o_19gror5ub1fiq1snl15t4gqf1btaa.pdf

Issue 60 April / May 2014 

exclusive interview with 

barbara corcoran; 

shark tank investor 

Rising of The Matriarch 

Mob Wives: Holding Families Together 

D-Stocks Belong in Every Portfolio 

Investors Flocking To Safety 

Sell in May and Go Away 

Wall Streeters Eye Stocks 

Pass the Rooster Sauce 

Can California Stand the Heat

Built for the road ahead. 

Designed for living. Engineered to last. 

Vertrek Crossover 

w/ Ford’s Kinetic Design 

Eco-Boost Engine 

Hybrid Regenerative Braking 

w/ Auto-Stop-Start Technology

publishers note 

ISSUE 60 | APRIL / MAY 2014 

Publisher 

Erwin E. Kantor 

Managing Editor 

Michael Gordon 

Editor in Chief 

Helen Moss 

Editorial 

Robert Jordan 

Lisa Walker 

Sean Goldstein 

Staff Writers 

L. A. Rivera 

Monica Link 

Wendy Connick 

David Gordon 

Diane Alter 

A. Marie Velthuizen 

Judy Magness 

Maria Esposito 

Rich Monetti 

Edwin Camacho 

Peter Hocstein 

John Travis Taylor 

Amy M. Armstrong 

Annabelle Preston 

Asst. Art Director 

Marienne Hilahan 

Illustrators 

Shafali R. Anand 

Mike Moss 

Paul Kales 

Marketing / Advertising 

Monica Link 

Sean Rome 

For subscription details, contact: 

editorialdept@thesuitmagazine.com 

For advertising inquiries, contact: 

advertising@thesuitmagazine.com 

Hot Sauce, Economics and The Rise of The Matriarch 

Shark Tank host Barbara Corcoran 

earned her corporate stripes 

the hard way, first as a waitress 

and then took out a $1000.00 loan and 

launched the Corcoran Group, one 

of the first woman-owned real estate 

firm’s in New York City. Our reporter 

Judy Magness chronicles her humble 

beginnings and captures her story in 

The Suit Magazine. 

Reporter Amy Armstrong covers 

the rise of the Matriarch in the Costa 

Nostra as she interviews Jennifer Graziano, 

creator and executive producer 

of “Mob Wives” a VH1 reality series 

about the Mafia. 

On the economic front, reporter 

Diane Alter, reveals why dividend - 

paying - stocks have outperformed 

the broad market year-to-date as the 

markets performance shifts from 

growth to value. In fact, several dividend 

ETFs currently yield 3% or more 

match up to the S&P 500’s current 

yield of 1.86%. Dividend ETF’s are becoming 

generally more diversified as 

dividend growth rates are being led 

by gains in finance and technology. 

Our finance reporter covers the Stock 

Market’s ebb-and-flow in the industry. 

The mantra: “Sell in May and Go 

Away,” is a term used by Wall Street, 

when inevitability the U.S. Stock Market 

trends to short fall for the next six 

months on average, weighing against 

the colder half of the year. Just for the 

record: throughout the last 40 years, 

the S&P 500 Index has averaged compared 

with the colder half of the year. 

Lomesh Shah, President and 

Co-Founder of NonProfitEasy, reports 

on the tried-and-true tips for entrepreneurs. 

And finally, our reporter Amy Armbrings 

us the hot sauce. SHe reprots 

that srirarcha - the California-based 

hot - sauce made by Huy Foods, have 

neighbors virtually in tears because 

the spicy fumes are burning their eyes. 

But Texas lawmakers tell Sriracha 

make David Tran that his company is 

welcome to relocate to San Antonio. 

Here at The Suit, we wish everyone a 

happy Mother’s Day! 

Best, 

Erwin Kantor 

Erwin Kantor, Publisher

CONTENTS 

APRIL / MAY 2014 

Issue 60 April / May 2014 

12 

exclusive interview with 

barbara corcoran; 

shark tank host 

Rising of The Matriarch 



Investors Flocking To Safety 

Sell in May and Go Away 

Wall Streeters Eye Stocks 

Pass the Rooster Sauce 

Can California Stand the Heat 

8 


When equity markets turn volatile and look to be getting pricey, as 

is now the case, plenty of investors flock to the safety of fixed income 

assets, which generally provide short-term shelter and stability. 

FEATURES 

FEATURES 

10 Sell in May and Go Away 

Wall Street is full of old saws. A popular one that’s 

been around for decades is “Sell in May and Go 

Away.” 

12 Confident, Creative – and Candid 

In light of a recent vote by Senate Republicans to 

block a Democratic bill to end gender-based wage 

discrimination, self-made millionaire, Barbara 

Corcoran, has advice for women who believe they 

are being paid less than men doing the same job. 

16 

Mob Wives: 

Holding Families Together 

The everyday lives of the women of Costra 

Nostra, the American Sicilian mafia, are 

taking the media spotlight via the popular 

reality television show, “Mob Wives” now 

airing in its fourth season. 

6 Tried and True Tips For 

19 Today’s Entrepreneurs 

Being an entrepreneur is not about looking 

for the next big thing—it’s about looking for 

opportunities that you believe can and should 

change the way things are currently done. 

