Sterling Trustees
Sterling Trustees is a privately held, South Dakota-chartered independent corporate trustee providing fee-only trust administration, estate, and probate services to high-net-worth families, primarily through attorney and investment advisor referral channels.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2008
- HeadquartersSioux Falls, United States
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Sterling Trustees does
Sterling Trustees LLC is a privately held, South Dakota-chartered independent trust company founded in 2008 and headquartered in Sioux Falls. The firm provides trust administration, estate, and probate services to high-net-worth families, operating exclusively on a fee-only basis without commissions or finder's fees. Its primary go-to-market is indirect through referrals from attorneys and investment advisors, positioning itself as an objective corporate trustee unaffiliated with any financial institution or product manufacturer.
The company offers a comprehensive product suite including core Trust Administration Services, Trust Attorneys, Investment Oversight, Private Label (white-label) Services for institutions, Family Office trust services, and international compliance capabilities covering CRS/FATCA. Its technology backbone is Sterling Connect, a client portal powered by Broadridge that provides account access, statements, and document management. The firm supports 16+ specialized South Dakota trust types including dynasty, asset protection, purpose, directed, and pre-immigration trusts, leveraging the state's progressive trust statutes.
Sterling Trustees operates a content-driven marketing model via educational blog posts, whitepapers, webinars, conference presence (notably Heckerling Institute), and a multilingual website in English, Spanish, and Chinese. Pricing is quote-based with annual billing cycles. The firm has earned industry recognition including dual #1 rankings in the Wealth Advisor 2026 Trust Survey and prior Chambers and Partners recognition in South Dakota. Ownership is founder/management-controlled with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external funding.
Sterling Trustees firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Sterling Trustees
- Legal name
- Sterling Trustees LLC
- Website
- https://sterlingtrustees.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2008
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Sterling Trustees is a privately held, South Dakota-chartered independent corporate trustee providing fee-only trust administration, estate, and probate services to high-net-worth families, primarily through attorney and investment advisor referral channels.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Sterling Trustees industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Trust Administration Services
- NAICS
- Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Fiduciary Agency & Trustee-for-Hire Services (FSAAANAL)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking) (BPAGAKAD), Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH), Structured Finance Legal, Trustee & Administration (FSACACAJ)
Keywords
Where Sterling Trustees is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Sioux Falls
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Sterling Trustees business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Trust Administration Fees: Fees charged for trust administration services. Company explicitly states it does not receive commission or finder's fees, indicating a fee-only service model.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | Annual | Custom quote-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels4 records
Sterling Trustees product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Sterling Trustees LLC is an independent, South Dakota-chartered trust company providing trust, estate, and probate administration services. It serves as an objective corporate trustee for clients referred by attorneys and investment advisors, administering discretionary, directed, dynasty, asset protection, charitable, and other specialized trust structures. The firm operates on a fee-only basis with no commissions or finder's fees and supports its administration work through Sterling Connect, a Broadridge-powered client portal.
Product overview
Sterling Trustees operates as a South Dakota-chartered independent trust company offering a comprehensive suite of trust administration services. The core offering consists of Trust Administration Services, Trust Attorneys, and Investment Advisors working together to provide holistic trust management. The portfolio includes specialized modules for Investment Oversight, Private Label Services for institutions, Family Office services, and Global Expertise covering international compliance (CRS/FATCA). The company has developed a Technology Platform including Sterling Connect, a client portal powered by Broadridge, which was recognized as #1 for Best Trust Technology in the 2026 Wealth Advisor Trust Survey.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Trust Administration Services
Companies that use Sterling Trustees
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Sterling Trustees technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature1 record
Sterling Trustees partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- BroadridgecoreBroadridge powers the Sterling Connect client portal, providing the technology infrastructure for client access to trust administration services.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Sterling Trustees competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rockefeller Capital Management: Independent (non-bank) wealth, trust, and family office firm serving ultra-wealthy families with corporate trustee capabilities. Shares Sterling's independent trustee value proposition at a meaningfully larger scale.
- National Advisors Trust Company: Independent chartered trust company purpose-built to provide custody and trust services to RIAs and their clients. Closely mirrors Sterling's RIA-channel GTM and independent corporate trustee model.
- Glenmede: Independent, non-bank wealth manager and trustee serving endowments, foundations, and wealthy families with full corporate trust and investment oversight services. Highly comparable on independence, fee-only model, and advisor partnership approach.
- South Dakota Trust Company: Another South Dakota-chartered independent trust company providing corporate trustee, estate administration, and related fiduciary services to advisors and families nationwide. Headquartered in Sioux Falls and serving the same advisor channel as Sterling, it is the closest like-for-like competitor.
- Bessemer Trust: Large independent (non-bank) wealth and trust advisory firm serving ultra-high-net-worth families with corporate trustee, investment management, and family office services. Directly comparable on the 'independent corporate trustee' positioning that Sterling emphasizes.
Emerging players
- GenSpring Family Offices: Multi-family office providing wealth structuring, trust coordination, and family governance services to affluent families. Overlaps with Sterling's family office module on multi-generational wealth planning and advisor collaboration.
- Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge Trust: Independent Boston-based trust company providing personalized trustee, estate, and agency services to wealthy New England families. Comparable as a boutique, non-bank corporate trustee serving advisor-driven wealth.
Broad incumbents
- Northern Trust: Public, multi-trillion-dollar custodian and wealth manager with a substantial corporate trust and family office practice. Competes for the same advisor-referred trust mandates and offers depth Sterling cannot match, but its bank affiliation undercuts the independent positioning.
- BNY Mellon Wealth Management: Large incumbent wealth and trust franchise with corporate trustee services across multiple US jurisdictions. Overlaps with Sterling on dynasty, estate, and institutional trust mandates but operates at much larger scale and as part of a publicly traded parent.
- Charles Schwab Trust Services: Custodian-led trust services franchise serving Schwab's RIA and direct wealth base with corporate trustee capabilities. Competes in the same advisor-referred trust pipeline Sterling targets but with vastly greater distribution.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Sterling Trustees social profiles
Digital presenceSterling Trustees financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Sterling Trustees leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Sterling Trustees funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Sterling Trustees M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Sterling Trustees
What does Sterling Trustees do?
Sterling Trustees LLC is an independent, South Dakota-chartered trust company providing trust, estate, and probate administration services. It serves as an objective corporate trustee for clients referred by attorneys and investment advisors, administering discretionary, directed, dynasty, asset protection, charitable, and other specialized trust structures. The firm operates on a fee-only basis with no commissions or finder's fees and supports its administration work through Sterling Connect, a Broadridge-powered client portal.
Is Sterling Trustees a public or private company?
Sterling Trustees is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Sterling Trustees founded?
Sterling Trustees was founded in 2008. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Sterling Trustees based?
Sterling Trustees is headquartered in Sioux Falls, United States, in the North America region.
How does Sterling Trustees make money?
One revenue line is on record: trust Administration Fees.
Who are Sterling Trustees's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rockefeller Capital Management, National Advisors Trust Company, Glenmede, South Dakota Trust Company and Bessemer Trust. Emerging players are GenSpring Family Offices and Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge Trust. Broad incumbents are Northern Trust, BNY Mellon Wealth Management and Charles Schwab Trust Services.
Does Sterling Trustees have an API?
No public API is recorded for Sterling Trustees.
What industry is Sterling Trustees in?
Sterling Trustees's product category is Trust Administration Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is FSAAANAL, Fiduciary Agency & Trustee-for-Hire Services, with a secondary code of BPAGAKAD, Family Offices & Philanthropic Advisors (Grantmaking). Its NAICS code is 52592.