Northern Plains Financial

Northern Plains Financial is a financial planner in Grand Forks, ND. The firm offers financial planning and investment management for business owners, with a stated focus on communication and a fiduciary advisory relationship. Services extend through all market cycles and all stages of life, from goal-setting and strategy development to ongoing guidance through retirement. The practice serves clients from its office on S 4th St and holds a rating of 5.00.

The firm takes a team-based approach, drawing on advisors with diverse backgrounds to build custom plans rather than applying a single strategy to every client. It operates as an independent firm, supported by LPL Financial, which the team describes as giving them the ability to act in clients' best interests with flexibility on cost. Northern Plains Financial was founded in October '14 as a partnership between Mike Elsberry and Lowell Schweigert, with Jerrilyn Walstad also joining from earlier roles at Merrill Lynch and Morgan Stanley. Eric Carlson came on board in '21 and has since become a partner. The Grand Forks operations moved to the current location in '20, and a Fargo office was established in '23 before relocating in '24.

The office sits on S 4th St, about two tenths of a mile from the Grand Forks County Courthouse, Saint Marys School, Loon Park, Pillsbury Park, and the Grand Forks County Sheriff's office, and roughly three tenths of a mile from the Flood Memorial.

The team includes Michael T. Elsberry, CFP and CRPC, a Certified Financial Planner practitioner and business owner; Eric R. Carlson, MBA and CPFA, financial advisor and partner; Jerrilyn D. Walstad, CRPC, operations manager; and staff members Billie Olmstead and Jamie Blodgett. Client reviews place the firm at the top of its rating locally. For business owners who spend time outdoors and want guidance across every stage of their financial life, Northern Plains Financial operates out of downtown Grand Forks with a team built around long-term client relationships.