Nalls Sherbakoff Group

Daniel Nalls and Mark Sherbakoff are the founding principals and lead the firm's investment committee. Both came out of a Merrill Lynch practice before forming the independent RIA, bringing wirehouse-trained portfolio construction to a fiduciary structure. No external investment committee members or third-party CIOs are publicly disclosed.

The firm's client base is concentrated in Tennessee and the Southeastern United States, drawn from the founders' multi-decade presence in Knoxville financial services. Most relationships originate through liquidity events — the sale of privately held manufacturing, logistics, or automotive supply-chain businesses — rather than through institutional RFP processes or platform referrals.

It is structured as a registered investment advisor, not a single family office, but its service model for founder-operator families mirrors many family office functions: multi-generational planning, concentrated-position management, and post-liquidity wealth governance. The distinction is regulatory — as an RIA, it files Form ADV and operates under SEC oversight rather than the unregistered family office exemption.

The firm is not a direct investor in operating companies. It allocates client capital across public markets and, for qualified clients, private funds — typically through third-party manager commitments rather than direct co-investments or venture-stage deals. Its private-market exposure comes via fund vehicles and structured products, not principal investing.

The firm has not been reported as part of any private equity-backed RIA roll-up, which distinguishes it from many peers in the Southeast that have sold stakes to platforms like CI Financial, Mercer Advisors, or Focus Financial. This independence means its manager selection, technology stack, and fee schedules are not subject to a parent company's centralized procurement or revenue-sharing agreements.