Dave Grant, founder of Finance for Teachers, an Illinois registered investment advisor firm in Cary, Ill., that specializes in financial planning for teachers, wants to help other advisors who work with teachers, even if it means creating more competition for him.

Grant is launching the Finance for Teachers Network to provide coaching and assistance for other financial advisors who specialize in financial planning for teachers, he announced Tuesday.

Teachers have a number of 403(b) retirement plans they can be part of, many have pensions from more than one state, and they have individual investments that can create complex planning scenarios, Grant says.

“It was a steep learning curve for me when I needed to learn the pension regulations and benefits that teachers have in Illinois, but learning about other states seemed overwhelming,” Grant says. 

He called advisors in other states for help and he now receives calls from advisors wanting help with Illinois regulations. So, he decided to create a network where advisors could share their expertise.

He has six coaches who will work with advisors on marketing, writing, website design, lead generation and other issues. The network will also connect advisors who need assistance and will help advisors develop a practice geared toward teachers.

There are 150,000 teachers in Illinois alone, and three million in the United States. Grant says he is “happy to share the wealth.”