21 Pass the Rooster Sauce 

Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce maker courted by 

Texans offering no complaints about spicy smell 

BUSINESS / FINANCE 

22 

Bobby Brown Private Wealth Advisors 

The Premier Alternative to Wall Street 

24 

Investing in Great Communications 

ProInvest Financial 

25 Herbein Wealth Management 

Gaining strength through networking, Aided by Social Media 

and Alliance Membership 

26 

Capital Wealth Management, Inc 

Sitting on the Same Side of the Table with Clients 

29 Sally Wealth Advisors Group LLC 

A Long Career in Putting the client first 

21 

16 

THE SUIT MAGAZINE - APRIL / MAY 2014


30 Capital Advisors 

Being the Bandwagon / Pioneers in the Open 

Architecture, Transparent Fee Model 

32 Financial Planning Association 

With Service to Others kept close to the heart 

33 

IntelliGenz Business Solutions LLC 

The Small Business Fixer Keeping Them POS- 

ITIVE and On TRACK 

34 United Wealth Management, LLC 

Piloting Financial Decisions 

36 Sierra Pacific Advisory Group, Inc. 

Offering a Partnership Approach 

37 DeRamus Wealth Management, LLC 

Getting “Real” with Clients. Part Emotional Therapy, 

Behavioral Coaching and Financial Advice 

Triton Wealth Management 

38 

Help For All Who Seek It 

40 Triton Wealth Advisors, LLC 

A Holistic View of Clients More Than Today’s Bottom Line 

42 Elam Financial Group 

Employers Bail Out of Traditional Pension Plans 

43 Renn Wealth Management 

Progressive High Net Worth Financial Asset Management 

Maximizing Value Not Clients 

43 Austin Wealth Management LLC 

Opting for Capital Preservation 

44 

Manhattan Wealth Management Group 

Intimate, Personalized Service 

Defusing Money: a complex emotional subject 

46 North River Capital Advisors, LLC 

Clean Energy Investing Brings Renewable Returns 

Redhawk Wealth Advisors Inc 

47 

Managing Money at Risk in the Market 

48 Premier Wealth Advisors, LLC 

Long-time Friends Offer Long-Lasting Advice 

50 ADK Wealth Advisory Group 

They Do It Their Way...and Clients Like It 

52 Segment Wealth Management LLC 

Chasing Alpha is a risky business 

54 Arista Wealth Management, LLC 

The country doctor of investing 

56 TRIG Capital Group, LLC 

Global Consolidation in the Staffing Industry 

58 Kensington Wealth Partners, Ltd 

Five years later: lessons learned 

59 Carnegie Investment Counsel 

Giving Clients the Best Investing for the Long Term 

61 

62 Cahaba Wealth Management 

Dealing with Your Dollars 

A Name Standing for Preservation and Longevity 

CAM Private Wealth Services 

63 

Wealth Strategies of America, Inc 

Strategically Blending Old and New 

Planning for an Active Phase II of Life 

A Disciplined, Consultative Approach to Investing 

64 

66 

Diverse Technology Solutions, Inc. 

Cloud Hosting Makes Sense 

Capitas Financial, Inc 

Dramatic shift in the sale and Distribution of life insurance 

THE SUIT MAGAZINE p.5


67 Emory & Co 

Successfully Selling Your Company 

Taking Care of the Business when You Want to Retire 

68 Catalyst Wealth Management 

The Relationship Will Always be About Trust 

69 

70 

Blueprint Wealth Management 

Guiding Middle Class Americans to Financial Security 

71 

72 

MFB Wealth Management 

Faith in Financial Planning is Rewarding 

JHG Financial Advisors 

A Trusted Financial Advisor 

It’s Never Too Early or Too Late to Start 

74 

Century Tax & Wealth Management LLC 

Sharing the Facts of Life 

The Wealth Trainer 

Creating Multiple Income Streams 

A Business Approach Meeting the Needs of Others


y diane e. alter 

Why 

Stocks 

Belong in Every Portfolio 

When equity markets turn 

volatile and look to be 

getting pricey, as is now 

the case, plenty of investors 

flock to the safety of fixed income 

assets, which generally provide shortterm 

shelter and stability. But, amid 

five-plus years of near zero interest 

rates, and with bond yields at historic 

lows, even those “safe haven” assets 

aren’t very attractive to income-seeking 

investors. 

What has become particularly appealing 

to yield-starved investors are 

dividend stocks. And, companies eager 

to placate shareholders have taken 

note. 

For all of 2013, dividend increases 

totaled a hefty $56.7 billion, up significantly 

from $50.2 billion in 2011. 

What’s more, dividend increases have 

gotten off to a solid start this year. Indeed, 

publicly traded companies paid 

out a record number of dividend increases 

in 2014’s first quarter, according 

to data from S&P Indices. 

Over the January to March period, 

1,078 dividend boosts were reported. 

That’s a healthy 14% increase yearover-year, 

dethroning the prior Q1 record 

of 1,069 set in 1979, according to 

S&P. In dollar terms, Q1 2014 payout 

increases amounted to a whopping 

$17.8 billion, up 22.9% from Q1 2013’s 

tally of $14.5 billion. 

“Companies are being pressured to 

use their available cash, resulting in 

near record levels of total shareholder 

returns from both cash dividends and 

buybacks,” explained Howard Silverblatt, 

S&P Dow Jones Indices senior 

index analyst. 

Despite impressive dividend increases 

in Q1 2014, payout ratios (dividends 

as a percentage of net income) 

remain near their lows at 26%. The 

historic average is 52%. That means 

companies are sitting on piles of cash 


just waiting to be returned to 

shareholders. Silverblatt believes 

cash payouts for full 

year 2014 will surpass 2013’s 

level by double digits. 

Why Dividends Matter 

Dividends provide a plethora 

of pluses going beyond 

cash distributions and yield. 

“The main benefit is that it 

[the dividend] is immediate 

money paid to shareholders, 

so they have it and cannot lose 

it,” Steven Pressman, professor 

of Economics and Finance 

at Monmouth University in 

Long Branch, NJ, told The 

Suit. 

Five other key advantages 

are: 

• Less Volatility and 

Better Performance: Dividends 

provide a type of cushion 

for a company’s stock 

price in the event of a potential 

fall, thereby reducing volatility. 

