Wealth manager, independent · Berwyn, PA
Sterling Investment Advisors LTD.
SEC-registered investment adviser · CRD 140710 · SEC 801-66769
At a glance
Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. is an SEC-registered investment adviser based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, with $1.1B in regulatory assets under management as of its Form ADV filed March 21, 2026. It reports 436 individual clients, 194 of them high-net-worth, holding an average of about $2.4 million each, and 7 employees. That ranks it 1022nd among the nation’s 5,657 independent wealth management RIAs and 68th of 260 in Pennsylvania. It reports Charles Schwab as the custodian for its clients’ separately managed accounts.
Main office 610-560-0400sterling-advisors.comLinkedInAs filed on Form ADV
- Regulatory AUM
- $1.1B
- Rank among independent wealth managers
- #1,022 of 5,657
- Rank among all SEC RIAs
- #5,150 of 17,210
- Rank in Pennsylvania
- #68 of 260
- Individual clients
- 436
- High-net-worth clients
- 194
- Accounts
- 1,611
- Discretionary
- 100% of AUM
- Employees
- 7
- Advisory staff
- 7
- Offices
- 2
Owners and executives on its Form ADV
- Timothy E. FlatleyPresident
- Sean M. FlatleyTreasurer
- Catherine M. WhetstoneChief Compliance Officer
Custody and brokerage
Broker-dealer
Hybrid RIA
Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. is a hybrid RIA: 4 of its employees are also registered representatives of a broker-dealer.
Its Form ADV brochure (filed March 2026) names Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments as the broker-dealer its advisers are registered with.
and individual registered/licensed capacities as registered representatives of Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments, an SEC-registered and FINRA member broker- dealer (“PKS”) as discussed in Items 5.E. and 10.C. below, as well as licensed in
Who it serves
| Client type | Clients | Regulatory AUM | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| High-net-worth individuals | 194 | $1.0B | 94% |
| Individuals | 242 | $58M | 5% |
| Corporations or other businesses | 6 | $5M | <1% |
| Charitable organizations | – | $2M | <1% |
| Pension and profit sharing plans | – | $1M | <1% |
Disciplinary disclosures
Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. reports no disciplinary disclosures in Item 11 of Form ADV. Read the details on the SEC’s adviser search ↗
Services
- Financial planning
- Portfolio management for individuals and small businesses
- Pension consulting
- Selecting other advisers
How it’s paid
- A percentage of assets under management
- Hourly charges
- Fixed fees
Form ADV and brochures on the SEC’s adviser search ↗sterling-advisors.com ↗
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- Assets, accounts, clients and staff, ten years of filings
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Free while Atlas launches: create a free account and confirm your email. Every figure comes from SEC filings.
Similar-size RIAs in Pennsylvania
All of Pennsylvania →| Firm | Regulatory AUM | Clients |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Bell Private Wealth Management, LLCBlue Bell | $1.1B | 804 |
| Trebuchet Consulting, LLCPittsburgh | $1.1B | 410 |
| Concentus Wealth AdvisorsNewtown Square | $1.1B | 341 |
| Clearview Financial PartnersRadnor | $1.1B | 627 |
| Faithward Advisors, LLCLancaster | $1.1B | 3,036 |
| Stanley-Laman Group LTD.Berwyn | $1.0B | 225 |
Background
Questions
How much does Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. manage?
Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. reports $1.1B in regulatory assets under management across 1,611 accounts, 100% of it on a discretionary basis, on its Form ADV filed March 21, 2026.
How many clients does Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. have?
It reports 436 individual clients: 194 high-net-worth individuals and 242 other individuals. Individuals account for about 99% of its regulatory assets.
Where is Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. headquartered?
Its main office is in Berwyn, Pennsylvania. It reports 2 offices in total and 7 employees, 7 of whom perform investment advisory functions.
How does Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. charge clients?
On Form ADV it lists these forms of compensation: a percentage of assets under management; hourly charges; fixed fees. Fees and minimums are set out in its Form ADV Part 2A brochure, available on the SEC’s adviser search.
What custodian does Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. use?
It reports Charles Schwab as the custodian for its clients’ separately managed accounts. On Schedule D of its Form ADV filed March 21, 2026, it reports these amounts held: Charles Schwab ($1.0B). Form ADV lists only custodians holding 10% or more of separately managed account assets.
Is Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. a hybrid RIA with a broker-dealer?
Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. is a hybrid RIA: 4 of its employees are also registered representatives of a broker-dealer. Those representatives can also earn commissions on brokerage business through the broker-dealer, where different rules apply than for advisory accounts.
Is Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. a fiduciary?
As an SEC-registered investment adviser, Sterling Investment Advisors LTD. owes its advisory clients a fiduciary duty under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, which includes duties of care and loyalty. 4 of its employees are also registered representatives of a broker-dealer, where different rules apply to brokerage recommendations.
Where these numbers come from
Every figure is Sterling Investment Advisors LTD.’s own answer on its latest Form ADV, from the SEC’s registered-adviser list as of October 1, 2026: regulatory assets and accounts (Item 5.F), clients by type (5.D), employees (5.A and 5.B), compensation (5.E) and services (5.G). Custodians come from Schedule D 5.K(3) of its latest filing (2026-03-21), which lists those holding 10% or more of separately managed account assets and the amount at each. “Hybrid” means some employees are also registered representatives of a broker-dealer (Item 5.B(2)); affiliated broker-dealers are the related persons it lists in Item 7.A and Schedule D. Firm type comes from its own answers: broker-dealer firms are registered broker-dealers themselves (Item 6.A); private fund advisers manage mostly private funds (Item 7.B, 5.D); wealth managers manage at least half their assets for individuals (5.D). Its national rank compares it with every US-based independent wealth management RIA, the same field as The Largest RIAs. Figures are as of the firm’s last annual update, so they can lag recent deals and market moves. Regulatory AUM counts assets the firm continuously supervises and can differ from what a firm markets.
Not an endorsement or a recommendation. Before hiring any adviser, read its Form ADV Part 2A brochure and check its record on the SEC’s adviser search. How to check a financial advisor →