Southbridge Advisors

What Southbridge Advisors does

Southbridge Advisors is an independent, fee-based Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) headquartered in Marietta, Georgia, with a secondary office in Duluth, GA. Founded by five partners—Jerold M. Sniderman (Managing Partner, MBA, AIF, QPFC), Louis Brown (AIF), Rob Donnell (CFP), Todd Fields (CFP), and George Richerson (CRPS)—the firm serves high-net-worth individuals, families, executives, and corporate retirement plan sponsors across seven U.S. states and multiple industries. The partners collectively hold over 100 years of advisory experience with prior executive tenures at ABN-AMRO, Merrill Lynch, SunTrust, and Trusted Wealth Management.

The firm's product platform is anchored by two investment strategies—Guardrail GrowthSM, a proprietary risk-managed tactical philosophy focused on avoiding large drawdowns while capturing market upside, and ETF Portfolios built around low-cost, tax-efficient exchange-traded funds. Around these, Southbridge packages financial planning, retirement income planning, estate planning, insurance planning, and corporate services including 401(k)/403(b) plan management, ERISA 3(21) and 3(38) fiduciary services, corporate cash management (up to $25M in federally insured deposits), and proprietary tools such as FRAMESM (Fiduciary Responsibility and Management Evaluation Report), T-CAP (Tax-Credit Awareness Program), and the Fiduciary Due Diligence File.

Southbridge operates on a recurring revenue model combining asset-based advisory fees (tiered percentage of AUM) with flat financial planning fees typically ranging from $900 to $3,500. Client acquisition is primarily referral-driven, supplemented by content marketing through an extensive resource library, video content, and introductory Discovery meetings. The firm is privately held and founder-owned, with no disclosed institutional, private equity, or venture capital backing, and reports its client base and plan-participant count growing more than 20% per year over the last three years.

Name

Southbridge Advisors

Legal name

Southbridge Advisors LLC

Website

https://southbridgeadv.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southbridge Advisors is an independent, fee-based Registered Investment Advisor in Marietta, GA, providing wealth management, financial planning, and 401(k)/403(b) plan fiduciary services to high-net-worth individuals, families, executives, and corporate plan sponsors across seven U.S. states.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Wealth Management

NAICS

Portfolio Management and Investment Advice (523940)

SIC

Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Fee-Only Advisory (FSAEAAAL)

Keywords

• Wealth management services
• Investment advisory
• Retirement plan management
• Financial planning services
• Fiduciary consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Marietta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Asset-Based Advisory Fees: Fees charged as a percentage of assets under management, scaling down as assets increase. This is the primary revenue stream for investment advice services.
2. Financial Planning Fees: Flat fees for financial planning services ranging from $900 to $3,500 depending on engagement complexity. Initial financial planning typically involves three meetings with an advisor. Hourly rates are also available. Investment fees may reduce or offset planning fees depending on account size.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Southbridge Advisors is a fee-based fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor offering wealth management, investment management, and financial planning services to high-net-worth individuals, families, executives, and corporate retirement plan sponsors. Core offerings include proprietary investment strategies (Guardrail Growth risk-managed portfolios and low-cost ETF portfolios), comprehensive financial planning, retirement plan management for 401(k)/403(b) plans, fiduciary consulting, estate planning, insurance planning, and corporate cash management. The firm operates through direct advisory relationships with no commissions, revenue sharing, or product quotas.

Product overview

Southbridge Advisors is a fee-based fiduciary Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) offering a comprehensive wealth management platform for individuals, families, executives, and corporate clients. The core offerings center on investment management through two primary investment strategies: Guardrail Growth (a proprietary risk-managed tactical investment philosophy) and ETF Portfolios (low-cost, tax-efficient exchange-traded fund strategies). The firm provides integrated planning services including Financial Planning, Estate Planning, Insurance Planning, and Retirement Income Planning, with specialized corporate services for 401(k)/403(b) plan management and Fiduciary Services including their proprietary FRAME evaluation tool. The firm operates on a holistic, cyclical planning approach with full transparency in fees and no conflicts of interest.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Guardrail Growth℠: Proprietary risk-managed investment strategies that actively manage risk, avoid large losses while attempting to capture upside, employ tactical strategies to navigate volatile markets, and focus on total return.

