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Pinnacle Investments Review

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This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

Pinnacle Investments distinguishes itself in that it operates both as a registered broker-dealer and registered investment advisor (RIA). The company is an independent, full-service financial advisor firm located in East Syracuse, New York. The firm works with a combination of individuals and businesses. Of its individual clients, most do not have a high net worth.

Pinnacle is a fee-only firm, meaning all of its compensation comes from client-paid fees.

Pinnacle Investments Background

Pinnacle Investments has been in business in 1995, when it was co-founded by two of the firm's advisors, Gregg Kidd and Daniel Raite. Today, Pinnacle is owned entirely by Pinnacle Holding Company, LLC, which in turn is principally owned by FKAPI, Inc., a financial services holding company. 

Pinnacle’s staff includes lots of advisors, many of whom hold professional certifications. Such certifications include certified financial planner (CFP), chartered retirement planning counselor (CRPC), certified retirement counselor (CRC) and chartered financial consultant (ChFC).

Pinnacle Investments Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

Most of this firm's clients are individuals below the high-net-worth threshold. The firm also works with some high-net-worth individuals, as well as a handful of corporations.

Pinnacle Investments has a wide selection of advisory programs, and each has its own minimum account size ranging as high as $3 million. However, the majority of services have minimums somewhere between $10,000 and $250,000.

Services Offered by Pinnacle Investments

Pinnacle Investments offers a fairly standard range of advisory services to its clients. These include financial planning, portfolio management, third-party manager selection and non-discretionary consultations.

With regard to portfolio management services, some instances may occur where Pinnacle Capital Management acts as a sub-advisor to Pinnacle Investments. Pinnacle Capital Management is also a subsidiary of Pinnacle Holding Company, LLC.

The firm also has access to a number wrap fee programs, in which clients are charged a single fee that covers both management and transactional costs. Here’s a breakdown of the different options:

  • Ascend
  • Private Investment Management (PIM)
  • Asset Advisor
  • CustomChoice
  • Wells Fargo Advisors programs
    • Masters
    • Diversified Managed Allocations (DMAs)
    • FundSource
    • Compass
    • Allocation Advisors

Pinnacle Investments Investment Philosophy

Pinnacle Investments generally utilizes a range of securities to flesh out clients' portfolios. These include equities, bonds, commercial paper, certificates of deposit (CDs), municipal securities, mutual funds, hedge funds, government securities, options, interests in partnerships investing in real estate, residential real estate mortgage-backed securities, collateralized loan obligations (CLOs), commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBSs) and private placement debt securities.

The Pinnacle approach to portfolio construction depends on a number of different factors, including the client’s risk tolerance and financial goals, the type of program the client is in, the investment strategy the client has chosen and more.

Fees Under Pinnacle Investments

Pinnacle Investments charges advisory fees as a percentage of your AUM. The rate you pay each year will depend mostly on the size of your account, the specific program you subscribe to and the complexity of the services you need. However, the firm may decide to negotiate a different fee arrangement based on other factors.

Pinnacle Investments Advisory Fees
Account Type Annual Fee Rate
AdvisorPro 3.00%
Pinnacle Capital Management 3.00%
Ascend 0.25% - 1.50%
Masters 2.50%
Diversified Managed Allocations (DMAs) 2.55%
FundSource 2.00%
Compass 2.25%
Allocation Advisors 2.25%
Private Investment Management (PIM) 2.75%
Asset Advisor 2.00%
CustomChoice 1.50%

Clients will pay fees on a quarterly basis based on their account value on the last business day of the previous calendar quarter. The firm deducts fees directly from clients' accounts, though authorization is needed to initiate this.

What to Watch Out For

Pinnacle Investments has three disclosures on its Form ADV. Each of these are attributed to the firm directly.

Opening an Account With Pinnacle Investments

The simplest way to become a client of Pinnacle Investments is to call the firm. If you prefer to do things in person, you can also stop by the firm’s office on in East Syracuse, New York. You can also reach out via the firm’s website by heading to the “Contact Us” tab and filling out its form with your name, phone number, email address and a message.

All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.

Tips for Investing for Your Future

  • Wherever you are on the path to retirement, an adivsor can help build an investment plan and manage your money. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
  • When investing, it's easy to focus on the potential returns. Be sure that you don’t forget about capital gains taxes, though. To figure out how much you might owe, stop by our capital gains tax calculator.

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
Most
Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research