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SagePoint Financial 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.

SagePoint Financial, Inc.

SagePoint Financial was a registered broker-dealer and investment advisory firm that's headquartered in Phoenix but its registration was terminated as of 9/29/2023.

SagePoint Financial Background

SagePoint Financial started in 1970 as a broker-dealer, registering with the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and engaged in the sale of securities. In 2005, the firm also registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as an investment advisor, so it could offer investment advisory products and services.

The firm is a subsidiary of Advisor Group, Inc., one of the largest networks of independent broker-dealers in the U.S. This company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Advisor Group Holdings, Inc., which is owned by a consortium of investors.

SagePoint Financial Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

As mentioned earlier, SagePoint Financial directly serves financial advisors. According to its SEC filings, the firm has over 100 affiliate financial advisories, which, in turn, employ over 1,300 financial advisors. These firms are located all across the country, though some can only operate in certain states. Through the firms, SagePoint indirectly works with high-net-worth and non-high-net-worth individuals, retirement plans, charities, government entities, businesses and pooled investment vehicles.

Minimum account sizes for Sagepoint Financial's programs vary. Advisors may waive them at their discretion, but they generally go as follows:

  • VISION2020 Wealth Management Program - Advisor Managed Portfolios: $10,000
  • VISION2020 Wealth Management Program - UMA Program: $5,500
  • Third-Party Advisory Services: Minimums are set by the affiliated third-party
  • Financial planning services: No minimum
  • Consulting services: No minimum
  • Non-discretionary investment services: No minimum
  • Retirement plan consulting: No minimum

Services Offered by SagePoint Financial

SagePoint Financial offers several wrap fee programs to its client advisors, who, in turn, offer them to their retail clients. They include:

  • VISION2020 Wealth Management Platform - Advisor Managed Portfolios: This program provides comprehensive investment management via asset-allocation planning software and the provision of execution, clearing and custodial services through Pershing, LLC  or, on a limited basis, National Financial Services, Inc.
  • VISION2020 Wealth Management Program - UMA Program: This program provides a customized asset allocation model invested either with third-party money managers, no-load mutual funds, ETFs or any combination of the foregoing. As you might expect, assets are held in a unified managed account (UMA).
  • Retirement plan consulting: This involves the holistic creation of a retirement plan, including the recommendation of investments, performance reviews, compliance reviews, participant education and more.

In addition to investment advisory services, SagePoint Financial provides its advisors with an advanced sales and an internal sales desk and team and tool support for retirement planning services, insurance consulting services, financial planning services and specialized services (including lending, trust services and donor advised services). 

SagePoint Financial Investment Philosophy

SagePoint Financial’s affiliated financial advisors may use different strategies and methods to design and implement investments within client portfolios. Generally speaking, they will apply fundamental and technical methods of analysis, though. They’ll also usually stick to a long-term investing strategy, though they may use short-term tactical investing strategies in certain situations.

With the third-party advisory services program, third-party asset managers will entirely have their own methods of analysis and investment strategies.

Fees Under SagePoint Financial

With SagePoint Financial’s wrap fee programs, brokerage, management and other costs are bundled into one, all-inclusive fee. These fees are based on a percentage of each client's assets under management, and they are paid quarterly. Affiliated financial advisors determine what that percentage or fee is. For reference, a recent study by RIA in a Box found that the average annual advisory fee is 0.95% of AUM.

With third-party advisory services, the third-party money manager will have his or her own fees, on top of the SagePoint affiliated advisor’s fees, which are set or negotiated by each advisor individually.

What to Watch Out For

In its current SEC filings, SagePoint Financial reported a total of 21 disclosures, all of which are regulatory in nature. The most recent disclosure relates to a situation from June 2020. According to SagePoint's Form ADV, that disclosure states that FINRA alleged the firm "failed to establish and maintain a supervisory system and WSPs reasonably designed to supervise the suitability of representatives' recommendations to customers for early rollover UITs or otherwise provide guidance to firm supervisors about how to monitor for potentially unsuitable patterns of early rollovers or series-to-series early rollovers." As a result, the firm submitted to censure paid a $300,000 fine and paid $1,315,373.01, plus interest, as restitution to customers.

As a fee-based firm, certain advisors who are affiliated with SagePoint Financial can earn commissions from the sale of specific insurance products or securities. While this creates a potential conflict of interest, the firm's inherent fiduciary duty legally requires it to act in clients' best interests at all times.

Opening an Account With SagePoint Financial

Individuals cannot open accounts directly with SagePoint Financial. To find an affiliated advisor near you, check out the list of affiliated firms on SagePoint's website. You can also call the firm's customer service line at (800) 552-3319.

SagePoint Financial is headquartered in the midtown area of Phoenix. The exact address is 20 East Thomas Road, Suite 2000.

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

Investing Tips for Beginners

  • Finding a financial advisor doesn't need to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
  • Don’t go it alone at first. Even if you don’t have a lot of money to invest, you can get stand-alone (as opposed to ongoing) investment advice from financial advisors. Often, they’ll charge a fixed fee or hourly rate.

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