During declining markets, 

dividend payers tend to fare 

better than non-payers. For example, 

during the tumultuous 

year of 2008, dividend-paying 

stocks lost an average of 39% 

on a total return basis. In comparison, 

non-payers tumbled 

45.4%. Moreover, in 2002 – the 

stock market’s second worst 

year of the decade – non-payers 

plummeted 30.3%, while 

dividend stocks shed a more 

modest 10.9%. During the last 37 years, 

dividend stocks have outperformed 

the rest of the broad-based S&P 500 

Index by 2.5% annually, according to 

Ned Davis Research. In addition to rewarding 

shareholders with cash, dividend 

payers still beat non-payers by 

nearly 8% every year. 

• Attractive Company Returns: 

Dividends paid are part of company’s 

total return. Companies that pay dividends 

are apt to be more stable and 

mature than non-payers. 

• Predictability: Dividends tend 

to be more predictable than stock prices. 

• Increased Income: Dividends 

deliver a steady stream of distributions, 

and can significantly supplement 

income. In most instances, investors 

can opt to reinvest their dividends 

for bigger future payouts, or take them 

in cash. 

• They Can Grow: Over the past 

25 years, dividends paid out by companies 

in the S&P 500 have grown at a 

compounded rate of 32%. 

Go For Growers 

The best dividend strategy is not 

to simply chase the highest yielding 

stocks, but instead to go after dividend 

growers. At first glance, stocks sporting 

super high yields might seem like 

attractive investments. But very high 

yields may not be sustainable, possibly 

leading to painful dividend cuts 

or even eliminations, which can send a 

stock’s “plus” plunging. 

According to several studies, companies 

that slowly and consistently increase 

their dividends outperform the 

high-yielders that have no dividend 

growth. To be sure, the best equity 

gains over the last three decades have 

come from companies that grow dividends: 

10.3% per year versus 7.6% for 

payers that don’t increase dividends. 

One optimal strategy involves reducing 

risk by acquiring dividends 

from several different stocks spread 

across several sectors. In sum, don’t 

buy only those traditional dividend favorites 

– utility and bank stocks. 

The PowerShares Dividend Achievers 

ETF (NYSE: PFM) invests 90% of its 

total assets in dividend-paying stocks, 

including blue chips, household 

names, plus large, medium and small 

cap stocks. And, the iShares Select Dividend 

ETF (NYSE: DVY) provides exposure 

to a broad range of established, 

high-quality U.S. companies, allowing 

access to some 100 dividend-paying 

domestic stocks having a 5-year history 

of dividend growth. 

There is something very gratifying 

indeed about getting a dividend. To 

be sure, no one said it better than business 

tycoon John D. Rockefeller, “Do 

you know the only thing that gives me 

pleasure. It’s to see my dividends coming 

in.” 



Sell in May 

and Go Away 

Wall Street is full of old saws. 

A popular one that’s been 

around for decades is “Sell 

in May and Go Away.” 

This old adage is based on the historical 

under-performance of stocks over the sixmonth 

period starting in May and ending 

in October, when compared with the November-April 

period. 

The premise is that investors who sell 

holdings in May and move back into equities 

in November, will avoid the characteristically 

volatile May-October period, and 

are apt to fare better than investors who 

remain invested in stocks all year long. 

According to the Stock Trader’s Almanac 

– a financial Bible of sorts among market 

participants since 1950 – the Dow Jones 

Industrial Average has turned in an average 

return of just 0.3% during the May-October 

period, versus the average 7.5% 

gains during the November-April period. 

Specific reasons for this seasonal trading 

pattern aren’t known. But experts cite lower 

trading volumes during lazy summer 

sessions and increased investment flows 

during the winter. 

This year’s summer season could be particularly 

volatile. Indeed, investors remain 

guarded amid a rocky March and April for 

stocks. Plus, a winding down of the Federal 

Reserve’s market supportive quantitative 

easing program will also weigh on 

equities. Add in the fact that benchmarks 

have now gone some 28 months since the 

last correction – a slump of 10% over a 

short period of time – versus an average 

span between pullbacks of just 18 months, 

and many investors are indeed likely to 

say, “See you in November.” 

But, there is still a case for staying in the 

markets year round. 

“Long-short strategies allow you to reflect 

views on the market, both bullish 

and bearish, without having to try to time 

the market,” Andrew Veasey, partner and 

director of sales at SkyView Advisors, a 

Shrewsbury, NJ-based liquid alternative 

investment manager and provider of advisory 

services, told The Suit. “A well-managed 

long-short strategy should perform 

well in a variety of market environments, 

and should be a core holding in most portfolios.” 


y judy magness 

Confident, 

Creative – and Candid 

In light of a recent vote by Senate Republicans 

to block a Democratic bill to end gender-based 

wage discrimination, self-made millionaire, 

Barbara Corcoran, has advice for women who 

believe they are being paid less than men doing 

the same job. Rest assured, it does not 

involve sitting meekly at their desks waiting 

for the government to ride in on a white 

horse and save them. Corcoran asserts that 

women must be comfortable standing 

up for themselves – and then she 

shares her secret formula. “You 

know how I did that? I thought 

to myself, ‘What would a man 

do?’…And then I did it. It 

always got me to where 

I wanted to go, and 

that was through the 

door,” she said. 


Working at 20 jobs before the 

age of 23, Corcoran said that 

at times she did make less 

money than her male counterparts. 

What ticked her off was not just the 

idea of unequal pay—she resented being 

undervalued. “Who wants to be 

paid less than what you are worth?” 

she asked with such incredulousness 

that you would think it was happening 

to her even now. Just read any feature 

story on Corcoran – and they are plentiful 

in print and online – and know 

that no one, but no one is taking advantage 

of the first female Shark on ABC’s 

highly rated TV-show, “Shark Tank.” 

