Joel S. Petersen
How did Sound Legacy Wealth Advisors come to be?
The idea started a few years ago when my co-workers (now business partners) and I began talking at length about what we would like to do for our clients…what we felt they deserved. More investment and banking options, better technology, a return to a truly bespoke but modern client experience. Despite our own personal best efforts, we felt clients were not being appreciated and valued. They seemed to be just a line item on somebody’s forecast.
After considering a number of options, we felt our best path to delivering that quintessential client experience was to build it ourselves…with the help of great infrastructure and technology partners. It really was a natural evolution in our continuing commitment to best serve our clients.
Tell us about the company.
Sound Legacy Wealth Advisors is an independent wealth management firm offering comprehensive financial planning, asset management, and concierge private banking services to high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families. Our mission is to preserve and manage the wealth and legacies of the clients we serve. This enables our clients to stay focused on what matters most: driving purpose for themselves, their families, and their broader communities. The result is an authentic engagement that is focused on helping clients meet their financial goals while achieving a sound legacy.
Although we’re not a private bank, we provide a private bank experience. It is the detailed planning, the family office and concierge banking services experience. Our goal is to handle all things financial on our clients’ behalf and act as their advocate in helping them find the best financial solutions.
Why did you name the company Sound Legacy?
The entire Sound Legacy team has long family histories in the Northwest and the Puget Sound region, as do so many of our clients. The team is very proud to be from here and tightly connected to the local community. And as you know, it’s an area known for independence and innovation—Starbucks, Paccar, Amazon, Microsoft, etc. With our clients, we have seen that sense of independence and innovation reflected in a deep desire to leave a mark on their families and this community. As we thought about our firm’s mission, the name came so naturally. I think our motto says it all: “Helping you build a sound legacy.”
Tell us about more about yourself and your partners.
Sound Legacy is new, but between the four partners, we have over 75 years of experience in investing and in the financial services and private banking industries.
I’ve been advising high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families for over 16 years and am a multi-year, Five-Star Wealth Advisor. But to go back a bit, my focus in college was finance, though my entrepreneurial spirit quickly drew me into the tech space where I spent 20+ years as an entrepreneur. I spent much of my time with startups in roles helping to drive strategy and growth. I’ve been a business owner, ridden through a few IPOs, and have the smiles and scars to prove it.
At my core, I love problem solving and that is what most of our clients need. With wealth comes complexity. So whether it is helping with pre-transaction planning for the sale of a business or real estate, thinking through various strategies for multi-generational wealth transfer, or contemplating long term philanthropic plans, I love digging in to it all.
The Sound Legacy team is rounded out by my amazing partners! Tera Probst has been in the private banking industry for over 23 years and is a time-tested portfolio manager with over 20 years’ experience in the markets. Christine Trostle has worked in private banking for 25 years and is our credit and banking guru. Brendan Sullivan, our operations expert, has worked for Charles Schwab, High Tower Advisors, and driven operations for a $1.5 billion RIA.
What makes Sound Legacy unique from other wealth advisory firms?
The Sound Legacy team deeply believes we have an obligation beyond the financial advice we provide. We cherish the close relationships with each client and their family and that leads to highly personalized approaches to solving for financial challenges – including facilitating difficult conversations across generations to discuss financial awareness or legacy planning. Yes, we have great expertise and empowering technology…but our difference is in how we nurture relationships with clients to create and carry out thoughtful and prudent, life-long wealth management plans.
What do you see for Sound Legacy’s future?
We see relatively rapid growth not only in assets, but in the team. We are already seeing the need for additional people as our client base grows. Our former clients continue to reach out to us, as do previous potential clients who prefer a more personal experience that only a boutique firm can offer. Our direction is to continue to service our clients with an extremely high level of engagement and provide them with family office services.
Can you share some of your charitable work?
I believe each of us has a duty to give back to the community so I am very active with local non-profits. For the past 9 years I have served on the board of trustees at the Bellevue Arts Museum, and was former president for three of those years. I am also on the board of Cornish College for the Arts. I’m the incoming president of my Rotary Club, and I sit on the advisory board at Western Washington University College of Business and Economics. Yes, my calendar is very full but whether it is my work with clients or my volunteering, I thrive on making an impact.
Advisory Services offered through Sound Legacy Wealth Advisors, LLC, a Registered Investment Advisor with the SEC.
10900 NE 4th Street, Suite 2300 Bellevue, WA 98004
www.soundlegacy.com