Sterling Financial Group

What Sterling Financial Group does

Sterling Financial Group, LLC is an independently owned financial advisory firm founded in 1997 by Marcus Pinnock and headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning, investment and wealth management, retirement planning, insurance and risk management, estate planning, taxation and cash flow management, and charitable giving strategies to individuals, families, and small business owners across the United States, with a primary focus on high-net-worth individuals, pre-retirees and retirees, and business owners. Sterling operates as an independent broker/dealer affiliation through Commonwealth Financial Network, which provides regulatory compliance, securities processing, clearing, custody (via National Financial Services LLC), and access to nonproprietary products from multiple providers; the firm itself does not disclose any proprietary technology platform. The business operates on a hybrid revenue model combining recurring advisory fees for asset management and financial planning with commissions on financial product sales, and acquires clients through referral networks, community events, educational content, and a weekly market update newsletter. The firm employs 15 financial advisors and roughly 13 support staff, with multiple advisors holding CFP, ChFC, AIF, RICP, and CLU designations, and at least one advisor (John Raybould) recognized as a Chairman's Level advisor at Commonwealth Financial Network in 2025 (top 4% of affiliated advisors).

Name

Sterling Financial Group

Legal name

Sterling Financial Group, LLC

Website

https://sfg.us

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Sterling Financial Group is an independently owned Salt Lake City-based financial advisory firm founded in 1997, serving individuals, families, and small business owners nationwide with comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, retirement, estate, tax, and insurance services through its Commonwealth Financial Network affiliation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory / Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Private Banking & UHNW Wealth Advisory (FSAEABAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Private Banking Advisory & Discretionary Portfolio Management (FSABADAD)

Keywords

• Financial advisory services
• Wealth management planning
• Retirement income planning
• Estate planning services
• Investment portfolio management

Headquarters

HQ city

Salt Lake City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Advisory Fees: Investment Adviser Representatives (IARs) provide financial guidance and generally paid a fee for managing assets, giving advice, or both.
2. Commission Revenue: Registered representatives provide financial guidance and are typically paid a commission when clients purchase financial products such as mutual funds, insurance, or other financial instruments.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Sterling Financial Group, LLC is an independently owned financial advisory firm that delivers personalized comprehensive financial planning and wealth management services to individuals, families, and business owners. The firm sells a suite of seven core advisory services—Comprehensive Financial Planning, Investment & Wealth Management, Retirement Planning, Insurance & Risk Management, Estate Planning, Taxation & Cash Flow, and Charitable Giving Strategies—compensated through advisory fees and commissions through its affiliation with Commonwealth Financial Network.

Product overview

Sterling Financial Group is an independently owned financial advisory firm offering a comprehensive suite of financial planning and wealth management services. The firm provides seven core service offerings: Comprehensive Financial Planning (the backbone service), Investment & Wealth Management (portfolio construction and monitoring across diverse asset classes), Retirement Planning (covering individual and employer-sponsored retirement accounts), Insurance & Risk Management (independent, product-agnostic coverage analysis), Estate Planning (wealth transfer and trust strategies), Taxation & Cash Flow (proactive tax minimization), and Charitable Giving Strategies (philanthropic planning). The firm operates through an independent broker/dealer affiliation with Commonwealth Financial Network, which provides compliance, clearing, and custody infrastructure through National Financial Services LLC. The firm is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, and serves clients across the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Comprehensive Financial Planning Full-service financial planning serving as the backbone of the firm's offering; provides clients with a customized roadmap covering investment management, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance analysis, business planning, education planning, tax planning, cash flow management, and charitable giving strategies.
• Investment & Wealth Management Portfolio management and investment advisory service providing personalized portfolio construction, continuous monitoring, asset allocation, and regular rebalancing across mutual funds, ETFs, stocks, bonds, separately managed accounts, REITs, hedge funds, annuities, structured products, private equity, private credit, and commodities.
• Retirement Planning Retirement planning service helping clients determine optimal retirement timing, income needs, accumulation goals, withdrawal strategies, and Social Security filing decisions. Covers individual accounts (Traditional, Rollover, Inherited, Self-Directed, Roth IRA), employer-sponsored plans (401k, 403b, SEP IRA, SIMPLE IRA, Defined Benefit), and non-qualified plans.
• Insurance & Risk Management Insurance analysis and risk management service evaluating clients' insurance needs within their overall financial plan. Offers disability income insurance, life insurance (term and permanent), long-term care insurance, health insurance review, property and casualty review, business overhead insurance, and buy/sell/key-man coverage. Firm operates independently to provide objective, product-agnostic recommendations.
• Estate Planning Wealth transfer planning service helping clients design strategies to pass assets according to their wishes. Services include estate planning review, trust structures (Living Revocable Trust, ILIT, Charitable Remainder Trust, Dynasty Trust), will preparation, power of attorney documents, beneficiary reviews, gifting strategies, family limited partnerships, and estate tax analysis.
• Taxation & Cash Flow Tax planning and cash flow optimization service focused on minimizing tax liability through proactive year-round planning. Includes individual and business tax planning, tax-efficient investment portfolio management (wash sale treatment, tax-exempt investments, 1031 exchanges, qualified dividends, option strategies), and tax-efficient retirement income distribution.
• Charitable Giving Strategies Philanthropic planning service helping clients make positive impact with their wealth and legacy. Strategies include donations-in-kind, donor advised funds, qualified charitable distributions, charitable trusts (remainder, lead, gift annuities), private foundations, family limited partnerships, estate bequest, and legacy planning.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Commonwealth Financial NetworkcoreTechnology or IntegrationSterling Financial Group is affiliated with Commonwealth Financial Network, an independent broker/dealer-Registered Investment Adviser (RIA). Commonwealth provides services including processing investment business, marketing assistance, practice management, education, and regulatory compliance. As an independently owned firm, Commonwealth empowers advisors with a vast menu of compliance-friendly programs, products, and services, allowing customization of investment strategies.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Carson Group: Independent advisor-focused wealth management firm with comprehensive planning, coaching, and back-office support. Similar independent-ownership model and target market of business owners and HNW households.
• Hightower Advisors: Independent advisor-owned wealth management firm with comprehensive planning and investment services. Comparable independent-ownership structure and HNW clientele.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: Large independent RIA serving HNW and UHNW clients with comprehensive financial planning, tax, estate, and investment management. Closely comparable business model, fee structure, and target client profile to Sterling Financial Group.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Independent RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and tax strategies to high-net-worth individuals. Comparable fiduciary-only model and planning-first approach.
• Mercer Advisors: Independent RIA providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management, tax, and estate services to HNW and UHNW clients. Closely comparable service offering and client segment.
• Creative Planning: Independent, fee-based financial advisory firm offering comprehensive wealth management, tax, and estate planning. Comparable in the breadth of planning services and HNW client focus.

Others

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Independent broker/dealer-RIA and Sterling's primary service partner providing compliance, custody, and product access. Not a competitor but a strategic infrastructure partner whose platform Sterling depends on.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: Large independent financial planning and investment management firm serving HNW and mass-affluent clients. Overlapping in planning-led wealth management but at substantially greater scale.
• Focus Financial Partners: National partnership of independent, fiduciary wealth management firms. Comparable aggregated independent-ownership model, though Focus is significantly larger and provides partnership/M&A infrastructure.

Emerging players

• Ronald Blue Trust: Faith-based, fee-only comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory firm serving HNW individuals and families. Comparable in scope of services (planning, investments, estate, charitable) and client profile.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sterling-financial-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles15 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 Sterling Financial Group