Current reports on her net worth range 

from $140 million to $200 million. 

In spite of the war on wage inequality, 

many women power hitters are 

smashing through the glass ceiling in 

corporate America. Corcoran has seen 

some women reach the top and then 

decide they don’t want to be there. 

“Women realize they want more out of 

life, they are less one-dimensional than 

their male counterparts,” she said. 

“They realize what it took to get there 

and, most importantly, what they had 

to give up, and decided – it ain’t worth 

it.” And Corcoran added, “Now, we’re 

starting to see men question that delicious 

corporate ladder more as they 

are getting on the top rungs.” 

Consequently, Corcoran predicts 

the trend will be for women to start 

their own businesses because that is 

the most forgiving environment for accommodating 

other things in life, like 

kids, time, vacations and other events. 

“If you have your own business, you’re 

in charge,” she said. “Even if you’re in 

charge of a large corporation, you’re 

not really in charge. You still have the 

board you are responsible to. I see 

women starting more businesses and 

succeeding, realizing they are going to 

get a lot farther and faster by doing it 

on their own.” 

When Corcoran makes a prediction, 

she is far too sharp to be flippant about 

it. Her company, Barbara Corcoran 

Inc., publishes a bi-annual report on 

entrepreneurs and the state of small 

business in America. Researching 

those topics thoroughly, Corcoran 

handpicks her data. Industry jargon, 

vernacular, facts and statistics can get 

complicated and boring, and Corcoran 

prides herself on her ability to put everything 

in user-friendly terms. 

The report’s findings on education 

may challenge some mainstream assumptions 

about how to succeed as an 

entrepreneur: 32 percent of entrepreneurial 

businesses were started by college 

graduates; 28 percent were started 

by those who have some college 

education; 34 percent were started by 

high school graduates; and 52 percent 

were started by people with less than 

high school education. “That’s very 

different than what people think you 

need to succeed in business,” Corcoran 

points out. “You need street smarts 

and hunger.” 

Babson College, the University of 

Houston and Syracuse University rank 

in the top five schools for programs 

fostering entrepreneurship, according 

to The Princeton Review survey 

published in Entrepreneur magazine. 

Academic programs teaching people 

how to be entrepreneurs are in 

abundance, but success, many would 

argue, doesn’t come from how well 

you can answer the questions at the 

end of a textbook chapter. Corcoran 

agrees wholeheartedly. “I don’t think 

you learn a thing until you’re in the 

street,” she said. “Eighty percent of all 

entrepreneurs were not good students. 

They are good with people, hustling 

and thinking on their feet. That’s what 

counts once you get there. The world 

belongs to the dumb kids in class.” 

Corcoran views failure as a character-building 

opportunity, and she gets 


frustrated when she explains that we only teach children 

about succeeding. “The only thing you can learn anything 

worthwhile from, if you are building a business, is through 

your failure. But we protect our kids from failing every inch 

along the way,” she said emphatically. 

Studying entrepreneurs and analyzing the data of who 

succeeds and who doesn’t is just one of Corcoran’s current 

projects. She is developing an exclusive profile quick test to 

identify entrepreneurs. Admitting that a lot of tests exist out 

there, she has checked them all out. “None of them work,” 

she said with natural Corcoran confidence. She plans to test 

her fellow “Shark Tank” cast mates, along with the winning 

and failing entrepreneurs in whom she has invested on the 

show. “It will be a self-analysis using ten multiple choice 

questions. I’m going to nail it down – I’m very excited about 

it.” 

In Corcoran’s national bestselling book, “Shark Tales,” 

she cleverly tells the story of her start in real estate. In 1973, 

at twenty-three, she started the Corcoran Group with a 

$1,000 loan. Corcoran grew the business – that’s 

putting it mildly – eventually selling it for a cool 

$66 million in 2001. Currently, in addition to her 

regular stint on “Shark Tank,” Corcoran is a real 

estate contributor on NBC’s “TODAY Show” and 

regularly sought after as a business expert by cable 

news networks and other media outlets. Her 

most recent accomplishment is joining Concierge 

Auctions as a strategic adviser to the luxury real 

estate auction firm. 

Citing current trends in the residential real 

estate industry such as a slight rise in mortgage 

rates, decreasing foreclosures and homeowners’ 

slow return to positive equity, The Suit asked 

Corcoran for her insights, and her answer commanded 

attention. 

“Listen,” she said. “I’m good at this stuff. We 

are just getting started. Sixty percent of all the 

markets are selling most of their homes through 

overbidding. When you have more than one 

buyer bidding on one house at the same time, 

that’s every buyer’s nightmare. That kind of 

overbidding means there is tons of room for 

price growth,” Corcoran explained. “There aren’t 

enough houses to go around. In my opinion, 

we’re in for a series of years of tremendous price 

appreciation. Every time it occurs, people panic, 

wondering when the bubble is going to burst. 

Guess what? When we have overbidding, it goes 

on for years because there is an imbalance in the 

marketplace.” 

Taking a breath, she continued: “We are also 

making up for a lot of lost time. This is just the 

opening move. Prices are going to be so expensive 

and if we keep getting threats of increasing 

mortgage rates, that even fuels the market more. 

The best thing for the real estate market is a deadline 

– and higher interest rates are the best deadline 

in the world for buyers to get off the fence.” 

While Corcoran is a sought-after thought leader 

in real estate, that’s not what intrinsically motivates her. 

Most of her day is devoted to the 23 entrepreneurs in whose 

businesses she invested via “Shark Tank.” If she is not at 

her office, Corcoran is thinking about them, about ideas, 

and making notes to them. “I’ve always liked real estate, 

but what I love is creativity,” she mused. “How newly can 

you skin the cat? What is a new angle?” Her mind is always 

churning out something that can move somebody or something 

forward. 

