Exploring Life & Business with Matthew Oberdorfer of OIC Financial

Today we’d like to introduce you to Matthew Oberdorfer.

Hi Matthew, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
I spent 24 years in the United States Marine Corps, where discipline, preparation, and long-term thinking were part of everyday life. During that time I became a student and lifelong practitioner of how thoughtful decisions made consistently over time can compound into meaningful outcomes. I also came to understand that resources must be allocated properly and risk must be managed deliberately.

I loved that the Marine Corps allowed me to serve. As I approached retirement, I knew I wanted to continue serving others in a meaningful way — one grounded in high integrity, trust, and expertise.
That led me to founding OIC Financial.

One of the motivations for starting the firm was seeing how often people receive fragmented advice. Investments may be managed in one place, tax strategy and planning discussed somewhere else, real estate decisions happening independently, and retirement planning treated as a separate conversation. But the most effective financial strategies usually come from coordinating those pieces and putting them under one structure.

At OIC Financial we focus on Personal Wealth and Business Wealth with investment management designed for everyone and financial planning best-fit for business owners, real estate investors, veterans with properties, and professionals with equity comp. Our work integrates holistic financial planning, fiduciary investment management, and advice on real estate and business decisions.

From a planning perspective, much of the work comes down to giving every dollar of yours a mission and getting risk and taxes under command and control, while investment management focuses on building portfolios with objectives that align with each client’s long-term financial plan.

The goal is to advise people, manage assets, and manage risk and taxes through financial planning and properly allocating capital over decades — what we describe as putting your Money on a Mission.

We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been a smooth road so far, but running and owning a business has to be something you have genuine passion for if you want to do it well over the long term.

Building a firm requires passion for the work itself. Reliably serving clients, always looking for ways to add value, and always listening carefully to what people actually need. It also requires being a consummate professional who keeps up with the industry, continues learning, and takes the responsibility of advising others seriously.

Starting a firm also means building everything from the ground up — the regulatory framework, the systems, the planning process, and the client relationships. That takes discipline and consistency over time.

Another part of the work is helping people understand what real financial planning actually is. Many people think investing is about reacting to markets or chasing ideas. In reality, much of the work happens in structure — getting risk and taxes under command and control, coordinating planning decisions, and building portfolios with objectives that support a long-term strategy.
That kind of work isn’t flashy, but it’s effective and important to Clients.

Like most things in life, the results come from consistency over time. The focus has been on building the firm thoughtfully, serving clients well, and continuing to add more value so the client’s money, and money decisions, are optimized.

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about OIC Financial?
Our role is to advise clients and manage assets through getting to know them, holistic financial planning, and properly allocating capital across investments, retirement options, real estate, and other opportunities over long periods of time. The goal is to build financial plans and investment portfolios that hold up well through economic cycles and evolving life circumstances while bringing people greater peace of mind.

We often describe that philosophy simply: putting your Money on a Mission.

A big part of that work is what we describe as Risk & Tax Management. It’s a hybrid function of financial planning and investment management. For example, reviewing insurance policies can help identify whether families or businesses may be improperly protected against risks that could disrupt a financial plan. Building diversified portfolios helps manage market risk, especially over time. Designing and managing retirement account portfolios, using tax-advantaged investment accounts, and coordinating with broader tax strategy considerations can help keep more capital working for the client rather than unnecessarily going to taxes. When these pieces are coordinated properly, risk and taxes come under command and control, and investment portfolios can be managed with clear objectives.

What sets the firm apart is that the advice is fiduciary, fee-only, and integrated. OIC Financial operates as a fee-only advisory firm, which means we do not earn commissions or sell financial products. Every recommendation must serve the client’s interests first, and every major financial decision is considered within the broader structure of the client’s plan.

In addition to planning and investment management, we also help business owners with retirement plans such as 401(k)s, and we are expanding our services to include plan setup and ongoing support. We also conduct financial workshops on key financial topics for an owner’s workforce — employees, contractors, and key personnel. These workshops help people feel more peace and confidence about their finances. For business owners, that often supports recruiting and retention while also demonstrating that they care about their people.

Brand-wise, what I’m most proud of is that OIC Financial was built intentionally from the beginning around a philosophy of client-first solutions that put their money on a mission, instead of leaving them feeling like they have to figure everything out on their own. Most people already have a job — sometimes two or three. At our core, we aim to be disciplined, thoughtful, and long-term oriented, much like the mindset business owners use to build a successful business over time.

Where do you see things going in the next 5-10 years?
Over the next five to ten years, I think the biggest shift in our industry will continue to be the move toward integrated advice. For a long time, people received fragmented guidance — investments handled in one place, tax conversations somewhere else, real estate decisions made independently, and retirement planning treated as separate conversations. Increasingly, clients are realizing those decisions are all connected.

Financial planning and investment management work best when they are coordinated. That includes structuring retirement accounts properly, managing investment portfolios with clear objectives, thinking through risk and tax management, and helping clients make thoughtful decisions about major assets like real estate or their business. When those pieces are aligned, the outcomes tend to be more durable over time.

Another trend I see is a growing demand for independent advisors. People are looking for independent, fiduciary, fee-only advisors more than ever, and it feels like there is a shift from what used to be institutional trust toward what I would call independent trust. Clients increasingly want advice that is clearly aligned with their interests.

On the investment side, technology may also reshape access to certain asset classes. One development that could become meaningful over time is the tokenization of real estate, which could allow fractional ownership of physical properties through digital structures. If that evolves the way some expect, it could democratize access to real estate in a major way. And if owning real estate becomes easier — even if it’s just fractional ownership — people will need advisors who actually understand the asset class and how it fits into a broader financial plan.
My plan is to continue growing the advisory so we can help more people.

Our investment management is designed to serve everyone. It also has risk and tax management elements embedded into our service, which helps bring peace of mind to investors.

Our financial planning, including additional risk and tax management, tends to be the best fit for business owners, real estate investors, military members and veterans who own property, and professionals with equity compensation — in other words, people who own and are responsible for allocating capital.

We will also continue adding value through services that clients consistently need. That includes expanding our work with 401(k) retirement plans, continuing to focus on risk and tax management, and integrating real estate decision-making into the broader financial plan.

We currently operate from one physical location in Columbus, Ohio, but we can also serve clients virtually through video meetings. That allows us to work with people both locally and worldwide, while keeping the structure of the firm focused and efficient. For now, that setup is serving clients really well.

Overall, I’m optimistic about where the industry is going and where our firm fits into it. The present is bright, and the future is brighter. I’m ready to serve — once again.

Pricing:

• Investment Management: 1% AUM and no other “hidden” management fees
• Investment Management for Financial Planning Clients: A reduced rate of 0.75%.
• Financial Planning for Individuals/Households: Varies based on complexity, not net worth
• Financial Planning for Business Owners: Varies based on complexity, not net worth

Contact Info:

• Website: https://OICfinancial.com
• LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/oicfinancial/