Travis Penfield
Speaker | Innovator | Visionary
Make it Count
Live with Purpose. Make it Count.
This video captures the heartbeat of Travis’s journey: the joy, the fight, the uncertainty, and the clarity that comes when you decide to live with intention. It’s a reminder that the best version of your future is often forged in the trials and tensions of life.
Whether you’re just starting out, at a crossroads, or ready to redefine what success looks like, Life is happening now — make every moment count.
That same conviction — to live with intention and refuse complacency — is what drives Travis’s work today. Over time, those personal experiences shaped a deeper calling: to confront what he believes are holding people back, both personally and professionally.
He believes the financial services industry is at an inflection point, and that meaningful change requires addressing the gaps that impact advisors, families, and the future of the industry.
That same conviction— to live with intention and build something meaningful— is what drives Travis's work today in the financial services industry.
Travis Penfield is an entrepreneur, CEO, and storyteller who believes life’s hardest moments aren’t setbacks, but invitations to live, lead, and build with intention.
Today, Travis has centered his life’s work on solving three major gaps in the financial services industry — gaps he has experienced personally and is now committed to closing through the businesses he builds. These gaps affect real advisors, real families, and the long-term health of the industry.
The Age Gap: developing the next generation of advisors and creating true succession. Travis founded 49 Financial to address this directly, building a team-based firm grounded in the belief that Two Are Better Than One and designed to invest in people, mentorship, and long-term continuity.
The Independence Gap: helping advisors pursue independence without isolation. After leaving a large firm himself, Travis experienced the uncertainty of going it alone. That experience led to Alongside, a platform built to help elite advisors reach independence faster with real partnership and simplified infrastructure.
The Services Gap: enabling truly integrated planning for families who expect more. Rather than trying to be everything to everyone, Travis focuses on integrating specialists, simplifying complexity, and creating community-driven solutions that allow advisors to serve at a higher level.
Across every venture, one throughline remains: clarity over complexity, community over isolation, and better outcomes through collaboration.
Travis also hosts The Tension, a podcast exploring the space between where we are and where we could be through honest, vulnerable conversations with leaders.
A graduate of Texas A&M (Magna Cum Laude, Finance), Travis began his career in consulting with Deloitte and has since built teams known for strong culture, retention, and performance — principles embedded in the DNA of every company he leads.
"I’ve learned firsthand that life’s biggest challenges, from navigating health crises to choosing entrepreneurship over certainty, are also its greatest teachers. These experiences taught me not just how to persist, but why persistence matters: because the people we love, the values we stand for, and the legacy we build are shaped by the choices we make today.
Make today count. Make your week count. Make your year count."
-Travis Penfield
Life Beyond the Office
Travis lives in Austin with his wife Jaclyn, their daughters Charlotte, Olivia, and Madison, and their goldendoodle, Duncan. Outside of the office, you can find him on the golf course, catching a Peloton ride, enjoying a glass of good wine, or more likely hanging out with his favorite girls.
Ventures
Each venture Travis leads exists to directly address one or more of the gaps shaping his mission — unified by a commitment to clarity, partnership, and integrated solutions for advisors and the families they serve.
An independent, values-based firm built on teamwork. Bringing deep expertise to every client while intentionally developing the next generation of advisors.
Built for advisors who want to go independent without going alone—maintaining meaningful ownership, strong community, and simplified backend complexity.
Built for advisors who want to deliver more without becoming everything, through integrated planning and access to specialized expertise.
A podcast about navigating complexity, embracing challenge, and growing through the moments that shape who we become.