And, then there is spare time spent with family, friends, 

and her dog. “Who doesn’t like dogs?” Corcoran asks. “I 

like them better than people sometimes.” 


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y amy m. armstrong 


The everyday lives of the women 

of Costra Nostra, the American 

Sicilian mafia, are taking the 

media spotlight via the popular reality 

television show, “Mob Wives” now 

airing in its fourth season. The once 

hidden lives of the wives, girlfriends, 

daughters and lovers of notable mobsters 

are boldly portrayed on-screen 

with a focus on the women’s issues 

and not on the secrets of organized 

crime. 

“This show is not about the guys,” 

Jennifer Graziano explains. “It is 

about the women – about their everyday 

lives and how it (the mob) affects 

them. We don’t give away anybody’s 

secret. We don’t know anybody’s secret 

and we don’t talk about anything 

that is not already talked about elsewhere 

in the media.” 

Graziano is the creator and executive 

producer of the VH1 program 

now airing under the slightly altered 

title, “Mob Wives: New Blood.” It details 

the lives of several Staten Island 

women after either their husbands or 

fathers were found guilty and incarcerated 

for mob-related crimes. The 

show could potentially be subtitled, 

“Housewives Whose Husbands Happen 

to Have Criminal Jobs,” as its 

focus isn’t on the crime, but aims to 

document instead the struggle these 

women face to potentially sever the 

mob ties and care for their children 

without the men in their lives. Cat 

fights, arguments and heightened 

emotional drama characterize the 

show as its lead characters navigate 

the complexities of their relationships 

with one another. 

As the daughter of Anthony Graziano, 

Jennifer certainly had plenty of 

fodder from which to script the show. 

Her father, a former captain in the 

Bonanno crime family, did five years 

for tax evasion, was indicted on two 

counts of murder as well as conspiracy 

charges, racketeering, bookmaking, 

illegal gambling and investment 

fraud. In 2003, he was sentenced to 11 

years but was released in 2011 for reasons 

of compassion stemming from 

diabetes and bladder cancer coupled 

with the fact that federal rules permit 

15 percent credit for good behavior 

once an inmate has served 85 percent 

of their originally sentenced time. 

Less than a year later, he was indicted 

on federal racketeering and extortion 

charges, found guilty and sentenced 

to 19 months in April 2012, but released 

to a halfway house in September 

2013. The earlier incidents characterized 

her childhood and Graziano 

was in the fourth grade when she realized 

that her father might not have 

such a “normal” job. Still, she was a 

good student in high school, went to 

college, started a career and watched 

as her mother, Veronica, held the 

family together. 

When Bravo TV hit pay dirt with 

its “Real Housewives” series, Graziano 

– working for Sony at that time, 

promoting artists and writing lyrics 

– realized that her own scripts in development 

had potential. 

“I realized that I can do this. I have 

the material,” she said. 

The show’s characters are a genealogical 

“Who was Who” in the East 

Coast mafia. Graziano’s sister, Renee, 


has been on all four seasons 

and is involved in the 

fifth season, currently taping. 

She is the ex-wife of 

Hector Pagan, Jr., who ran 

a marijuana distribution 

ring, and in season two 

wore a wire gathering evidence 

against his former 

wife’s family. Another cast 

member, Drita D’Avanzo, 

is the wife of Lee D’Avanzo, 

who has ties to both 

the Bonanno and Colombo 

crime families, and spent 

the show’s first season in 

prison for bank robbery. In 

the second season, Angela 

“Big Ang” Raiola joined 

the cast. She runs a Staten 

Island bar and is the niece 

of Salvatore “Sally Dogs” 

Lombardi, a deceased captain 

of the Genovese crime 

family. In season four, Natalie 

Guercio – the granddaughter 

of Nunzio Carto – joined the show. 

Graziano’s close childhood friend, Karen Gravano, was a 

leading cast member in the first three seasons. Gravano is 

the daughter of Salvatore “Sammy the Bull” Gravano, a former 

underboss of the Gambino crime family and a federal 

informant. Due to a breached contract during season four 

and a failed bid for more compensation for , Gravano was 

cut from the show. 

That was tough on Graziano. 

“I do miss working with Karen. She was a big part of 

the show,” Graziano said of her friend, with whom she remains 

in close contact. “But it is business and it is very hard 

to mix friendship with business. I am glad Karen was able 

to separate the two and understand what happened was 

business – and some things were beyond my control.” 

Graziano maintains a business approach as cast members, 

Big Ang for example, get their own spin-off shows, 

such as “Miami Monkey,” following Big Ang as she opens a 

second bar on Staten Island. While Graziano supports spinoff 

successes, she also expects her cast members to remain 

loyal to “Mob Wives.” 

“I would like to take the ‘Mob Wives’ brand and expand 

on it even further either by more core content or another 

spin-off or two for the girls,” Graziano said. “Having said 

that, they will still remain on the mother ship show and 

come back to ‘Mob Wives.’” 

Not all of Graziano’s professional goals are connected to 

the TV show. Some are linked to her family heritage – specifically 

that part of her heritage emanating from the kitchen. 

The book, “How to Use a Meat Cleaver: Secrets and Recipes 

From a Mob Family’s Kitchen” published earlier this 

year was a joint collaboration among Graziano and her sisters, 

Lana and Renee. She admits the title is a bit “tongue 

and cheek” but figured it would help with marketing. 

“Although the cookbook has this cute and catchy title, it 

can stand against any Italian cookbook out there,” Graziano 

said. Noting that her family has a significant history in 

the restaurant business, Graziano lean heavily on the expertise 

of her sister Lana, a successful restaurateur whom 

was sentenced to five years federal probation.. . Graziano 

continued by saying, “We all learned from our grandparents 

and parents – and we wanted to share a little bit of 

what we know as cooks, aimed at new cooks using simplified 

recipes.” 

