Stephen J. Peterson

Stephen is the Founder and Principal of Elevate Financial Partners, where he plays a dual role as both a high-performing financial advisor and a strategic mentor to elite producers. While Stephen continues to advise his core group of clients, including ultra-high-net-worth professionals, business owners, attorneys, physicians, corporations, and professional athletes, one of his greatest passion lies in developing the next generation of top-tier financial professionals through the proprietary systems and structures he has honed in and refined over the last 12 years.

Stephen’s career is marked by a decade-plus of elite production and advisory excellence. He has achieved the highest honors within the Million Dollar Round Table (MDRT), including Top of the Table three times, Court of the Table twice, and has qualified for MDRT numerous additional years. He has also been awarded as a top producer and broker at many of the largest and most prestigious life insurance companies in the country, both currently and consistently throughout his career.These accolades reflect not just production but his deep commitment to client-centric planning and results.

His success has made him a sought-after voice in the industry. Stephen has been a featured speaker at multiple major mutual life insurance companies, where he shares his expertise in advanced life insurance planning strategies, client acquisition, and long-term career development. He has recruited, trained, and mentored dozens of advisors, many of whom have gone on to build successful independent and captive practices modeled on the foundational framework he was originally taught as a new financial representative with no prior industry experience. Under his guidance, Elevate Financial Partners has become a hub for advisor transformation, production growth, and professional fulfillment.

At Elevate, Stephen also leads the firm’s overarching strategy, overseeing internal systems, sales processes, client experience standards, advisor training, and firm growth initiatives. His vision is simple yet bold: deliver extraordinary value to clients & advisors while equipping the brightest minds in the industry with the tools, mentorship, and leadership necessary to thrive.

Originally from Pasadena, California, Stephen moved to Newport Beach in high school before attending the University of Montana. There, a life-altering stroke ended his collegiate football career and redirected his life toward a purpose-driven mission, helping others achieve security, clarity, and confidence in their financial future. That pivotal experience shaped his resilience, empathy, and unwavering drive to be of service.

Today, Stephen remains deeply committed to his clients and takes pride in providing white-glove service, forward-thinking guidance, and trusted partnership. His greatest fulfillment comes not only from helping people secure their financial futures, but also from developing financial professionals who do the same for others. His belief: Those who lead with service always rise the highest.