What Spaugh Dameron Tenny does

Spaugh Dameron Tenny (also operating as SDT Planning) is a privately held financial advisory firm headquartered at 4350 Congress St., Suite 300, Charlotte, NC, founded in the late 1950s with a stated track record of over 65 years of combined experience. The firm provides comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, retirement planning, student loan consulting, private wealth, practice services, and financial education seminars, delivered through qualified Registered Representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC (Member SIPC). Spaugh Dameron Tenny is not a subsidiary or affiliate of MML Investors Services, and operates as an independent LLC with 11-50 employees.

The firm's target segments are vertical-niche professional personas: physicians, dentists, executives and business owners, and retirees. Its go-to-market is consultative, relationship-driven selling anchored by a complimentary discovery call and reinforced by a content marketing engine (blog, YouTube, the Prosperous Doc Podcast, social media, free guides, and seminars) that targets medical and dental professionals in particular. The Managing Partner is Shane Tenny, CFP, who joined the firm in 2000, and is supported by Partner and Director of Planning & Strategy Jordan Bilodeau, CFP, plus an investment coordinator and operations staff.

Revenue is generated through advisory fees on financial planning engagements and investment management services billed under a subscription/recurring model with multi-year contracts; no public pricing is disclosed. There are no disclosed funding rounds, no M&A activity, no parent company, and no equity or debt investors. The firm markets the 'SDT Unique Advantage' as a 'Personal CFO' holistic planning model that integrates tax, equity compensation, practice, investment, and estate planning, with a fiduciary relationship provided through the MML Investors Services channel partnership.

Name

Spaugh Dameron Tenny

Legal name

Spaugh Dameron Tenny, LLC

Website

https://sdtplanning.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1959

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Spaugh Dameron Tenny is a Charlotte-based boutique financial advisory firm offering comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, and retirement services to physicians, dentists, executives, and retirees through MML Investors Services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Financial Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Institutional Consultants & Fiduciary Management (Investment Consulting) (FSAAAGAJ)

Keywords

• Financial planning services
• Wealth management
• Retirement planning
• Practice financial consulting
• Student loan consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Charlotte

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

Revenue model

1. Financial Planning and Advisory Services: The firm provides comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, and retirement planning services. Services are offered through qualified Registered Representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC (Member SIPC). Revenue is generated through advisory fees associated with financial planning engagements and investment management services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Spaugh Dameron Tenny is a fiduciary financial advisory firm that delivers comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, retirement planning, student loan consulting, private wealth, and practice services to high-achieving professionals. Services are offered through qualified Registered Representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC (Member SIPC), and are tailored specifically to physicians, dentists, executives, business owners, and retirees.

Product overview

Spaugh Dameron Tenny offers a suite of financial planning and wealth management services designed for high-achieving professionals including executives, physicians, dentists, and retirees. The core offerings include Financial Planning, Wealth Management, Retirement Planning, Student Loan Consulting, Private Wealth Services, Practice Services, and Financial Education Seminars. These services are delivered through a holistic planning approach that integrates financial guidance with hands-on execution, providing clients with personalized financial strategies aligned with their long-term goals.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning service that creates a personalized financial plan addressing needs at every stage of life, from daily financial decision-making to long-term goals, delivered to physicians, dentists, executives, business owners, and retirees.
• Wealth Management Investment management approach designed to grow and safeguard wealth through strategic diversification, proactive risk management, and a streamlined wealth management strategy aligned with long-term financial goals.
• Retirement Planning Retirement planning service that develops a clear strategy across the accumulation, preparation, and distribution phases to keep clients on track for a secure and fulfilling retirement.
• Student Loan Consulting Specialized consulting service that helps physicians and dentists manage and optimize student loan debt as part of their broader financial plan.
• Private Wealth Services Premium wealth management offering for high-net-worth individuals covering legacy planning and sophisticated strategies to grow and safeguard wealth across generations.
• Practice Services Financial guidance tailored for practice owners, including dentists and physicians, covering practice financial management, associate hiring, DSO partnership planning, new office opening, and business sale preparation.
• Financial Education Seminars In-person and virtual educational seminars, plus supporting resources, designed to help clients and prospects navigate their financial health with confidence.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 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.

• MML Investors Services, LLCcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorSecurities, investment advisory and financial planning services are offered through qualified Registered Representatives of MML Investors Services, LLC (Member SIPC). Spaugh Dameron Tenny is not a subsidiary or affiliate of MML Investors Services, LLC or its affiliated companies. This relationship enables the firm to offer regulated securities and investment advisory services through its advisors.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Creative Planning: Large national RIA offering comprehensive financial planning, wealth management, and retirement services to high-net-worth individuals and professionals. Comparably delivers holistic financial planning with a multi-service suite and content-driven thought leadership, but at substantially greater scale than SDT.
• Edelman Financial Engines: National RIA providing financial planning, wealth management, and retirement services to a broad client base including professionals. Comparable comprehensive planning offering, but serves a much wider market with greater scale and digital tools.
• MassMutual Wealth Management: Parent ecosystem of MML Investors Services, the broker-dealer through which SDT offers securities and advisory services. Comparable in fiduciary financial planning delivery model and professional-client focus, but operates at much larger scale as a national brand.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National wealth advisory firm providing comprehensive financial planning to high-net-worth individuals and families. Comparable service breadth and fiduciary model, but at significantly larger scale with an active RIA M&A rollup strategy that competes for talent and clients.

Direct peers

• Blankenship Financial Group: Independent RIA focused on comprehensive financial planning for individuals and families, with content marketing and educational resources akin to SDT's blog/podcast approach. Directly comparable in business model, service mix, and relationship-driven advisory motion.
• Larson Financial Group: Mid-sized RIA offering financial planning, wealth management, and retirement planning to professionals and business owners. Closely comparable service portfolio and consultative sales approach, though serving broader verticals than SDT's medical/dental focus.
• Strategic Wealth Design: Independent RIA delivering holistic financial planning, retirement, and wealth management to professionals and business owners. Directly comparable in size, service mix, and consultative discovery-call-driven sales motion.
• Financial Advantage: Independent advisory firm focused on financial planning for professionals, with strong educational content and consulting-style engagements. Closely comparable to SDT's medical-professional specialization, content-led GTM, and holistic planning offering.

Regional players

• CAPTRUST: Large Charlotte-headquartered RIA with deep presence in the Southeast serving high-net-worth individuals and retirement plans. Comparable fiduciary advisory model and geographic base, but materially larger AUM and institutional focus.

Others

• Cetera Financial Group: Broker-dealer/TAMP network that supports independent financial professionals with compliance, technology, and product access. Comparable in that SDT's MML Investors Services affiliation is structurally similar to how independent RIAs plug into Cetera's ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SDT_Planning
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCGyroVp9ilpMiGqVjBGBmjA
• Facebookfacebook.com/SpaughDameronTenny
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/spaugh-dameron-tenny
• Instagraminstagram.com/sdt_planning

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 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 Spaugh Dameron Tenny