financial Advisors?
In short Business owners buy from financial advisors when they set up or replace a company 401(k), plan an exit or want benefits that keep senior executives; this page covers those business buyers, not household financial planning.
| Buyer trait | Typical buyer |
|---|---|
| Industries | Construction, Manufacturing, Professional services, Medical and dental practices, Software development, Wholesale distribution |
| Company size | 11-50, 51-200, 201-500 employees |
| Titles to contact | Owner, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer, HR Director, Controller |
How Many Buyers Can You Reach?
In short 211,201 companies in Ken's database, as of Oct 17, 2026.
211,201 companies in Ken's database match the buyer filter for financial advisors as of Oct 17, 2026. The filter: US companies with 11-500 employees that sponsor retirement plans and have owners who need wealth planning: medical practices, legal, accounting, software, consulting, engineering, construction and real estate.
These are companies in Ken's database (250M people and 24M companies), not every company that exists. The count refreshes weekly.
| Employees | Companies | Share of buyers |
|---|---|---|
| 11-50 | 171,210 | 81.1% |
| 51-200 | 33,562 | 15.9% |
| 201-500 | 6,429 | 3.0% |
Companies in Ken's database. Bands come from each company's listed employee count.
Plays That Work
In short 4 outbound plays for financial advisors, each tied to a trigger you can spot.
| Play | Channel | Trigger | Angle |
|---|---|---|---|
| No plan yet | The company has grown past 10 employees and shows no retirement plan filing in the Department of Labor's public Form 5500 search. | Write to the owner of a company with 11-50 employees and no 401(k) about the IRS startup credit, which can offset the cost of starting a new plan for three years. Ask about past plans first: the credit does not apply if the same employees were in another plan the company sponsored in the prior three tax years. | |
| Example first lineCompanies the size of [Company] may be able to claim an IRS credit of up to $5,000, for three years, toward 401(k) startup costs, and we set up plans that use it. | |||
| New CFO or HR Director | A new CFO or HR Director announced their start at the company. | Write to a newly hired CFO or HR Director at a company that already has a 401(k). They now own the plan's vendors and fees, so offer a benchmark of both. | |
| Example first lineCongrats on joining [Company]; if the 401(k) is now on your desk, we can benchmark its advisor and recordkeeping fees against plans of the same size. | |||
| Owner nearing exit | Email and LinkedIn | The company marks a 25th or 30th anniversary, names a successor, or hires its first president from outside the family. | Write to the founder-owner of a company that has run for decades about exit planning: what the business may sell for, the tax on the sale and the income they need after it. |
| Example first lineCongrats on 30 years of [Company]; if a sale or handoff is in the next five years, the tax and income planning is worth starting before the buyer conversations. | |||
| Senior hires added | The company announced several new VP or C-level hires in one quarter. | Message the CEO or HR Director when a company adds several senior executives, about executive benefits like deferred compensation that help keep them. | |
| Example first lineSaw [Company] added three new VPs this quarter, and a deferred compensation plan is one way owners keep senior hires past the first few years. | |||
Campaigns or 1:1 Accounts?
In short With 211,201 buyers and a typical deal of $5,000-$18,500 (estimate), volume outbound in Campaigns fits best.
| Check | Financial Advisors | Points to Accounts (Coming) when |
|---|---|---|
| Typical deal (estimate) | $5,000-$18,500 (annual advisory fees on one company 401(k) plan), midpoint $11,750 | Over $15,000 |
| Buyer companies in Ken's database | 211,201 | Fewer than 25,000 |
| Suggested lane | Campaigns | Both checks pass |
Ken's estimate: one plan with $1 million-$5 million in assets, from a 0.50% median advisor fee on $1 million to the 0.37% average, or $18,500, on a $5 million plan, as reported by InvestmentNews in February 2024.
Ken's view: when one deal is worth more than $15,000 and there are fewer than 25,000 buyers, each account is worth researching and writing to one by one. Otherwise volume wins: a Campaign of short email and LinkedIn sequences reaches more of the market for the same effort.
Objections
In short What buyers tend to say back to financial advisors, and how to answer.
| Objection | How to answer |
|---|---|
| We already have a 401(k) through our payroll provider. | Good, the plan exists. The open question is who advises it. We review the fund lineup and fees each year and meet with employees, which a payroll bundle may not include. |
| We're too small for a retirement plan. | The IRS startup credit is built for companies with 100 or fewer employees. With 50 or fewer employees paid at least $5,000, the credit is 100% of eligible startup costs up to its limit, for three years. |
| I'm not ready to talk about selling the business. | Fair, and this is the right time to plan, before a buyer sets the timeline. The first meeting covers what the business might be worth and what income you would need after, with nothing to decide. |
FAQ
How do financial advisors get clients?
In Ken's view, referrals from clients, accountants and attorneys are the usual source. Business clients add a second route: outreach to owners at moments that create advisory work, like a company growing past 10 employees without a 401(k), a new CFO or an owner planning an exit. One company plan can also lead to the owner's personal planning.
What compliance rules apply to cold email from a financial advisor?
At a FINRA member firm, Rule 2210 treats a written or electronic message sent to 25 or fewer retail investors within 30 calendar days as correspondence, which is subject to supervision and review, while one sent to more than 25 is a retail communication with its own approval rules. For SEC-registered advisers, the SEC's compliance guide says the first part of the Marketing Rule's advertisement definition does not include one-on-one communications, and whether a sequence counts as one-on-one is a question for your compliance team. Get your templates approved before you send; this is general information, not legal advice.
Who should an advisor email about a company 401(k)?
At companies with 11-50 employees, write to the owner, who signs the plan documents. At 51-500 employees, the CFO, controller or HR Director usually runs the plan and its vendor reviews. Write to one person per company, not the whole leadership team.
What should the first email to a business owner say?
Give one concrete reason to talk now, like the IRS startup credit for a company with no plan or a fee benchmark for an existing one. Leave out market commentary and performance claims, which also raise compliance questions. Ask for a 20-minute call.
What does the CAN-SPAM Act require of a cold email?
In the US, the CAN-SPAM Act covers commercial email, and the FTC says it makes no exception for business-to-business email. Its requirements: no false or misleading header information, no deceptive subject lines, identify the message as an ad, include your valid physical postal address, tell recipients how to opt out, honor opt-outs within 10 business days, and monitor anyone who sends email on your behalf. Other countries have their own rules. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do This in Ken
Find These Buyers in Ken
Open Ken Search with the buyer filter for financial advisors, narrow it to your territory and best-fit size, then send the plays above as a Campaign over email and LinkedIn.
- Search companies with this filter: US companies with 11-500 employees that sponsor retirement plans and have owners who need wealth planning: medical practices, legal, accounting, software, consulting, engineering, construction and real estate. Searching is free.
- Narrow the list to your territory and size band, then pick the titles to contact: Owner, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Financial Officer.
- Find valid emails at 1 credit ($0.02) each and add the list to a Campaign.
- Module
- Ken Search
- Open in Ken
- /waitlist
- API
POST /v1/search/companies- MCP tool
search_search_companies- Cost
- Free to search, 1 credit ($0.02) per valid email
The new Ken opens to the waiting list in batches.
Related
Sources
Changelog
- Page published.