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About Us

Our Firm

Our Firm

Cornerstone Financial Group (CFG) started in the 1990s. As a boutique firm, we create unique, individual plans for our clients to address all of life’s opportunities and challenges. Our goal is to educate clients so they are confident about their financial future.

We combine professional dedication and personal commitment to offer creative financial planning in the context of a personal, caring relationship. We believe successful client relationships are built upon confidence and personalized services.

We offer a variety of services delivered through an ongoing, holistic approach that allows for meaningful course corrections as life evolves.

Our Team

Our Team

A dynamic group of fun-loving individuals, our team is comprised of people ready to serve you. We want you to feel valued and supported as you navigate life and finances. Craig Watkins, Founder and Managing Partner of Cornerstone Financial Group, recognizes that a strong support team can help him give clients the experience they deserve from a hired financial advisor, which is why he’s found good people to bring on board.

Our Process 

Our Process 

Life changes, and your financial strategy should evolve with it. We developed the Questpoint FORMula© which is our proprietary process designed to help monitor your critical life and financial events. This fluid, dynamic approach is built to help you adapt to life's transitions and work toward your goals, even when circumstances shift. Learn more about how our process works to help keep you on track through every stage of retirement.

We understand the complexities of your unique retirement journey and our goal is to keep your financial future from going adrift.

Our Perspective

We're professionals who focus on disciplined, thoughtful financial planning. An appropriate financial plan is one that takes into account your priorities and is designed to help you pursue your specific goals. That's why our process examines your complete financial picture across seven key pillars, and why we place significant value on building strong client relationships.

The key point is this: Money in and of itself tends to be a subject that’s emotionally charged. Our job is to help you take the emotion out of investment decisions. We make sure those decisions are based upon rationale, discipline, and consistency – all of which adhere strictly to a plan that’s designed to help get you where you want to go.

Pursuit of Your Goals

  • We are an independent firm, and we focus on your needs first.
  • We take the time to come to know and understand your financial needs. We design recommendations specific to you.
  • We believe there are two distinct phases in climbing the financial mountain — accumulation and distribution. It is our mission to help you navigate up and down the mountain.
  • We educate our clients to make informed decisions.
  • We create personalized income distribution strategies to provide you with lifetime income you can rely on.

How We Define Success

Success isn't measured by portfolio performance or complex financial strategies. We define success by helping you work toward turning your paycheck into a play check. When you've spent decades working and saving, success means pursuing the freedom and confidence to focus on what matters most to you in retirement—whether that's traveling the world, supporting your grandchildren's education, or simply seeking the peace of mind that comes from having a thoughtful financial strategy in place.

Community Involvement

We believe in giving back to the community we serve and we're committed to supporting local businesses and contributing to the economic vitality of our region. Our involvement reflects our dedication not just to our clients' financial well-being, but to the strength and prosperity of El Dorado County as a whole.

The following entities are not affiliated with Cornerstone Financial Group nor USA Financial Securities.

Chamber of Commerce

Chamber of Commerce

As proud members of the El Dorado Chamber of Commerce since January 2018, we're committed to supporting local businesses and contributing to the economic vitality of our region. Our Chamber membership also provides valuable opportunities to build strategic partnerships with attorneys, CPAs, insurance specialists, and other trusted professionals—enabling us to coordinate comprehensive solutions for our clients. Our involvement reflects our dedication not just to our clients' financial well-being, but to the strength and prosperity of El Dorado County as a whole.

Chamber Website
ASPIRE Kids

ASPIRE Kids

We are proud to support ASPIRE Kids, a nonprofit organization dedicated to removing barriers and building resilience for youth facing trauma or financial hardship right here in El Dorado County. Through scholarships for sports, arts, and enrichment activities, resource closets in local schools, and essential clothing and food support, their programs were accessed more than 3,000 times in 2025. ASPIRE Kids works closely with school counselors and community partners to ensure local youth have access to the same developmental opportunities as their peers — because every child deserves a chance to build confidence, connection, and long-term success. We believe in their mission: that participation and opportunity shouldn't be determined by financial circumstances. If you're interested in getting involved or supporting ASPIRE Kids, we have flyers for upcoming events and would love to help connect you with ways to make a difference in our community.

About ASPIRE kids
Landon Henrys Racing

Landon Henrys Racing

We support local talent! A few years ago, one of our RV club members approached us about their grandson, Landon Henrys, who was seeking sponsorship for his racing endeavors. At just 11-12 years old, Landon became a two-time champion in midget carts. Now at 13, he's already advanced to micro sprint cars, demonstrating exceptional talent and dedication. We're proud to support this young athlete as he pursues his dreams, and we genuinely believe we'll see him competing at the highest levels of motorsports.

Follow Landon’s Journey
TBX4Life

TBX4Life

We are also proud to support TBX4Life, a nonprofit organization dedicated to making a meaningful impact within our community. One of the highlights of this partnership is the Second Annual TBX4Life Golf Tournament, which brings local businesses, families, and supporters together for a great cause. Following the success of last year’s inaugural event—filled with camaraderie, fun competition, and strong community support—we’re excited to participate once again. The tournament offers a day of golf, great food, exciting prizes, and the opportunity to support an organization that truly makes a difference.

About TBX4Life

National Publication Features

Link Disclosure: The information being provided is strictly as a courtesy. When you link to any of the websites provided here, you are leaving this website. We make no representation as to the completeness or accuracy of information provided at these websites. Nor is the company liable for any direct or indirect technical or system issues or any consequences arising out of your access to or your use of third-party technologies, websites, information and programs made available through this website. When you access one of these websites, you are leaving our website and assume total responsibility and risk for your use of the websites you are linking to.

Advisors Magazine:
Getting Real About Risk Tolerance

“I think a lot of consumers are used to hearing advisors say, ‘What’s your risk tolerance, if you were to measure it from 1-10, where do you think you are?’ I think that’s an old-school style,” says Craig Watkins, managing partner of Cornerstone Financial Group, which uses Nobel Prize-winning software tools to determine client risk profiles. “This software enables us to determine the different measurements of risk on stocks, mutual funds, and bonds, according to the client’s comfort zone.”

Read more

Retirement Design Lab:
How to Downsize Your Home

“Bay Area retirees often face a unique opportunity. After selling a high-value home, some choose to relocate to areas with lower housing costs. Rather than downsizing, many purchase a larger or newer home while still freeing up capital and potentially improve long-term lifestyle flexibility... At Cornerstone Financial Group, we don’t look at the housing decision in isolation. We evaluate how it fits into the overall retirement picture... The goal of our process is to help clients make thoughtful, informed decisions that align with both their financial goals and their personal priorities.” 

Read Full Article

Connect With Us

The first step in starting a client relationship with us is an introduction. We do not charge for introductory calls or meetings, so contact us today! 

You can also find us on LinkedIn, Facebook, or YouTube

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