Expansion of the family’s food line – Graziano Macaroni 

Company that launches in July – is another of Graziano’s 

off-screen passions. The food line takes the theme of her 

grandmother’s Manhattan restaurant, “Supreme Macaroni” 

where her parents met and fell in love and bundles up 

hearty Italian ingredients for preparation at home. 

Learn more about, “How to Use A Meat Cleaver” online at 

www.amazon.com/How-Use-Meat-Cleaver-Secrets/ 

dp/0399166602 


6 Tried and True Tips for Today’s Entrepreneurs: 

From Founder of NonProfitEasy 

By Lomesh Shah, President and Co-Founder of NonProfitEasy 

1. Find Opportunities by Questioning the Norm 

Being an entrepreneur is not about looking for the next big 

thing—it’s about looking for opportunities that you believe 

can and should change the way things are currently done. 

Look for those holes in the fences, the system-wide timewasters, 

the places where things don’t scale—then gravitate 

to those points about which you have the most passion. 

Your inspiration will come from passion about the change 

you want to create. 

Because market forces play a determining role, there are 

many great ideas in the world that are worthy, but will never 

be money makers. Similarly not all money makers are 

worthy ideas, and those “fads” will play themselves out 

over time. Some studies say there are approximately 140 

million startups each year around the world, yet most of 

them fail, not because the idea wasn’t good, but because 

they failed to plan adequately. 

My advice to entrepreneurs is to make sure you do your 

homework before committing to “changing the world.” 

2. Test Your Ideas 

Before officially starting NonProfitEasy, I spent a considerable 

amount of time with local nonprofits, working to 

understand the gaps between Executive Directors and Program 

Directors. Once I had a firm understanding of these 

gaps, their causes, and possible 

solutions, we started conceptualizing 

a new system. 

First, we worked with designers 

to layout a dozen screens on how the 

system was going to look and work. 

With the help of a nonprofit consultant, we also researched 

additional local nonprofits to test the validity of the idea. 

This is where I took a very different approach to getting 

NonProfitEasy off the ground. I asked each of the nonprofits 

that liked the idea to give me roughly 3 years of licensing 

fees upfront, and in return I gave them a lifetime license 

with the ability to have a seat at the table in the direction 

of how the system would operate. I restricted this to the 

first dozen nonprofits. Eventually, 13 of the 15 nonprofits I 

talked to committed. 

Entrepreneurs cannot be afraid of testing their ideas and 

thinking differently. It is easy for people to like ideas—asking 

for commitment is where the rubber meets the road. 

We launched a kickstarter campaign with local nonprofits 

that gave us the initial development funds we needed. With 

these committed nonprofits, we implemented the product in 

their organizations and to this day, we continue to get great 

feedback on how we can improve NonProfitEasy. Without 

their input, we would not have evolved the NonProfitEasy 


platform as rapidly as we did—it’s literally made us who 

we are. 

3. Be Passionate—And Paranoid 

Being an entrepreneur is a rush, but “top of the wave” moments 

are fleeting and often far between. They can drive 

you, but they cannot be the only thing that drives you. Early 

on, these high points can be distracting because they make 

you lose focus. 

Stay driven. Stay passionate. Stay paranoid, but don’t be 

fearful of the big players. I tell entrepreneurs that it is perfectly 

normal to live in a world of paranoia because it drives 

creativity and action. In today’s market, those who don’t 

stay in front are at the mercy of the competition. You are 

only one idea away from being wiped out. These thoughts 

are what keep me on my toes, balanced, and grounded. 

At the same time, it is essential to take bad news in stride. 

Remember that if this were easy, everyone would be doing 

it. There is a reason why entrepreneurship is a path less 

traveled. Motivation is directly proportionate to the passion 

one brings to the “idea.” You still have the lows and the 

highs, but you’re better prepared to ride the waves and enjoy 

the ride. 

4. Bootstrap As Long As You Can 

Entrepreneurs often ask how long they should spend “in 

the garage.” This entirely depends to what it is that you are 

working on. Time this decision in anticipation of scaling 

your business. It’s never easy, but entrepreneurs are natural 

optimists, so when the time comes to take the next logical 

step, do it and own that decision. My personal advice: get 

your financial house in order first, then bootstrap it as long 

as you can and be prepared to occasionally spend ahead of 

revenues. 

5. Find The Right Team 

How do you find the right team? That’s the million dollar 

question. Find co-founders who can bring in complementary 

skill sets to your business. When it comes to choosing 

advisors, the ones you consider most should have gravitas 

in your company’s market. Hopefully they have firsthand 

experience in your industry. Ideally, that experience will 

have been successful, but failed attempts can also offer useful 

insights. 

As for the team, I like to look for people who are as equally 

passionate as I am. I look for people who don’t mind 

rolling up their sleeves and doing something outside their 

comfort level when necessary. Most importantly, I look for 

team members that are very good at the task I’m hiring 

them for. Some positions are trainable, and in this case, I 

look for raw skills and thoughts that I feel will make that 

person most successful. 

I strongly advise looking at Universities and Vocational 

Schools for interns. We started with two interns in part-time 

positions who now provide highly important roles at the 

company. 

6. Understand What Stage You’re At And What You’re 

Willing to Give Up 

This vastly differs based on what it is that you are working 

on. There are certain markets whose ideas require massive 

upfront capital, such as those in the medical devices 

space, and their approach is vastly different than a software 

launch. You also have the past success variable. For those 

that have made money from investors in the past, the stage 

at which you are able to raise money is different than the 

“newbies.” 

Consider the kind of investor you need. If it is just the 

money, you are going to raise it at a different stage of the 

game then if you need someone for the money and the rolodex. 

