New York, NY · Est. 2004
Elite tax strategy, M&A advisory, and international compliance counsel for corporations, private equity sponsors, and high-net-worth principals who operate where the stakes demand exactness.
2004
Founded
$2B+
Transactions advised
40+
Countries served
New York, NY
Headquarters
Advisory Practice
Sterling advises on the transactions, structures, and strategies that define outcomes at the highest level of corporate and private finance.
Comprehensive federal and state tax planning for Fortune 500 companies and mid-market corporations. We engineer tax positions that withstand scrutiny while creating measurable bottom-line advantage.
Transaction tax structuring for acquisitions, divestitures, and corporate reorganizations. We identify and quantify tax risk before it surfaces in due diligence.
Specialized tax advisory for PE funds, portfolio companies, and their principals across the entire investment lifecycle. From fund formation through exit, we ensure tax efficiency at every stage.
Proactive tax strategy for executives, founders, and family offices managing complex multi-entity, multi-jurisdiction wealth. We advise on the decisions that compound over decades.
Cross-border tax compliance and planning for U.S. multinationals and foreign companies with U.S. operations. We manage the full complexity of TCJA, GILTI, BEAT, and transfer pricing requirements.
About the Firm
Sterling Financial Group was founded in 2004 by James Sterling with a single governing principle: that elite financial advisory demands the same standard of technical rigor as the transactions it serves. From a single-partner practice advising on post-merger integrations, the firm has grown to serve Fortune 500 corporations, private equity firms managing tens of billions in assets, and high-net-worth individuals requiring counsel commensurate with the complexity of their affairs.
The firm operates from a single New York office — deliberately. Sterling does not scale by headcount or geography. It scales by depth: every partner maintains direct client relationships, every engagement receives senior-level attention, and every opinion can be defended on the merits. That is the standard the firm was built on, and the standard it maintains.
Two decades and more than $2 billion in advised transactions later, the firm's client base remains concentrated by design — drawn from the Fortune 500, the private equity community, and the families who have built and sold the businesses that define American industry.
Client Record
“Sterling Financial identified $47 million in deferred tax liabilities during our pre-close due diligence that the seller's advisors had not disclosed. That finding restructured the entire deal — and more than justified their engagement fee by an order of magnitude. We now engage Sterling on every transaction above $100 million.”
“We have worked with two Big Four firms and three boutique advisory shops over the past decade. Sterling is categorically different. Their technical command of international tax issues — GILTI exposure, foreign tax credit optimization, BEAT risk — is the most rigorous we have encountered. More importantly, they deliver opinions that can be defended in front of the IRS, not just in a boardroom.”
The Principals
Founder & Managing Partner
James founded Sterling Financial Group in 2004 after 18 years as a partner at a Big Four firm, where he led the M&A tax practice for the Northeast region and advised on more than $50 billion in transactions. His practice focuses on complex corporate restructurings, cross-border M&A, and strategic tax positioning for Fortune 500 clients who require counsel that is both technically unassailable and commercially decisive.
Partner — International Tax
Victoria holds an LLM in Taxation from NYU School of Law and brings 17 years of experience advising multinational corporations on cross-border transactions, transfer pricing policy, and post-TCJA international tax structuring. She has led international tax workstreams on transactions across 30 jurisdictions and is recognized as a leading practitioner in inbound and outbound U.S. tax planning.
Director — Private Equity
Marcus specializes in LP/GP tax structuring, fund formation, and portfolio company tax advisory for private equity sponsors with assets under management ranging from $500 million to $15 billion. Prior to joining Sterling, he spent a decade in the private equity tax practice of a global accounting firm, where he developed deep expertise in partnership tax, waterfall analysis, and transaction exit structuring.
Engage the Firm
Schedule a confidential consultation to discuss your tax strategy, transaction requirements, or advisory needs. All inquiries are handled directly by senior principals.
Direct inquiries
contact@sterlingfinancialadvisory.comOffice
New York, NY 10019