Josh Sterling

Practice

Josh Sterling is a Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU®). The CLU® is the oldest designation in the financial industry and focuses on life insurance, estate, and business owner planning. He is also a Certified Long Term Care Consultant (CLTC®), and the founder of Unified Advice. He is a past President of the Redwood Empire Estate Planning Council.

Josh has an in‑depth understanding of the practical, legal, and ethical aspects of life insurance and how to provide the best solutions to a modern and diverse clientele facing a range of risks and financial situations.

As a holistic Wealth Strategist, Josh is an expert in solving the myriad of problems businesses, estates, high net worth, and high income earning individuals face. Whether it be life insurance planning, retirement planning, tax reduction strategies, charitable planning, long‑term care, estate planning, college funding, or transitioning out of a business, Josh can provide honest and straightforward solutions tailored to your circumstances.

Josh regularly does public speaking on advanced life insurance case design and various other business owner and estate planning topics. Josh feels clients are best served by a well‑rounded team of advisors and works with some of the best CPAs, Estate Planning Attorneys, and Financial Advisors around the country.

Josh was a collegiate soccer player and coach at Sonoma State University and won a National Championship in 2002. His wife, Kristy, is an elementary school teacher and former college soccer athlete as well. Their two boys, Carson and Parker, both follow in their parents’ footsteps, playing competitive soccer that includes travel around the western states. The family loves sports, travel, the beach, and spending time in their backyard pool and outdoor kitchen with their two English labs, Hula and Maui.

Areas of work

• Developing strategies to minimize potential estate and gift taxes
• Charitable gift planning
• Developing plans to conserve assets during lifetime and at death
• Succession planning
• Analyzing existing life insurance coverage for continuing relevance to the estate plan
• Proposing life insurance solutions consistent with estate plans

At the council

Attends the dinner meetings through the October–May season and is listed in the member directory by discipline.