Understand where your company may fall and what 

you are willing to give up. Then, nail down the where and 

how you find investors. With the advent of crowdfunding 

and platforms like Kickstarter and Microventures, the approach 

to raising money has changed dramatically. Consumer 

product-focused companies are finding great success 

at Kickstarter and similar platforms, while other ideas are 

beginning to get traction on platforms like Microventures. 

Get the idea beyond the concept stage and preferably to 

the traction stage before venturing out into the world of 

angel investors and venture capitalists. Personal savings, 

friends and families are a great way to get something started 

early on without giving up too much of the company or 

even more important—control. 

It’s Not About the Money 

Being an entrepreneur can be the thrill of a lifetime and 

those who are successful can earn a comfortable, if not lavish, 

living. But if you are going to do it for the money, it is 

not going to be worth it. If you commit to it because you are 

passionate about what that “idea” means, then the money 

will follow. 

Keep your eyes and your mind open. Stay focused. Stay 

smart. Enjoy the rush; enjoy the ride. 

About Lomesh 

Lomesh Shah combines his entrepreneurial 

passion with more than 20 years of international 

corporate experience and business 

management expertise for the operations 

and management of NonProfitEasy. A 

business futurist and strategist, he has been 

a strong advocate for using the power of 

technology for the transformation of the 

nonprofit sector. Lomesh has worked with 

small to mid-size businesses, privately-held 

companies and Fortune 500 corporations in 

various capacities; from sales and marketing 

to overseeing automation and reengineering 

of processes and operations. 



Too Hot To Handle 

Irwindale, CA, politicians say air to spicy 

The debate regarding whether the operations of the 

California-based Huy Fong Foods while producing 

its nationally popular Sriracha hot sauce is indeed a 

health hazard is about as heated as the sauce is when applied 

to scrambled eggs. 

In April 2014, the Irwindale City Council unanimously 

voted to declare the sprawling $30 million processing facility 

a nuisance. Municipal law requires a second vote to 

enforce the ruling. But due to protests from hundreds of the 

plant’s workers and national media coverage highlighting 

the case, city council officials decided to delay a final vote 

until mid-May. 

Huy Fong Foods is owned and operated by David Tran – a 

Chinese nationalist who fled Vietnam in 1980. He first started 

his hot sauce business in the Los Angeles Chinatown but 

later relocated to Irwindale, a small quasi agricultural/industrial 

town about 20 miles east of the Los Angeles urban 

sprawl. In the process, he’s built a company grossing more 

than $60 million annually with sales of its leading product – 

the Sriracha hot sauce – that has become such a mainstay in 

today’s American cuisine culture that even big box retailer 

Walmart sells its faded crimson tee shirts. 

Trouble is the hot sauce which is made from a combination 

of made from a combination of paste of chili peppers, 

distilled vinegar, garlic, sugar, and salt allegedly emits a 

spicy odor during its production that triggers asthma sufferers 

to have increased attacks. More than 70 complaints 

from four homes located near the Irwindale plant prompted 

city officials to take action. 

“There are children and people that suffer from asthma, 

THE SUIT MAGAZINE - APRIL / MAY 2014 

and when the smell is strong in certain parts of town, you 

can't go outside," Fred Galante, Irwindale city attorney, told 

the Los Angeles Times. “If the residents are experiencing 

these kinds of effects, does their voice not matter?” 

Yet inspectors from the South Coast Air Quality Management 

District which is responsible for monitoring Irwindale 

and documenting violations have told the city council and 

numerous media sources that they’ve visited the facility 

several times – including when chili peppers are being processed 

– and cannot document any air quality violations. 

In the meantime, a delegation of Texas state and federal 

lawmakers as well as San Antonio Chamber of Commerce 

representatives visited the Irwindale plant in early May. 

Texas has mounted a campaign encouraging Tran to relocate. 

Doing so would remove one of Irwindale’s major employers 

as Huy Fong Foods employs 70 people year-round 

and another 200 seasonally. 

Mark Breceda, Irwindale’s mayor, brought a half-empty 

bottle of Sriracha hot sauce to an April city council meeting 

speaking directly to Tran in the audience, saying, “the city 

does not want to shut your factory down.” 

But Breceda wants some sort of compromise –whether 

that be installation of additional air filtration or limits on 

processing hours during peak harvest season – in order to 

protect the residents experiencing health-related issues. 

Tran, who has been featured on national television programs 

discussing what he considers an attack against his 

company, repeatedly keeps asking government officials, 

“Why do you hate me so much?”


the premier 

ALTERNATIVE 

To WALL STREET 

When Bobby Brown met his future wife 24 years 

ago, he also inadvertently found something 

else that appealed to him. At the time, his 

finance worked for a Wall Street wire house 

firm. Brown was really impressed with the fee-based advisory 

business there, and the way the wealth of their high net 

worth clients was managed. “They were not stock jockeys 

or bond daddies cold calling one hundred people a day, just 

trying to make a commission by selling something,” said 

Brown – adding that he saw a true dedication to the clients’ 

best interests. This was more than a casual observation: It 

was a visceral experience resonating with his desire to help 

others. At that time, Brown was a futures trader for a cotton 

merchandising firm, and the idea of doing business in the 

best interest of the client, changed the course of his career. 

After over 20 years in the investment industry, in 2012 

Brown, now a branch manager, realized a long-held dream, 

as Bobby Brown Private Wealth Advisors, an independent 

professional advisory firm based in Hot Springs, Arkansas, 

was launched. He can now savor the fruits of his own labor 

when he hears that a client’s child graduated from college, 

or sees client retire with a lifestyle that meets all expectations, 

or learns of other situations where clients realize an 

important dream. 

