Sound Income Group

What Sound Income Group does

Sound Income Group, LLC is a privately held financial services holding company headquartered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, founded by David Scranton around 2006 and restructured under its current parent-company form in 2022. It operates three wholly owned subsidiaries that together serve independent financial advisors and RIAs: Sound Income Strategies, an SEC-registered RIA offering income-focused investment management including ETFs (SDEI, FXED, DIVY) and Separately Managed Accounts with over $4B in affiliated assets under management; Retirement Income Source, a franchise model granting advisors regional retirement-income planning territories with turnkey marketing and support; and Sound Income Academy (formerly Advisors' Academy), a Field Marketing Organization providing coaching, Series 65 licensing support, and practice management to independent annuity producers. The firm targets established advisors with $1M+ in AUM or $1M+ in FIA sales volume and a national footprint of 100+ affiliated advisors, generating revenue through AUM-based advisory fees, insurance/annuity commissions via the FMO, franchise fees and royalties, and coaching/professional services.

The company's core technology stack is relatively conventional for a mid-market RIA/FMO: CRM and workflow integrations with Redtail Technology, Wealthbox, Calendly, EstateGuru, AnnuityRateWatch, and the Orion Advisor Technology platform (where three SIS SMA models are now distributed). The proprietary component is the Scranton Sales Process, a turnkey sales methodology for advisors, supplemented by in-house broadcast studios and a content engine (YouTube's The Income Generation Show, TV appearances on Bloomberg/CNBC/Fox Business/OAN, and a #1 Amazon-bestselling book). Distribution is exclusively B2B: end retail clients are reached only indirectly through affiliated advisors. Strategic growth has been funded organically—no external funding rounds are disclosed—and the company was bootstrapped and founder-controlled since inception.

Name

Sound Income Group

Legal name

Sound Income Group, LLC

Website

https://soundincomegroup.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sound Income Group is a privately held Fort Lauderdale financial services holding company that supports 100+ independent financial advisors through three subsidiaries: an SEC-registered RIA managing over $4B in AUM, an FMO for annuity producers, and a retirement-income franchise network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive/Full-Service RIAs & Independent Wealth Managers (FSAAACAA)

Keywords

• Retirement income planning
• Investment advisory services
• Financial advisor coaching
• Annuity distribution services
• Wealth management platforms

Headquarters

HQ city

Fort Lauderdale

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services (Sound Income Strategies): Fee-based investment advisory services provided through the affiliated SEC-registered RIA. Revenue is generated through assets under management (AUM) fees from the over $4B in assets managed. Also offers third-party asset manager services to wealth management firms seeking income strategy capabilities.
2. FMO/Insurance Products (Advisors' Academy): Field Marketing Organization providing mentorship, coaching, and growth strategies to independent annuity producers. Generates commission revenue from insurance product sales including fixed-rate deferred annuities, fixed indexed annuities, and other income-generating insurance products.
3. Franchise Model (The Retirement Income Store): Offers franchise opportunities to financial advisors providing retirement planning services. Franchisees receive a clear regional market, turnkey marketing programs, and comprehensive support tools. Revenue generated through franchise fees and ongoing royalty payments.
4. Coaching and Training Programs: Provides personalized coaching and training programs for financial advisors including the Scranton Sales Process, help obtaining Series 65 licenses, fixed income management training, and marketing best practices education.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Sound Income Group operates as a holding company for three affiliated financial services subsidiaries that support independent advisors: Sound Income Strategies (SEC-registered RIA managing over $4B in income-focused assets via SMAs and ETFs), Retirement Income Source (a franchise offering for retirement income planning advisors), and Sound Income Academy/Advisors' Academy (an FMO providing coaching, marketing, and practice management for annuity producers). The platform is anchored on an income-first investment philosophy and includes proprietary products such as the SDEI, FXED, and DIVY ETFs and the Scranton Sales Process.

