Driven By Purpose, Guided By Values
At Sorum Financial, people are at the heart of everything we do. Our foundation is built on experience, dedication, and faith, combined with a steadfast commitment to guiding clients through every chapter of life. Anchored by our purpose and brought to life through our core values, we aim to provide clarity, confidence, and comfort in every financial decision.
1) Our Story
2) Our Purpose
3) Our Values
Our Story - Three generations of Advisors
Neil Sorum was a farm boy that grew up in northwest North Dakota. After his father passed away while he was still a teenager, Neil graduated high school and ventured to Washington state where he attended college and met his spouse at Central Washington University. After a period of service in the Navy, Neil settled in Seattle and eventually found himself working in the financial services industry. With much hard work and determination, he built a very successful career that spanned more than 30 years with the same company, working with clients and later moving to management where he helped develop many successful financial advisors.
One of those financial advisors Neil developed was his son Nathan who started in the financial services business back in 1991 while still in college. After a few years of working with clients, Nathan also tried the management route, finding that instead his love was to work directly with clients. So, in 2002, Nathan and his wife and two small children moved back to their hometown of Lebanon, Ohio where Nathan went independent and started his own financial advisory practice - Sorum Financial Services.
Fast forward twenty more years and one of those “small children” graduated college with degrees in economics and finance with a specialty in financial planning. Nathan recognized in his son Phillip all the characteristics that he thought made for a good financial advisor: compassion, character, good communication, hard working, and willingness to always learn, to go along with intelligence and an always necessary touch of good humor and light-heartedness. Nathan invited Phillip to join the firm in 2022 after a couple of summers of interning, and hence the brief story of how three generations of Sorums have been of service to so many folks needing assistance in managing their financial lives!
Today, Nathan and Phillip work together to bring a level of teamwork to ALL clients via a dual-advisor experience where we utilize collaboration and complementary but unique perspectives to put clients first, nurture meaningful relationships, develop creative strategies, and deliver guidance that truly makes a difference in clients’ lives.
Our Purpose
At Sorum Financial, our purpose is to partner with clients and their families to help them achieve and sustain financial independence so they can embrace life’s next chapters with confidence while fully enjoying the present. Guided by our values like a compass, we put relationships first, taking the time to listen, plan, and care. By maintaining a serviceable client base, we can dedicate the attention each plan deserves and create personalized financial strategies that reflect each client’s unique priorities, foster lasting independence, and bring clarity through life’s transitions. Positioned as a one-stop resource for nearly every aspect of financial life, we provide ongoing guidance and support that nurture long-lasting, collaborative relationships.
We take this purpose seriously. You can expect that any recommendation we make is something we would do ourselves if we were in your situation. Every decision, strategy, and plan is designed with your best interests at heart, guided by the values that have defined our firm from the beginning.
Our Values
Integrity
INTEGRITY is the relationship foundation that gives clients confidence to know recommendations and decisions are made with their best interests at heart. Integrity includes treating people with the respect, service and confidentiality they deserve. It requires a moral and ethical compass that is rooted in The Golden Rule. Integrity permeates every aspect of your life; every day of your life. In this business, integrity opens the door to being truly CLIENT-CENTERED.
"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you..."
- Jesus in Matthew 7:12 (NIV)
Client-Centered
CLIENT-CENTERED means providing personalized, high quality service for clients with an emphasis on privacy and security, and by offering “big-city” advice and technology with “small hometown” service. It means “doing business” should be as easy as possible, and recommendations and explanations should be understandable and educational. Technology is used to the extent you are comfortable in using it, but technology is simply a tool to make life easier and can’t replace the personal touch of a one-on-one relationship. Client-Centered means having the INDEPENDENCE to offer personalized advice.
"Nobody Cares how much you know until they know how much you care."
- Neil Sorum (Nathan’s Dad)
Independence
INDEPENDENCE means being in a position where we can focus on what is best for clients by having access to a huge array of products from scores of companies. It also means working with clients in the way they are most comfortable and fits them the best. We offer both fee-based and commission-based services because we want to give clients a choice. We believe people are smart enough that given full disclosure as to the pros and cons of both, they can make the best decision as to what is right for them. But independence requires responsibility, and greater responsibility demands greater WISDOM.
"Independence isn’t doing your own thing; it’s doing the right thing on your own."
- Kim John Payne
Wisdom
WISDOM comes from the combination of knowledge, experience, and the countless financial journeys we’ve guided. By living hundreds of financial lives through the people we have served and are serving, we gain insights that allow us to design creative, customized strategies for each client’s unique circumstances. Every financial situation is different, and one-size-fits-all advice can’t address your needs and goals. Wisdom is a catalyst to help clients pursue their financial dreams in an ever-changing, complex financial world.
"Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man a more clever devil."
- C.S. Lewis
Big City Advice – Small Town Feel
BIG CITY ADVICE – SMALL TOWN FEEL is where we work to create an environment in which you feel comfortable and “at home” talking about your finances and how to shape your finances to fit your priorities. We strive to deliver “BIG CITY” ADVICE – advice and capabilities on par with the largest of firms - while maintaining the “SMALL TOWN” FEEL where you know that it is – and has been for the past 30 years – all about YOU.
"When your values are clear, your decisions are easy."
- Roy Disney