Sequoia Financial Group Strengthens California Foothold, Acquires Sterling Financial Group

AKRON, Ohio, Dec. 2, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Sequoia Financial Group, LLC (Sequoia Financial), an SEC-registered wealth manager with $29.9 billion in assets under management as of Sept. 30, 2025, today announced the acquisition of Sterling Financial Group, Inc. (Sterling Financial), an independent investment advisory firm based in Pasadena, Calif. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Sterling Financial advisors have provided personalized investment advisory services to individuals, multi-generational families and small businesses in Pasadena since 1998. The SEC-registered firm has a team of seven, 200 clients in more than a dozen states, and $406 million in assets under management as of Sept. 30, 2025.

Sterling Financial's Michael Hatch, owner and managing principal, and Kody Brown, financial advisor and principal, are now equity owners in Sequoia Financial. 

Tom Haught, chairman, CEO & president of Sequoia Financial, said, "The team at Sterling Financial is an excellent cultural fit and gives us a stronger foothold into California, the nation's most populous state. We welcome the experienced and talented Sterling Financial team and their clients to the Sequoia Financial family."

"Sterling Financial specializes in working with both long-term clients and those dealing with once in a lifetime transitions, such as a business succession or settling the estate of a loved one," said Hatch. "In Sequoia Financial, we have found a true partner that understands our holistic approach. We have great confidence in our future together—one that emphasizes an exceptional client experience and is anchored in continual investments in the growth and development of our team."

Brown added, "We studied the marketplace, and it was evident that Sequoia's deep investment research platform and technology leadership would best serve our clients in the years ahead."

The Sterling Financial acquisition builds on Sequoia Financial's wealth management relationship with top 20 accounting firm Eide Bailly, announced in late 2024, by establishing Sequoia's first standalone office in California. Previously, the Sequoia Financial team had a presence in Eide Bailly's offices in Irvine and Torrance.

Akron, Ohio-based Sequoia Financial supports more than 11,500 client households across the wealth continuum and has served high-net-worth individuals and families for more than three decades. The firm launched Sequoia Sentinel in 2023 to expand its family office capabilities.

Sequoia Financial has grown organically and through acquisitions to expand its services and geographic footprint. Since 2023, Sequoia Financial has made 11 acquisitions, including Zeke Capital Advisors, Cirrus Wealth Management, Affinia Financial Group, M Capital Advisors, AltruVista, Karpas Strategies, Family Asset Management, Eide Bailly Wealth, Carlson Capital Management, and The Martin Worley Group.

Benesch served as legal advisor to Sequoia Financial. Shustak, Reynolds & Partners P.C. served as legal advisor to Sterling Financial. DeVoe & Company, an investment bank and consulting firm, represented Sterling Financial in the transaction.

About Sequoia Financial Group

Sequoia Financial Group, LLC, founded in 1991, has an integrated, client-centered approach to providing wealth management services, including investment management, tax management, retirement planning, estate planning, insurance counsel, and charitable planning. Sequoia Financial is a fiduciary advisor with a team-based service model that focuses on building and maintaining strong relationships that emphasize long-term planning to help clients reach their financial and life goals. In 2025, the firm was named by Barron's as one of the top RIA firms in the U.S. for the seventh consecutive year. Sequoia Financial has $29.9 billion in assets under management as of Sept. 30, 2025. For more information, visit www.sequoia-financial.com.

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Investment advisory services offered through Sequoia Financial Advisors, LLC, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor. Registration as an investment advisor does not imply a certain level of skill or training.

In September 2025, Sequoia placed 30th on the Barron's Top 100 RIA Firms ranking for 2025. Barron's weighs dozens of qualitative and quantitative components, including assets managed, the size and experience of teams, regulatory record of the advisors and firms, succession planning, technology spending, and staff diversity based off a 102-question survey. Investment performance isn't an explicit component because not all advisors have audited results and because performance figures often are influenced more by clients' risk tolerance than by an advisor's investment-picking abilities. No fees in any years awarded were paid or incurred to receive this recognition. $53,658 has been spent in 2025 to promote the award in marketing collateral. To view the full Barron's rankings, click here.

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SOURCE Sequoia Financial Group, LLC