Product overview

Sound Income Group is a diversified financial services holding company offering an integrated platform of three complementary businesses for independent financial advisors and wealth management professionals. The core offering consists of Sound Income Strategies (SEC-registered RIA with over $4B AUM providing actively managed income-focused investment strategies), Retirement Income Source (franchise model for advisors specializing in retirement income planning), and Sound Income Academy (FMO providing marketing, coaching, and practice management). The company also offers proprietary investment products including the Sound Equity Income ETF (SDEI), FXED ETF, and DIVY ETF, along with the Scranton Sales Process—a proprietary sales methodology—and personalized coaching services. All components are designed to support advisors in helping clients achieve income-focused retirement planning.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Sound Income Strategies (RIA) SEC-registered RIA providing fee-based income advisory solutions and a turnkey asset management program for independent financial advisors, including actively managed income-focused strategies, ETFs, and Separately Managed Accounts (SMAs) with over $4B in affiliated AUM.
• Retirement Income Source (Franchise) Franchise model offering financial advisors specialized retirement income planning services with an assigned regional market, turnkey marketing programs, coaching, and comprehensive practice support.
• Sound Income Academy / Advisors' Academy (FMO) Field Marketing Organization providing coaching, marketing, and practice management services to independent annuity producers, including help obtaining the Series 65 license and fixed income management training.
• Sound Equity Income ETF (SDEI) Dividend-focused ETF managed by Sound Income Strategies that screens and weights companies based on dividend yield, targeting high-quality large-cap and mid-cap equities with consistent dividend growth histories.
• FXED ETF Fixed income-focused ETF offered by Sound Income Strategies, trading on the New York Stock Exchange floor with a top 1% Morningstar rating among its peer group.
• DIVY ETF Dividend/income-focused ETF offered by Sound Income Strategies, listed on the New York Stock Exchange floor.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32% AUM increase reported January 2025
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Orion Advisor TechnologycoreTechnology or Integration · 1 October 2024Three SMA models from Sound Income Strategies are now available on Orion's platforms, expanding distribution to Orion's network of wealth management firms and RIAs. This integration provides advisors using Orion's tech stack access to Sound Income Strategies' income-focused investment models.
• IncomeConductorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCloud-based platform allowing financial advisors to create customized, time-segmented written income plans and distribution strategies that can be tracked throughout retirement. Partnership provides integrated retirement planning capabilities for the Sound Income Group advisor network.
• American Trust RetirementcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint recognition as Retirement Plan & Income Solutions Provider of the Year. Partnership involves providing retirement income solutions to plan sponsors and participants.
• Integrated PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for providing integrated retirement income planning solutions to advisors and their clients.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Cetera Financial Group: Cetera operates a holding company of independent advisor-focused businesses including an RIA custodian, an insurance/FMO-like arm, and advisor practice management, mirroring Sound Income Group's three-subsidiary (RIA + franchise + FMO) structure. Both serve independent advisors with comprehensive back-office, investment, and practice growth support.
• Focus Financial Partners: Focus is the leading RIA and wealth management aggregator, partnering with independent advisor firms to provide capital, compliance, technology, and investment support. Sound Income Group operates a similar advisor-recruitment, multi-subsidiary platform model targeted at the same advisor segment.
• AssetMark: AssetMark provides turnkey asset management programs, SMAs, and practice management resources to independent RIAs — directly comparable to Sound Income Strategies' institutional-level portfolio management and SMA offerings delivered through the Orion partnership.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Cambridge is a large IBD/independent advisor support firm offering advisor services, practice management, and an affiliated RIA, comparable to the end-to-end advisor support Sound Income Academy and Sound Income Group provide, though at far larger scale.
• Ash Brokerage (Atria Wealth): Ash Brokerage is a leading FMO/wholesaler supporting independent annuity and insurance producers, the closest direct comparator to Advisors' Academy on the insurance/FMO side of Sound Income Group's business.
• Global Retirement Partners: GRP operates a retirement-focused advisor support and rollup platform with practice management and back-office services for advisors building retirement income practices, similar in niche focus to the Retirement Income Source franchise arm.

Broad incumbents

• Orion Advisor Technology: Orion is both a distribution platform (where Sound Income Strategies' SMAs are listed) and a broader wealthtech incumbent serving RIAs with portfolio accounting, CRM, and model marketplace capabilities. An indirect competitor for advisor mindshare and a key channel for Sound Income's product distribution.
• Waddell & Reed / Macquarie Asset Management (retail wealth): Macquarie's wealth management division (formerly Waddell & Reed) is a broad incumbent offering advisor-sold investment solutions, SMA platforms, and retirement income strategies that compete for the same advisor and retirement-income end-client wallet as Sound Income Group.

Emerging players

• Annexus Wealth Management: Annexus develops fixed-indexed-annuity-based strategies, models, and turnkey practice solutions for advisors serving retirement-income clients, directly comparable to Advisors' Academy and the FIA-rich product set Sound Income Group offers.
• IncomeConductor: IncomeConductor provides time-segmented retirement income planning software to advisors — a named strategic partner of Sound Income Group and an emerging/overlapping player in the income-plan tooling category Sound Income leverages across its network.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/soundincomegroup
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sound-income-group
• Xx.com/SoundIncomeG

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sound Income Group