Sherwood Investments

Sherwood Investments

Eric J. Linger launched Sherwood Investments in 1996 after stints at Bell Labs, AT&T, and managing an Edward Jones office in Somerville, New Jersey. The firm was built around a single structural commitment: fee-only fiduciary advice with no commissions or product-sale incentives. Linger operates as the principal Registered Investment Advisor, bringing an analytical engineering background to portfolio construction. His career path — from electrical engineer to corporate finance executive to independent advisor — shapes the firm's identity as a technically-minded planning practice rather than a sales organization. The firm manages discretionary portfolios for individuals and small businesses, concentrating on retirement-income planning, Social Security optimization, and estate strategy. Sherwood constructs diversified, low-cost portfolios and monitors them on an ongoing basis rather than an annual cycle. While the firm does not disclose its asset allocation or specific securities, the site describes a process that screens thousands of investments for "the best outlook" — suggesting a mix of individual equities, fixed income, and low-cost pooled vehicles. Client relationships are built on frequent contact: the firm promises same-day call returns and no charge for meetings. Sherwood Investments is a solo practice run by Linger, maintaining a single office in Redmond, Washington, but serving clients across more than a dozen US states via remote capabilities. The firm's professional network includes other investment professionals it can draw on for planning and portfolio support. Linger is a member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA), a designation that requires a peer-reviewed comprehensive financial plan and adherence to a fiduciary standard — which Sherwood formalizes in writing for each client. No recent operational events, office expansions, or new vehicle launches were publicly announced. Sherwood's structural edge is its independence. The firm is a true solo-RIA fiduciary, answering only to clients, with compensation linked solely to portfolio growth. The absence of an AUM disclosure means external allocators cannot benchmark the firm by scale, but the model itself creates alignment: Linger's income rises only when client balances rise. His AT&T engineering-to-Edward-Jones-to-independent arc also sets the firm apart from most retirement-planning practices, embedding a systems-oriented approach into what is fundamentally a high-touch advisory relationship.