The Roots of the Company

My name is Brent Sutherland, and I am the owner and founder of Sutherland Wealth Planning powered by Fragasso Financial Advisors. I’ve been in financial services for 20 years and became a CFP® professional in 2013.

My background is rather unique, as I’ve worked in traditional wealth management, worked for a couple of independent RIAs, and also ran a fee-per-service planning practice for 5 years. Along the way I also became an active real estate investor. At every fork in this journey some truths have always held true.

  • Although progress has been made, people are still much too reluctant to have open, constructive discussions about money.

  • Folks like to overcomplicate their financial situation, making achievement of their goals feel much more daunting than necessary.

  • Hardly anyone has a proper estate plan in place, risking a potential tax and logistical mess to be left behind for their family.

My objective is to bring full transparency and simplification of the financial planning process for clients. We need to rid ourselves of the noise. In doing so, gaining a firm control of your finances becomes much less intimidating, and can even become fun! I want to have the hard conversations about what clients want to happen with their money should they no longer be in position to take care of those around them. This is such an important piece of the puzzle that so many are missing, simply because the conversation is more comfortable to avoid.

But I’m here to help drive those discussions and help make sure clients are living their best life while also taking care of those that mean the most. This is the meaning behind thoughtful planning, for both life and legacy.

Trip to Disney in 2024
The full Sutherland tribe
Brent Sutherland, founder of Sutherland Wealth Planning

A Trusted Partner

Fragasso Financial Advisors is one of the longest standing financial planning firms in the Pittsburgh metro area, having began operations in 1972. I have been an employee of Fragasso and know the company well. The firm operates with the utmost integrity, providing full-scope, true fiduciary services to their clients.

Being a small practice, it made sense to partner with Fragasso as part of their Independent Advisor Solutions platform. Within this model, I am able to utilize Fragasso’s technology platform, the expertise of their portfolio management team and compliance department, their retirement plan offerings, and a variety of other resources. In turn, this alliance allows me to truly focus on the part of the job I love the most; helping clients strategically plan for their future.

It’s a win-win partnership between trusted organizations.

The Resource and Software Toolkit

 FAQs

  • I am a fee-only, fiduciary advisor, and do not sell any commissioned products. The fee for full planning services is based on the assets managed by Sutherland Wealth Planning (powered by Fragasso Financial Advisors), and is as follows.

    1.25% on the first $0 to $500,000
    1.00% on the next $500,001 to $1,000,000
    0.75% on the next $1,000,001 to $5,000,000
    0.50% on the next $5,000,001 to $10,000,000
    0.45% on anything above $10,000,001

  • Yes, there is minimum. My style of planning requires quite a bit of involvement and a diligent touch; therefore, an account minimum is in place to help compensate for that time.

    My current account minimum is $400,000.

  • I am located just outside of Pittsburgh, PA in the charming town of Sewickley, but can work with people from all around the country.

  • I made the strategic decision to affiliate with Fragasso Financial Advisors and operate under their umbrella. So I am not an employee, but rather, a partner. This arrangement allows me to provide bespoke financial planning services to clients while at the same time having the backing and valuable resources of a larger, trusted firm.