Orion Investment Company

What Orion Investment Company does

Orion Investment Company is a privately-held investment advisory firm headquartered at 7800 Forsyth Blvd., Suite 820, St. Louis, Missouri, founded in 1988 by Fred N. Sauer. The firm operates with 1–10 employees and serves individual investors through a single, unified investment management service. Its core offering is personalized portfolio management combining cash and quality fixed-income securities with a focused stock portfolio, built using a proprietary methodology that screens for quality companies with low debt, strong management, earnings consistency, and durable competitive advantages, and applies a 10+ year investment horizon with very low portfolio turnover. All investment decisions are made by an Investment Committee whose members hold credentials from Yale, Stanford, Notre Dame, Washington University in St. Louis, and Saint Louis University, and have 50+ years of combined practice in the firm's methodology.

The firm makes money through investment advisory fees (likely AUM-based, though fee structures are not publicly disclosed); pricing is quote-based and billed annually. Its go-to-market is a direct, relationship-based sales motion: advisors meet prospective clients in person, the Investment Committee constructs portfolios, and ongoing meetings reinforce long-term conviction. Distribution is entirely direct, with no marketing channels, mobile apps, APIs, or third-party integrations evident. Marketing is driven implicitly through referrals and personal service rather than paid acquisition.

The firm's competitive positioning centers on a patient, low-risk approach that contrasts with short-horizon decision-making, high portfolio turnover, layered fee structures, and lack of transparency in passive vehicles. It is independently owned with no disclosed institutional investors, parent company, or external equity backing, and operates under Missouri law in a single-country domestic footprint centered on the US Midwest. No acquisitions, funding rounds, regulatory actions, awards, patents, or partnerships are recorded in the available data.

Name

Orion Investment Company

Legal name

Orion Investment Company

Website

https://orioninvestmentco.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1988

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Orion Investment Company is a privately-held, St. Louis-based investment advisory firm founded in 1988 that provides personalized, long-horizon (10+ year) portfolio management services to individual investors, with all investment decisions made by a small Investment Committee.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Investment Advisory Services

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Portfolio Construction & Asset Allocation Advisory (FSAEAAAC)

Keywords

• Investment advisory services
• Portfolio management services
• Fixed-income securities investing
• Long-term wealth management
• Risk-managed investing

Headquarters

HQ city

St Louis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Investment Advisory Services: Investment management services provided to individual clients, charging fees for portfolio management and advisory services. Specific fee structures are not publicly disclosed on the website.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Core offering

Orion Investment Company provides personalized investment management services to individual clients, with the firm's Investment Committee making all investment decisions for each client account. The strategy pairs storage of capital in cash or quality fixed-income securities with a focused equity portfolio constructed from proprietary research on quality companies (low debt, strong management, earnings consistency, competitive advantages), maintaining an expected investment horizon of at least 10 years per holding. Services are delivered through ongoing direct advisory meetings, detailed client reporting, and a low-turnover, patient investing approach.

Product overview

Orion Investment Company offers a single, unified investment management service rather than a platform with separate modules. The core offering combines cash and quality fixed-income securities storage with a focused stock portfolio built through the firm's own research methodology. The service emphasizes low-risk, patient investing with very low portfolio turnover, aiming for superior risk-adjusted returns over a minimum 10-year investment horizon. There are no distinct sub-products, add-on modules, or separately branded offerings—all clients receive access to the same Investment Committee-driven methodology and personalized portfolio construction.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Investment Management Services Personalized investment management services for individual clients, in which the firm's Investment Committee makes all investment decisions for each client account. The strategy combines storage of capital in cash or quality fixed-income securities with a focused equity portfolio of companies meeting the firm's proprietary quality criteria (low debt, strong management, earnings consistency, competitive advantages), held with an expected investment horizon of at least 10 years and very low portfolio turnover. Services include initial and ongoing client advisory meetings and detailed client reporting.

Quantifiable outcome

• Very low portfolio turnover due to 10+ year expected investment horizon
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Fisher Investments: Large independent RIA focused on personalized portfolio management for individual investors using a research-driven, long-term approach. Comparable philosophy of active, disciplined investment management for individuals.
• Carson Group: RIA serving individual investors through partner advisors with holistic financial planning. Comparable in serving individuals with a personal-advisor relationship model.
• Moneta Group: St. Louis-based independent RIA serving individual investors and families with comprehensive wealth management. Shares Orion's Midwest base and individual investor focus, but operates at significantly larger scale.
• Creative Planning: Large independent RIA serving individual investors with fee-only wealth management. Comparable in client segment (individual investors seeking professional management) but at materially larger scale.
• Plancorp: St. Louis-based RIA serving individuals and families with personalized financial planning and investment management. Direct regional competitor with a similar boutique advisory approach.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Independent RIA providing evidence-based financial planning and investment management to individuals. Comparable in serving individual investors with a research-driven, long-term-oriented philosophy.
• Mariner Wealth Advisors: National RIA serving individual investors and families with comprehensive wealth advisory services. Comparable in client segment and personalized service approach.

Broad incumbents

• Edelman Financial Engines: Large RIA serving individual investors with personalized financial planning and investment management. Overlapping client segment and investment philosophy but at much larger scale and with broader service offerings.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 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 Orion Investment Company