Family Financial CentersFranchise Cost, Revenue & Review 2026
Data from FDD filing + SBA 7(a) records
FranchiseVerdict summary · 2026
A Family Financial Centers franchise requires a total initial investment of $154K – $309K, including a $41K franchise fee. Per the 2025 FDD, average unit revenue was $262K[2]. Verdict grade: B. Run a live ROI scan →
Data last verified June 18, 2026 · figures per the 2025 FDD issuance
Overview
- Investment
- $154K – $309K
- 63rd pct Financial Ser…
- Avg gross sales
- $262K
- 7th pct Financial Ser…
- Royalty
- N/A
- Units
- 52
- 37th pct Financial Ser…
- SBA default
- N/A
Quick verdict · Financial Services · color = vs category peers
Green = >15% above Financial Services avg · No shading = within ±15% · Red = >15% below avg · Source: FDD filings + SBA 7(a)
Data from public FDD filings and SBA records. Not financial advice. Methodology
The system contracted 6% year-over-year. Investigate why units are closing.
The franchisor's auditor raised doubt about continued operations. This is a serious risk signal.
Bottom line
- Total investment $154K – $309K including a $41K franchise fee.
- Average unit revenue of $262K/year (median $153K).
- Verdict B (Above Average) with a risk score of 56/100.
- Auditor disclosed a going-concern note, which flagged doubt about the franchisor's ability to continue operations. Verify against the latest FDD.
Item 1 · who you're contracting with
The Franchisor
- Legal entity
- Family Financial Centers, LLC
- Parent company
- Family Financial Centers, Inc.
- CEO title
- Chief Executive Officer
- Paul W. Eckert
- CEO experience
- 2004 yrs
- Years in role or industry
- Founder active
- Yes
- Original founder still leading the business
- Incorporated in
- DE
- HQ
- 99 Lantern Drive, Suite 101, Doylestown, PA 18901
- Auditor
- BKC, CPAs, PC
- Audited financials
- Franchisor revenue
- $2.3M
- vs $2.2M prior year
- Management churn noted
- Frequent turnover
- Item 2 disclosed frequent executive changes
- ⚠ Going-concern note
- Disclosed in FDD 2025
- Auditor flagged doubt about continued operations. Verify against the latest FDD before deciding.
Overview
About
Family Financial Centers franchisees operate retail check-cashing and debit card services, plus ancillary financial products like loans and "Gold" membership services. Day-to-day operations include processing customer transactions, managing compliance with financial regulations, handling cash inventory, and marketing services to underbanked demographics in their protected territories.
- CEO
- Paul W. Eckert
- Headquarters
- PA
- Founded
- 2004
- FDD year
- 2025
- States available
- 11
FDD Item 7 · 2025 filing
Initial investment breakdown
| Cost component | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Initial franchise fee | $41K | $41K |
| Working capital (3–6 mo) | $5K | $34K |
| Equipment, build-out, other | $108K | $235K |
| Total initial investment | $154K | $309K |
Source: Family Financial Centers 2025 FDD, Items 5 and 7[2]. “Equipment, build-out, other” is computed as total minus disclosed line items above.
Single-unit · estimated
Returns at a glance
Indicative numbers using FDD Item 7 / Item 19 inputs and category-benchmarked cost ratios. Full single-unit, 25-unit portfolio, and LBO models (with every input editable to stress-test your own scenario) live on the financials page.
Store EBITDA · annual
$39K
15.0% margin
Unlevered ROIC
16%
EBITDA / total invested capital
Payback
6.4 yrs
cash-on-cash, unlevered
Item 7 · what it costs to open + operate
The Vitals
- Total investment
- $154K – $309K
- Near category avg vs category
- Liquid capital req'd
- $5K – $34K
- Better than avg vs category
- Franchise fee
- $41K – $41K
- Better than avg vs category
- Royalty
- Greater of either (1) $275 per month; or (2) the sum of (…
- Ad fund
- 2.0%
- typical 3–5%
- Total fee load
- 3.0%
- vs 9–13% typical
Ongoing fees · Item 6
| Fee | Amount |
|---|---|
| Royalty (flat) | Greater of either (1) $275 per month; or (2) the sum of (a) 2/10 of 1% of the face amount of all checks cashed and all debit transactions on all check cashing and debit card services; and (b) 5% of fees collected on Gold and 5% of fees collected on Loans |
| Marketing / ad fund | 2.0% of gross sales |
| Transfer fee | $37K |
| Renewal fee | $15K |
| Total fee load | 3.0% of rev |
A 3.0% total fee load is unusually lean. More of each revenue dollar stays with the franchisee.
