David Kudla

Top Wealth · rank 56 · Grand Blanc, Michigan · listed firm: Mainstay Capital Management

Identity & firm

• Firm — Mainstay Capital Management, LLC (high)
  • “MAINSTAY CAPITAL MANAGEMENT, LLC CRD# 109528 04/06/2010” — sec_finra_regulatory
• Parent company — independent (high)
  • “Mainstay Capital Management, LLC (“MCM”) is an independent, fee-only, investment advisor registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and is a limited liability company formed under the la” — sec_finra_regulatory
  • “David Kudla is the principal owner and CEO of the firm.” — sec_finra_regulatory
• Firm type — independent_ria (high)
  • “Mainstay Capital Management, LLC (“MCM”) is an independent, fee-only, investment advisor registered with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and is a limited liability company formed under the la” — sec_finra_regulatory
  • “This representative is currently registered in 0 SRO(s) and 3 jurisdiction(s).” — sec_finra_regulatory
• Team name — gap: not_applicable
• Team size — gap: not_found_after_search
• CRD — 4431292 (high)
  • “DAVID PAUL KUDLA (CRD# 4431292)” — sec_finra_regulatory
• Years experience — gap: not_found_after_search
• Designations — other:AAMS, other:CRPC, other:CMFC, other:CWM, other:ChFM (high)
  • “David has earned two postgraduate degrees, including a Master’s Degree in Management at Stanford University, holds a Certificate in Financial Planning, and is an Accredited Asset Management Specialist SM (AAMS ® ), a Cha” — firm_official

Book of business

• Team AUM ($M) — 4500 (high)
  • “Team Assets (Custodied): $4.5B” — forbes_shook
  • “As of 03/31/2026, Mainstay Capital Management manages approximately $4,227,525,927 on a discretionary basis and $610,907,468 on a nondiscretion” — sec_finra_regulatory
• Account minimum ($M) — 0.5 (high)
  • “Minimum Account Size: $500K” — forbes_shook
• Typical client net worth ($M) — 6 (high)
  • “Typical Net Worth of Relationships: $2-10M” — forbes_shook
• Client niche — auto-industry and public-sector 401(k)/457 participants and retirees (GM, Ford, Stellantis, UAW, State of Michigan) (high)
  • “Mainstay Capital Management specializes in retirement planning and the management of individual 401(k) accounts for employees and retirees of General Motors, Ford, Stellantis, Aptiv, Allison Transmission, and UAW Interna” — sec_finra_regulatory
• Custodians — Charles Schwab & Co., Inc., Pershing, LLC (high)
  • “For the Mainstay Wealth Management service, MCM may recommend Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (“Schwab”) or Pershing, LLC (“Pershing”) for custody and brokerage services.” — sec_finra_regulatory
• Fee model — aum_fee (high)
  • “The annual fee charged for investment advisory services is based on a percentage of assets under management as follows:” — sec_finra_regulatory
  • “MCM has no ties to, nor receives commissions or compensation from any broker, mutual fund company, banking institution, or insurance company.” — firm_official

Positioning & marketing

• Website url — https://mainstaycapital.com/about-us/our-team (high)
  • “David Kudla – CEO & Chief Investment Strategist David Kudla is founder, CEO, and Chief Investment Strategist of Mainstay Capital Management, LLC, a fee-only, independent, Registered Investment Advisor.” — firm_official
• Value proposition (verbatim) — Mainstay Capital Management, LLC (MCM) was founded to help investors who do not have the time or inclination to give their retirement savings accounts and other investments the thorough research and analysis they require. (high)
  • “Mainstay Capital Management, LLC (MCM) was founded to help investors who do not have the time or inclination to give their retirement savings accounts and other investments the thorough research and analysis they require” — firm_official
  • “Mainstay Capital Management is an independent, fee-only, Registered Investment Advisor. MCM has no ties to, nor receives commissions or compensation from any broker, mutual fund company, banking institution, or insurance” — firm_official
• Differentiators — Independent, fee-only RIA with no commissions from brokers, funds, banks, or insurers, Specialist in individual 401(k)/403(b)/457 workplace savings account management, Employer-specific expertise for GM, Ford, Stellantis, UAW, and State of Michigan participants, Proprietary Mainstay Compass™ comprehensive financial planning process, Staff of Senior Wealth Advisors for full-life financial solutions (high)
  • “Mainstay Capital Management is an independent, fee-only, Registered Investment Advisor. MCM has no ties to, nor receives commissions or compensation from any broker, mutual fund company, banking institution, or insurance” — firm_official
  • “Additionally, with our staff of Senior Wealth Advisors, Mainstay Capital Management can offer counsel and develop comprehensive solutions for any financial aspect of your life.” — firm_official
• Content marketing — active (high)
  • “Jul 31, 2026 - "The Role Of Tax Efficiency In Retirement Planning"” — professional_press
  • “He is also President and Executive Editor of FIA Publishing, LLC, which publishes the “401k Investor” series of investment advisory newsletters.” — firm_official
• Has podcast — no (medium)
  • “David speaks at national conferences, conducts educational seminars, writes articles about retirement planning and investing, and has advised thousands of workplace savings plan participants.” — firm_official
• Books published — 0 (medium)
  • “David is a contributing writer for Dow Jones MarketWatch and Forbes . His insights into investments, the financial markets, and retirement planning have been sought out by Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox Business, CNN, other networ” — firm_official
• Linkedin url — https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-kudla-72a38012 (medium)
  • “David Kudla - Mainstay Capital Management, LLC | LinkedIn” — social_or_third_party_db
• Social presence — linkedin_active, x (medium)
  • “” — firm_official
  • “David Kudla - Mainstay Capital Management, LLC | LinkedIn” — social_or_third_party_db
• Press awards — Barron's Top 100 Independent Advisors (2009–2025), top 25 for 2014–2025, Barron's Advisors Hall of Fame (2019), Forbes Top RIA Firms — firm ranked top 40 (2024), CNBC Financial Advisor ranking (2025), Forbes Best-In-State Wealth Advisors (high)
  • “David is ranked by Barron’s * as one of the “Top 100 Independent Advisors” in the country for the past seventeen years (2009–2025) and in the top 25 the past twelve years (2014–2025). He is also a member of the Barron’s ” — firm_official
  • “David is ranked among the top 100 in Forbes * “Top Wealth Advisors” (2020-2026) and Mainstay Capital Management is ranked among the top 40 in Forbes * “Top RIA Firms” (2024).” — firm_official

Visual brand

• Has distinct logo — yes (high)
  • “” — firm_official
• Logo url — https://mainstaycapital.com/images/logo-new.jpg (high)
  • “” — firm_official
• Visual brand notes — Nautical corporate identity: blue/neutral palette, clean sans-serif, wide carousel photography of sailboats, beach grass, coastal shorelines and a rope knot; award badge row (Forbes, Barron's, CNBC) below the fold. (high)
  • “” — firm_official
  • “” — firm_official

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