# SGL Financial

SGL Financial is a Bank / Wealth / Trust based in Buffalo Grove, United States.

## Overview

- **Organization type:** Bank / Wealth / Trust
- **Headquarters:** Buffalo Grove, United States
- **Region:** North America
- **Address:** Buffalo Grove, IL, United States
- **Founded:** 2011
- **Assets under management:** Undisclosed
- **Website:** sglfinancial.com
- **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/sglfinancial

## Regulatory record

- **CRD number:** 158023
- **SEC file number:** 801-96223
- **Registration status:** Registered
- **Reports private funds:** No
- **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/158023

## About

SGL Financial was founded in 2011 by Steve Lewit in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, as a registered investment adviser serving individuals, high-net-worth families, and small businesses. The firm's identity is built on a fiduciary standard, with fee transparency and a holistic planning approach that treats the advisor as a client's personal CFO. The firm's core investment strategy anchors on fixed-income portfolio construction and inflation modeling. SGL Financial targets retirement-income security, advising on Social Security claiming strategies, cost-of-living adjustments, and the long-term erosion effects of even 1–2% annual inflation on purchasing power. The team provides financial planning, retirement planning, and investment advisory, blending insurance-based income guarantees with managed portfolio assets. Client outcomes are organized around the Perpetual Retirement Income Machine methodology, authored by Lewit and distributed as a book. The firm operates from a single headquarters office in Buffalo Grove with office hours Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. CST, and Friday until 2:30 p.m. SGL Financial maintains an educational blog that publishes pieces on inflation, fixed-income strategy, and Social Security, reflecting a practice built for Chicago-area retirees. In May 2026, the firm published research highlighting how a 1–2% inflation estimation error reshapes retirement solvency over a 20–30-year horizon. SGL Financial's structure as a boutique, single-location RIA that markets a proprietary retirement-income philosophy is its differentiator. The firm does not operate adjacent ventures, institutional capital, or multiple offices — it competes on methodology fidelity and client education, distributing Lewit's book as a lead-generation and trust-building asset.

## People

- Steve Lewit — Co-Founder

## Questions

### Who makes investment decisions at SGL Financial?

Co-Founder Steve Lewit leads the firm's investment philosophy, centered on the Perpetual Retirement Income Machine approach. The firm operates as a small advisory team with no separately identified CIO. All advisors deliver Lewit's framework rather than operating independent books.

### What is the Perpetual Retirement Income Machine?

It is SGL Financial's proprietary retirement-income planning method, authored by Steve Lewit and distributed as a book. The strategy combines fixed-income portfolio design with insurance-based income guarantees, aiming to produce a non-depleting withdrawal stream that adjusts for inflation.

### Does SGL Financial operate as a fiduciary?

Yes. SGL Financial states it is a fiduciary and a registered investment adviser. The firm promotes fee transparency and an unbiased, holistic planning model that puts client interests first.

### What type of clients does SGL Financial serve?

The firm advises individuals, high-net-worth individuals, small businesses, and pension plans, with a concentration on retirees and pre-retirees in the greater Chicago area.

## Related profiles

- [SG Incubate](https://altss.com/profile/sg-incubate)
- [SG Long Financial](https://altss.com/profile/sgl-investment-advisors)

---

Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z

Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/sgl-financial

Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology