# Sonoma Private Wealth Sonoma Private Wealth is a Bank / Wealth / Trust based in Novato, United States. ## Overview - **Organization type:** Bank / Wealth / Trust - **Headquarters:** Novato, United States - **Region:** North America - **Address:** San Francisco, CA, United States - **Founded:** 2020 - **Assets under management:** Undisclosed - **Website:** sonomaprivatewealth.com - **LinkedIn:** https://www.linkedin.com/company/sonoma-private-wealth-llc ## Regulatory record - **CRD number:** 308547 - **SEC file number:** 801-125022 - **Registration status:** APPROVED - **Latest Form ADV filing:** 2026-05-13T05:00:00.000Z - **Reports private funds:** No - **Private funds reported:** 0 - **IAPD record:** https://adviserinfo.sec.gov/firm/summary/308547 ## About Sonoma Private Wealth was founded in 2020 by Rick Mordesovich, a 30-year veteran of Neuberger Berman, Bank of America, and Merrill Lynch who previously helped build two successful registered investment advisory firms starting in 2008. The San Francisco-based firm operates as a discretionary and non-discretionary wealth manager serving individuals, high-net-worth families, pension plans, and charitable organizations. Mordesovich anchors the practice alongside Senior Wealth Advisor Shane Hiller, whose relationship with Mordesovich dates back to their time together at Bank of America in 2001. The firm constructs portfolios across liquid and illiquid assets using the Schwab and Fidelity custody and research platforms. A defining characteristic is the firm's embedded ESG architecture: Sonoma Private Wealth partners with HIP Investor to run The Impact Community, a dedicated impact-investing practice that licenses 127,000 impact ratings on stocks, bonds, and funds. The firm targets high-net-worth families and business owners in California, combining traditional wealth planning with environmental, social, and governance tilts that clients can opt into without sacrificing competitive returns. Headcount is not publicly disclosed, but the team page lists six professionals spanning advisory, client service, generational coaching, and operations, supplemented by external partners FocusPoint Solutions for research and trading support and Foreside Consulting for compliance. The firm does not publish AUM. The most visible adjacent relationship is with HIP Investor, founded by R. Paul Herman, who also serves as a senior wealth advisor at the firm and authored The HIP Investor: Make Bigger Profits by Building a Better World. No recent operational event was verifiable. Sonoma Private Wealth's architecture departs from the typical multi-family office by layering a dedicated impact-ratings engine — HIP Investor — directly into its advisory stack, rather than farming out ESG screening to a third-party data feed. That embedded partnership, combined with open-architecture custody, means the firm can tailor concentrated impact mandates for families who prioritize mission alignment without restricting their investable universe to pre-packaged ESG funds. ## People - Rick Mordesovich — CEO + Founder - Shane Hiller — Senior Wealth Advisor - Melissa Yu — Head of Client Service - Sandra Bergsten — Multi-Generational Coach - Kathe Oster — Operations Manager - R. Paul Herman — Senior Wealth Advisor ## Questions ### What is Sonoma Private Wealth's relationship with HIP Investor? Sonoma Private Wealth partnered with HIP Investor to create The Impact Community, which integrates HIP's 127,000 impact ratings on stocks, bonds, and funds directly into Sonoma's advisory platform. HIP founder R. Paul Herman also serves as a senior wealth advisor at the firm. The arrangement means Sonoma clients access HIP's data and strategies — including sustainable real estate and global dividend portfolios — without outsourcing ESG screening to a standalone provider. ### How does the firm construct portfolios? Sonoma Private Wealth uses Schwab and Fidelity as primary custodians and research platforms, giving advisors the ability to select from a wide range of investment vehicles available on US exchanges. The firm is not locked into any one fund family. Portfolios can include liquid and illiquid assets, with an option to overlay HIP Investor's ESG ratings for clients who want their holdings to reflect specific environmental or social convictions. ### Who makes investment decisions at Sonoma Private Wealth? Investment decisions are led by founder and CEO Rick Mordesovich, who holds a CIMA designation from Wharton and an MBA from Chicago Booth. He is supported by Senior Wealth Advisor Shane Hiller, who structures solutions across liquid and illiquid assets. The firm also relies on FocusPoint Solutions for investment research, trading, and reporting support, while Foreside Consulting handles compliance. No investment committee or external CIO is disclosed. ### Does Sonoma Private Wealth only serve clients in California? The firm is headquartered in San Francisco and the named team members are all California-based, but the firm's Form CRS and advisory disclosures indicate it serves individuals, high-net-worth individuals, pension plans, and charitable organizations more broadly. No additional offices are listed, and no specific geographic restrictions appear on the website beyond the advisors' physical presence in California. ## Related profiles - [Sonoma Management Partners](https://altss.com/profile/sonoma-management-partners) - [Sonoran Founders Fund](https://altss.com/profile/sonoran-founders-fund) --- Last updated: 2026-06-03T20:00:00.000Z Canonical page: https://altss.com/profile/sonoma-private-wealth Maintained by Altss — https://altss.com — methodology: https://altss.com/methodology