About Ridge and Republic Financial
About Ridge and Republic Financial
Ridge and Republic Financial is an independent, fiduciary investment advisory firm based in Dayton, Ohio.
The firm was founded to serve individuals and professionals who face material financial decisions and want those decisions grounded in clarity, discipline, and sound risk judgment.
Our work centers on capital stewardship, thoughtful planning, and investment decision-making that accounts for uncertainty, downside risk, and long-term consequences. In an industry that often prioritizes scale, complexity, or sales velocity, Ridge and Republic is intentionally structured to remain independent, deliberate, and client-aligned.
Our approach is human, personal, and judgement oriented. Guidance is delivered through careful conversation, structured analysis, and a fiduciary obligation that places client interests first: always.
If you value clear thinking, disciplined process, and advice designed to hold up over time, Ridge andRepublic Financial was built for you.
Our work centers on three areas.
Financial Planning — Clarity for Material Decisions
We provide structured financial planning for clients facing complex, high-impact decisions. This includes retirement strategy, tax considerations, insurance structure, cash-flow design, and balance-sheet analysis.
The objective is not volume or complexity, but clarity. We help clients understand tradeoffs, constraints, and risk exposures so decisions are made deliberately rather than reactively. Planning engagements may be project-based or hourly, depending on scope and need.
Ongoing Advisory & Risk Oversight — A Deliberate Partnership
Many clients are less interested in a static plan and more interested in ongoing judgment.
Through an advisory retainer, we provide continued oversight as circumstances, markets, and priorities evolve.
This includes plan refinement, scenario evaluation, and decision coaching around significant financial events. The focus is consistency of process, accountability, and disciplined responses to uncertainty, not constant activity.
Portfolio Management — Disciplined Capital Stewardship
For clients who prefer professional portfolio management, we design and oversee investment strategies aligned with clearly defined objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon.
Each relationship is guided by a written Investment Policy Statement that establishes constraints, decision rules, and risk parameters. Portfolios are monitored on an ongoing basis, with adjustments made intentionally rather than reactively, to remain aligned with the client’s broader financial framework.
Across all services, the emphasis is the same: clear thinking before action, explicit attention to risk, and alignment between capital, goals, and reality..
As fiduciaries, we are legally and ethically bound to put your interests first. That means every recommendation is designed with one goal in mind: protecting and guiding your wealth so you can focus on what truly matters.
About the Founder
Adam Betzelberger - Founder, Managing Principal
My name is Adam Betzelberger.
Before founding Ridge & Republic Financial, I spent fifteen years teaching AP Economics and History at academically rigorous institutions. That work gave me a practical understanding of how people reason about incentives, risk, and long-term consequences, and where those frameworks tend to break down when financial decisions carry real weight.
After leaving the classroom, I built and operated multiple businesses, managing real capital, operating risk, and growth constraints. Over the past several years, I have worked with thousands of clients and students, teaching investing, financial systems, and decision-making under uncertainty. Consistently, the conversations moved beyond spreadsheets and projections toward a deeper need: clarity around risk, tradeoffs, and long-term judgment.
Ridge & Republic Financial was built to address that need.
My work is grounded in a risk-first perspective. Having lived through the Global Financial Crisis and subsequent market cycles, I am deeply focused on how leverage, liquidity, incentives, and behavioral pressure shape outcomes over time. At higher levels of wealth, the primary challenge is not access to opportunity, but disciplined decision-making in the presence of uncertainty.
As a fiduciary, I am legally and ethically obligated to act in my clients’ best interests. More importantly, I view that obligation as foundational to the work itself. Advice must be independent, grounded in reality, and resilient across changing market conditions—not optimized for sales, narratives, or short-term performance.
My role is to provide calm, deliberate guidance so clients can make informed capital decisions with confidence and perspective. The goal is not constant activity, but consistent judgment.
Outside of Ridge & Republic, I continue to operate educational programs and teach financial literacy, particularly around economics and investing.
That work reinforces a principle central to this firm: clear thinking precedes good outcomes.
If you value disciplined process, thoughtful risk management, and clarity over complexity, I would welcome the opportunity to talk.