Financial Performance
- Avg gross sales
- $262K
- Per unit, per year
- Median gross sales
- $153K
- Item 19 type
- gross_sales
- Sample size
- 51 units
- vs category median 97
- Range (low → high)
- $11K→$999K
- Cohort dispersion (min → max)
- Quartile band
- $80K→$355K
- Bottom 25% → top 25%
- Reporting year
- 2024
- Fiscal year the figures cover
- Transparency
- 4 / 5
- vs category median 0 / 5 · above
Compared against 58 Financial Services brands
vs Financial Services averages
How Family Financial Centers Compares
Unit growth
Item 20 · unit dynamics
The Growth Chart
- Total units
- 52
- Opened
- 2
- Last reporting year
- Closed
- 5
- Terminated
- 0
- Franchisor ended the franchise (per Item 20)
- Non-renewed
- 0
- Term expired, not renewed (per Item 20)
- Turnover rate
- 9.6%
- Company-owned
- 0
- Corporate units in the system
- % franchised
- 100%
- vs corporate-owned
- Net growth (yr3)
- -5.5%
- Net unit change last year
- 3-yr CAGR
- -8.8%
- Compounded over last 3 years
3-year detail · Item 20
- Transfers (3yr)
- 0
- Projected new
- 0
- Franchisor's next-year forecast
- Ceased ops
- 9.6%
- Units that stopped operating
Year-over-year franchised unit counts and net change. Source: FDD Item 20.
Item 20 · 10 states with active franchisees
The Territory Map
Derived from franchisee contact records. Shows states with at least one current operator. Not where the franchisor is registered to sell new units (that data is re-extracting in a future refresh).
States derived from franchisee contact records (FDD Item 20). Shows states with at least one current operator on file. Full state registration data (Item 12) will appear on a future FDD refresh.
SBA loan performance
Government records
SBA Loan Data
Aggregated from SBA loan disclosures. This brand has only 1 7(a) loan on file; statistical reliability is limited below 10 loans.
- Total loans
- 1
- Loan volume
- $150K
- Median loan
- $150K
- 50th percentile
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
Historical SBA 7(a) lending data, not predictive of future performance. How SBA charge-off rates are calculated
- Repayment rate (PIF)
- N/A
- 5-yr charge-off
- N/A
- Loans approved 2021+
- Active lenders
- 1
- Defaults
- 0
Explore lender portfolios on Bank Reports or regional data on State Reports.
Premium insight
SBA Lending Report
Deep-dive into Family Financial Centers's SBA lending history: lender network, geographic footprint, interest rates, and more.
SBA Lending Report
- Principal loss rate and NAICS industry benchmark
- 1 lenders with concentration factor
- Per-state charge-off rates across 1 states
- Startup risk premium and job creation velocity
- 1-year lending trend
Instant access. No subscription.
Risk analysis
FranchiseVerdict rating + FDD Items 3, 5, 6, 12, 17
Risk & Legal
Declining franchise system in a commoditized, heavily regulated industry with undisclosed profitability and complex, tiered royalty structure creates moderate-to-high investment risk.
