What SBG does

SBG Inc. is a small private US company founded in 1996 and headquartered in Minnetonka, that provides insurance and financial advisory services. It is one of four founding entities that combined to form Synchronize, a comprehensive business partnership platform powered by Lockton Affinity and serving registered investment advisors (RIAs), broker-dealers, and financial advisors. The Synchronize platform consolidates insurance solutions (fee-only and commission options for life insurance, fixed annuities, long-term care, foreign nationals, and disability insurance), back-office services, advisor transition support, business protection (Errors and Omissions, Cyber protection), and strategic business planning into a single integrated offering. The platform also includes a 24/7 self-serve Advisor Portal for licensing management, compensation review, and insurance ticket submission.

The company's business model is a B2B service partnership targeting financial advisors and RIAs, distributed through direct engagement with dedicated Synchronize team members and the online portal. The company does not publicly disclose pricing; revenue originates from insurance distribution, back-office service fees, and consultative engagements for advisor transitions and business protection. Customer segments are focused on the RIA and broker-dealer market, with named clients including NewEdge Advisors, MPremierPartners, and Cypress Wealth Services. The firm operates as a small contributor entity (11-50 employees) within the broader Synchronize ecosystem, which maintains offices in Kansas City and Overland Park, Kansas, alongside its Minnetonka headquarters. No funding rounds, revenue figures, or detailed ownership structure are disclosed in available sources.

Name

SBG

Legal name

SBG Inc.

Website

https://sbgroupinc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SBG Inc. is a private US firm that co-founded Synchronize, a comprehensive business partnership platform for RIAs, broker-dealers, and financial advisors offering insurance solutions, back-office services, advisor transitions, and business protection, powered by Lockton Affinity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Minnetonka

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

SBG Inc. is a founding member of Synchronize, a comprehensive business partnership platform serving RIAs, broker-dealers, and financial advisors. The offering consolidates insurance solutions (fee-only and commission options for life insurance, fixed annuities, long-term care, foreign national coverage, and disability insurance), back-office services, advisor transition support, business protection (Errors and Omissions, Cyber protection), strategic business planning, and strategic partner solutions into one contracted relationship.

Product overview

Synchronize is a single unified business partnership platform for financial professionals (RIAs, broker-dealers, financial advisors). It provides an all-in-one solution combining insurance solutions (fee-only and commission options for life insurance, fixed annuities, long term care, foreign nationals, disability insurance), back-office services, advisor transition support, business protection (Errors and Omissions, Cyber protection), strategic partner solutions, and strategic business planning services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Synchronize Business Partnership Platform A single comprehensive business partner platform for RIAs, broker-dealers, and financial advisors. Bundles insurance solutions (life, fixed annuities, long-term care, disability, foreign nationals — both fee-only and commission options), back-office services, advisor transition support, business protection (Errors and Omissions, Cyber), strategic business planning, and strategic partner solutions (e.g., advisor health insurance, ultra-high net worth personal lines, captives, professional referrals). Delivered via dedicated Synchronize team members and a 24/7 advisor portal.
• Insurance Sync Full-service insurance placement covering life insurance, fixed annuities, long-term care, foreign national coverage, and disability insurance, with both fee-only and commission options, delivered as part of the Synchronize platform to financial advisors and their clients.
• Strategic Business Planning Advisory service helping RIA firms and advisors assess and plan their marketing, operations, and technology stack.
• Business Protection (Errors and Omissions and Cyber) Custom insurance programs covering Errors and Omissions liability and Cyber protection for financial advisory firms.
• Transitioning Advisor Support Service that assesses an advisor's transition needs and provides a simplified transition plan, supporting movement to/from independent RIA channels.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Lockton AffinitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLockton Affinity powers Synchronize as the primary business partner, combining their specialized products with SBG Inc., Blueprint Insurance Services, and Freedom Partners into one comprehensive offering for financial advisors and RIAs.
• SBG Inc.coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSBG Inc. is one of the founding companies that combined with Lockton Affinity, Blueprint Insurance Services, and Freedom Partners to form Synchronize, a comprehensive business partner for RIAs and financial advisors.
• Blueprint Insurance ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBlueprint Insurance Services is one of the founding companies that combined to create Synchronize, contributing specialized insurance products to the comprehensive offering for financial advisors.
• Freedom PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreedom Partners is one of the founding companies that combined with Lockton Affinity, SBG Inc., and Blueprint Insurance Services to create Synchronize, providing comprehensive business solutions for the RIA market.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights8 records

Broad incumbents

• Commonwealth Financial Network: Commonwealth is an independent broker-dealer/RIA serving financial advisors with a comprehensive practice management, insurance, and back-office platform, comparable in positioning to Synchronize but operating at materially larger scale.
• HD Vest Financial Services: HD Vest (a Wells Fargo company) provides financial services and insurance solutions specifically to tax and accounting professionals, an adjacent but comparable niche-support model in which a single provider offers insurance, advisory, and practice services to a specific professional advisor segment.
• Kestra Financial: Kestra Financial is an independent wealth management platform providing advisors with insurance, transitions, and practice management support, positioning it as a broad incumbent peer serving a largely overlapping RIA and independent advisor market.
• Cambridge Investment Research: Cambridge is a large independent broker-dealer offering insurance, advisory, and back-office solutions to RIAs and financial advisors. It competes with Synchronize for the same independent-advisor segment with a similarly comprehensive partnership-style value proposition.
• LPL Financial: LPL is the largest independent broker-dealer in the U.S., providing RIAs and advisors with insurance, compliance, technology, and transition support. Its scale and breadth of services make it the principal broad incumbent against which Synchronize competes for advisor mindshare.
• Cetera Financial Group: Cetera is a large independent broker-dealer and RIA support organization offering a comprehensive suite of insurance, advisory, technology, and back-office services to financial professionals, directly overlapping with Synchronize's 'one comprehensive business partner' value proposition at much greater scale.
• Advisor Group (now Osaic): Advisor Group / Osaic is one of the largest independent wealth management firms in the U.S., offering a full stack of insurance, advisory, transition, and back-office services to financial professionals, making it a significant broad incumbent peer to Synchronize.

Others

• Orion Advisor Solutions: Orion provides technology, portfolio management, and back-office infrastructure to RIAs and advisory firms. While not a direct insurance competitor, it serves the same independent advisor customer base and competes for the 'comprehensive platform' wallet share that Synchronize targets.
• iPipeline: iPipeline provides digital insurance and annuity workflow solutions to financial institutions and advisors, including illustration, e-application, and post-issue processing. It is a thematic/ecosystem peer serving many of the same insurance and advisor workflows that Synchronize consolidates for RIAs.

Direct peers

• CreativeOne: CreativeOne is a closely comparable direct peer: an insurance and annuity platform built specifically for financial advisors and RIAs, offering life insurance, annuities, long-term care, and back-office support through a single partnership model aimed at the independent advisor channel.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 SBG