Sound Financial Group

Sound Financial Group

Sound Financial Group was founded in 2015 in Lake Stevens, Washington, by Paul Adams, who serves as CEO. The firm traces its origin to Adams’ tenure within the traditional financial services industry — an experience he has publicly described as broken by an advisor-training model that prioritized sales over teaching. Adams and President Cory Shepherd built the practice to invert that dynamic, creating a coaching model where the initial client interaction is a free, no-obligation “Philosophy and Alignment Conversation” rather than a product pitch. The firm operates as a registered investment advisor serving individuals, high-net-worth earners, corporations, and business entities across the United States. The firm delivers financial coaching and planning for high-income earners, with a particular focus on professionals managing complex compensation structures. Its stated service set spans 401(k) allocation, Roth conversion strategies, life insurance analysis, estate planning coordination, and retirement income design. Sound Financial Group operates on a fee-only advisory basis and does not earn commissions from product sales — a structural choice it highlights as central to its philosophy. The firm works with clients in technology, law, consulting, and business ownership nationally, though it does not disclose discrete portfolio company investments, direct deal activity, or third-party fund commitments. Geography is national, with virtual service delivery augmenting its single office in Snohomish County, Washington. The team comprises eight named professionals, including Adams, Shepherd, Financial Advisors Elijah Fowler and Lance Chisum, and a client-service group managed by Maranda Blackwell. The firm has not disclosed total assets under management or aggregate deployment figures. In May 2024, the same team remains in place according to the firm's public materials, continuing to serve a client base of high-earning professionals and business entities nationwide. Sound Financial Group does not publicize any related investment vehicles, philanthropic foundations, or club memberships. Sound Financial Group’s structural differentiator is its explicit rejection of the traditional broker-dealer incentive model in favor of a coaching framework. Its value proposition rests entirely on a documented philosophy rather than product access or proprietary funds — a model still uncommon among wealth managers serving mass-affluent and high-net-worth professionals. The firm’s growth beyond its original Pacific Northwest base, via its remote service capability, was built without a brand-name institutional parent or acquired book of business. Governance and succession rest with the two named principals, Adams and Shepherd, whose combined leadership constitutes the firm’s executive and advisory continuity.