Litigation (Item 3)
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Bankruptcy (Item 4)
None disclosed
Audited financials (Item 21)
Yes · BKC, CPAs, PC⚠ Going-concern note flagged
Franchisor revenue (Item 21)
Franchisor entity revenue (not unit-level)
Supplier relationship · Items 8 & 16
- Franchisor sells you products: Yes
- Kickbacks from required suppliers: Yes
- Must buy proprietary products: Yes
- Restricted to system-approved products: Yes
- Can negotiate own supplier terms: No
Score breakdown · what drove the 56 / 100 rating
- 01MINORSystem declining 5.5% YoY with only 52 units—suggests market headwinds or franchisee dissatisfaction
- 02MEDNet income not disclosed in Item 19—impossible to validate true profitability claims against $261,757 average revenue
- 03MINORComplex royalty structure with multiple tiers (fixed + percentage of checks cashed + fee-based) creates unpredictable monthly obligations and potential disputes
- 04MINORAverage revenue of $261,757 leaves minimal margin if royalties consume 5-10% and overhead is high in financial services
- 05MINORCheck cashing and payday lending face regulatory headwinds, consumer backlash, and digitalization pressures from banking competitors
- 06MINOR15-year term is lengthy for a declining niche business without demonstrated path to unit growth
Severity inferred from the FDD text · not a regulatory classification
FDD Items 5, 6, 12, 17 · continued from Risk & Legal
Contract & Territory Detail
| Initial term | 15 years |
|---|---|
| Renewal term | 5 years |
| Allowed renewalsℹ | 2 |
| Territory type | Radius |
| Protected territory | Yes |
| Exclusive territoryℹ | No |
| Territory radius | 0.1 mi |
| Online sales rights | Restricted |
| Franchisor can compete | Yes |
| Hire a manager? | Not allowed |
| Owner-operator | Required |
| Non-compete (years)ℹ | 2 years |
| Non-compete (miles)ℹ | 10 mi |
| Right of first refusalℹ | Yes |
| Transfer requires consent | Yes |
| Termination notice | 10 days |
| Mandatory arbitration | Yes |
| Jury trial waiver | Yes |
| Governing law | Pennsylvania |
| Litigation count | 0 |
View Item 3 litigation summary
No litigation is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Items 10, 11
Training & Operations
- Classroom training
- 39 hrs
- On-the-job training
- 22 hrs
- Training location
- Doylestown, PA
- Ongoing training
- Required
- Field support
- 38 hrs/yr
- On-site visits per year
- Time to open
- 4 mo
- From signing to launch
- POS system
- Power Check or Tier3
- Operating tech stack
Items 5 & 11
Franchisor Support
Technology: Power Check or Tier3
Item 20 · call current owners
Franchisee Contacts
50 owners to call
Name · phone · city · state. Extracted from FDD Item 20
FDD download
Family Financial Centers · FDD (2025) PDF
Frequently asked questions
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to open a Family Financial Centers franchise?
The total investment to open a Family Financial Centers franchise ranges from $154K – $309K, with an initial franchise fee of $41K. This includes real estate, equipment, inventory, and working capital as disclosed in their Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD).
What do Family Financial Centers franchise owners earn?
According to Item 19 of the Family Financial Centers FDD, the average gross sales per unit is $262K. The median is $153K. Note: this is gross revenue, not profit. Actual owner earnings vary based on location, operating costs, and management.
What is Family Financial Centers's franchise failure rate?
SBA 7(a) loan charge-off data is not available for Family Financial Centers (fewer than 10 loans on file). Charge-off rates are one way to gauge franchise risk, but not all franchise loans go through the SBA program. We recommend reviewing turnover and closure data in the FDD and speaking with current franchisees.
How many Family Financial Centers franchise locations are there?
As of their most recent FDD filing, Family Financial Centers has 52 total units in the United States, including 52 franchised units and 0 company-owned units. 2 new units were opened in the latest reporting year.
Is Family Financial Centers a good franchise to buy?
FranchiseVerdict rates Family Financial Centers as a B-grade franchise with a risk score of 56 out of 100, based on our analysis of investment costs, revenue data, SBA loan performance, and growth trends. Our rating is based solely on publicly available FDD and government data; we recommend speaking with current franchisees before making any investment decision. This is not investment advice.
Data sourced from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) FOIA records. Not financial advice.
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Data extracted from public FDD filings and SBA 7(a) loan disclosures (FOIA). This information is provided for research purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify all figures with the franchisor's current Franchise Disclosure Document before making any investment decision.