Products and services

• Guardrail Growth Investment Strategy Proprietary risk-managed investment strategy that actively manages risk, avoids large losses while attempting to capture upside, employs tactical allocation to navigate volatile markets, and targets total return including investment income and dividends. Run by Partner Louis Brown for individual clients and 401k plans.
• ETF Portfolios Personalized investment strategies using Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) designed for long-term capital appreciation through actively managed asset allocation, focused on lowest cost and tax-efficient investments. Directed by Chief Compliance Officer and Director of ETF Portfolio Strategies Todd Fields.
• 401(k) Plan Management Full-service retirement plan management providing fiduciary responsibility, investment management, participant education, and compliance services for corporate retirement plans, including ERISA 3(21) and 3(38) fiduciary services. The firm advises 401k plans across seven states and multiple industries.
• 403(b) Plan Consulting Fiduciary consulting for 403(b) ERISA plans for non-profit organizations, including fiduciary reviews, cost savings identification, and plan establishment services.
• Corporate Cash Management Corporate cash services for business clients, providing market-leading competitive yields, liquidity, and up to $25 million in federally insured cash deposits.
• Financial Planning Comprehensive financial planning covering accumulation, preservation, risk management, retirement planning, budgeting, income distribution, tax planning, business finances, college plans, and estate plans. Initial engagement typically involves three meetings with an advisor, with flat fees from $900 to $3,500 depending on complexity.
• Investment Management Wealth management services including corporate bonds, common stock, IRA accounts (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE), Treasury Bills & Notes, government and municipal securities, private equity, specialized credit, real estate, cash management, and variable annuities. Delivered as fee-based asset management on a percentage of AUM basis.
• Estate Planning Estate management services enabling clients to manage their affairs during their lifetime and control wealth distribution after death, including healthcare wishes and financial affairs management.
• Insurance Planning Insurance services including disability income insurance, life insurance, long-term-care insurance, and advanced insurance planning for business and estate purposes.
• Retirement Income Planning Retirement planning services addressing income planning, risk reduction, and tax minimization for individuals approaching or in retirement, including strategies for those with stock option and concentrated equity positions.
• Fiduciary Consulting Services Fiduciary consulting services including the proprietary FRAME (Fiduciary Responsibility and Management Evaluation) report for benchmarking services and costs, uncovering hidden fees, revenue sharing, conflicts of interest, and fiduciary risks, along with investment lineup reviews using the Global Fiduciary Standards of Excellence process. Includes the proprietary Fiduciary Due Diligence File tool.

Quantifiable outcome

• Client base and plan participants growing at 20%+ per year over the last three years
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• National Association of Plan Advisors (NAPA)coreOthersSouthbridge Advisors is a member firm of NAPA and its sister organization the American Retirement Association (ARA), which provides industry resources, education, and advocacy for retirement plan advisors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Carson Group (Carson Wealth): Carson Group is a national RIA and coaching platform serving advisors and HNW clients with wealth management, retirement plan, and coaching services — overlapping with Southbridge's fee-based RIA model and corporate retirement plan focus.
• Mercer Advisors: Mercer Advisors is a large national RIA providing wealth management, retirement plan, and fiduciary services to HNW individuals and corporate clients — overlapping directly with Southbridge's wealth management and 401(k)/fiduciary practice.
• Creative Planning: Creative Planning is a large fee-only RIA offering wealth management, financial planning, retirement plan, and tax services — comparable in service mix and fiduciary positioning to Southbridge, though at materially greater scale.
• Buckingham Strategic Wealth: Buckingham Strategic Wealth is a national fee-only RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, and investment services to individuals and families — directly comparable as a fee-based fiduciary RIA serving HNW clients with planning-led offerings.
• Edelman Financial Engines: Edelman Financial Engines is one of the largest independent RIAs in the U.S., combining personal wealth management with corporate 401(k) plan advisory — directly comparable in both the HNW and corporate retirement plan segments Southbridge serves.
• Vanguard Personal Advisor Services: Vanguard Personal Advisor is a low-cost hybrid robo+RIA service from Vanguard — competing head-on with Southbridge's ETF portfolio strategy and pricing model, representing the passive/low-fee competitive threat in the firm's core offering.
• Schwab Wealth Advisory (Charles Schwab): Schwab Wealth Advisory is a large incumbent RIA offering fee-based discretionary and advisory wealth management to individuals — competing with Southbridge in the HNW wealth management space with materially greater scale.

Direct peers

• Syverson Strege: Syverson Strege is a fee-only RIA in the Midwest offering comprehensive financial planning, investment management, and retirement plan services — a direct peer to Southbridge as a similarly-sized, fee-only fiduciary advisory firm with comparable HNW and 401(k) practice.
• Ronald Blue Trust (TrustCore Financial Services): Ronald Blue Trust is a fee-only Christian-affiliated RIA offering comprehensive wealth management, financial planning, and investment management to HNW individuals and families — directly comparable as a fee-only fiduciary RIA in a similar size bracket to Southbridge.

Emerging players

• Betterment (advisor platform): Betterment is a digital-first investment and retirement advisory platform offering low-fee automated and hybrid advice — an emerging direct competitor to Southbridge's low-cost ETF portfolio segment and 401(k) services.

Market position

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southbridge-advisors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Southbridge Advisors