Bobby Brown Private Wealth Advisors utilizes Raymond 

James Financial, Inc., a leading diversified financial services 


company with more than 2,500 locations 

in the U.S. and abroad, as the custodian 

of their client assets. Some 6,200 financial 

advisors serve in excess of 2.5 million accounts 

with total assets exceeding $450 billion. 

According to Brown, Raymond James 

Financial is currently in their 104th consecutive 

quarter of profitability and reporting 

28 years of continuous dividends. 

“We are full service investment advisors 

concentrating on running a fee-based financial 

planning approach to investing,” 

said Brown. His own firm works with high 

net worth clients, including business owners 

and executives, corporate retirement 

plans, endowments, foundations, and municipalities. 

It is a relationship business, and Brown 

works one-on-one with clients to determine 

their specific needs. “If you are a day 

trader or speculating in penny stocks – we 

are not a good fit for gamblers. We have a 

very disciplined approach, and it works,” 

Brown explained, adding that trying to 

time the market doesn’t work, but time in 

the game does. 

One important reason Brown was drawn 

to join them, is the Raymond James Financial 

network does not sell products, thus 

eliminating financial incentives for pushing 

clients toward particular products. 

Brown believes that all investment professionals 

should be held to a uniform fiduciary 

standard calling for them to act 

in the best interests of their clients, and he 

hopes that pending regulations to enforce 

this are enacted. 

“In regard to a uniform fiduciary standard, 

what amazes me is why regulators are not insisting 

that all investment providers are securities licensed and 

held to a higher standard like a licensed registered financial 

advisor,” said Brown. “In order to hold investment 

providers accountable and to the highest standard of our 

profession, anyone selling any type of security should have 

to hold a securities license and complete the continuing 

education hours required to keep them proficient. There’s 

a huge difference in a salesman or 

broker and registered financial advisor. 

How can someone without 

their securities license be held to 

the same fiduciary standard that we 

are,” asks Brown. 

With one daughter attending 

Baylor University and another preparing 

to start college, Brown says 

that it provides him with anecdotal 

evidence of the impact of inflation 

through the years. “Today, one year 

of college costs more than my first 

home,” he said, adding that clients often overlook inflationary 

concerns. To help demonstrate its impact to his clients, 

Brown keeps three postage stamps in his desk drawer: one 

in use today; one from ten years ago; and one from 20 years 

ago. “That seems to hit home with many clients – helping 

them grasp the reality of inflation first-hand,” Brown explained. 

“Older generations remember when things were 

less expensive and understand it better because they lived 

through it. With the younger generation, it’s harder to paint 

a picture for them. They seem to understand inflation more 

as it relates to a college education expense.” 

Bobby Brown Private Wealth Advisors has grown about 

35 percent each year since opening and are on track to do 

the same this year. Plans are for at least two more financial 

advisors to be added to Brown’s staff. 

“We have a relentless pursuit of integrity. We want to 

be the chosen alternative to Wall Street,” said Brown, explaining 

that Raymond James provides talented coaching 

and educational opportunities, helping them achieve their 

goals. 

Brown served as the founding president of Our Promise 

Cancer Resources Foundation, dedicated to helping cancer 

patients and their families. 

In addition, both Brown his wife, Jean, are on the executive 

steering committee for Garvan Woodland Gardens, an 

800-acre botanical garden in the Ouachita Mountains, located 

in Hot Springs National Park and run by the University 

of Arkansas. Bobby Brown Private Wealth Advisors donates 

to both of these charities. 

Securities offered through Raymond James Financial Services, 

Inc., Member FINRA/SIPC. 

2360 Malvern Avenue 

Suite C 

Hot Springs, AR 71901 

Phone: 501-463-4020 

www.raymondjames.com/bobbybrown 



INVESTING IN GREAT COMMUNICATIONS 

Interpersonal communication 

– the process of sending and 

receiving messages between two 

or more people – is the foundation 

of all personal and professional 

relationships. A communication 

breakdown can affect the momentum 

and outcome of a dialog, a situation 

or a project, and can leave people 

feeling unheard, disappointed and 

powerless. 

According to reports on the 

financial industry, one of the top 

reasons investors leave their existing 

financial planner in search of another 

is due to what the client feels is a 

lack of communication on the part of 

the adviser. 

Ned Tufekcic, founder and CEO 

of ProInvest Financial, Inc. told 

The Suit, “It is often perceived that 

financial professionals are in a frontloaded 

relationship with the client, 

where all dialog is at the beginning 

of the process. However, the key is 

a level communication approach 

throughout the relationship.” He 

continues on to say that many initial 

plans mature and become less viable, 

so financial planners need to update 

routinely, ask questions often and 

not make assumptions. Tufekcic 

credits proactive communication, 

along with planning and risk 

management, as reasons that the 

economic downturn of 2009 had 

minimal impact on his clients. 

ProInvest Financial is based in 

Pepper Pike, Ohio, an affluent 

suburb of Cleveland, specializing 

in comprehensive financial planning 

and investment solutions for 

business owners and pre-retirees. 

Their services include investment 

management, asset allocation 

analysis, business continuity 

planning, estate planning and 

retirement planning. While some 

financial advisers may boast about 

returns, Tufekcic takes pride as 

he watches his clients grow, both 

professionally and personally. 

He calls it a “rewarding two-way 

process” as those who have relied on 

his advice make some extraordinary 

leaps in their own lives. 

Digital marketing helps ProInvest 

Financial both educate and 

communicate with their clients. 

The firm maintains a robust social 

media presence and believes that 

doing so reinforces relationships. 

“Meetings don’t have to be in 

person,” said Tufekcic. “We now 

have an extended platform by which 

we can communicate with clients 

using Skype, GoToMeeting and 

other digital venues.” 

Though most ProInvest Financial 

clients are members of the 

baby boomer and Generation X 

cohorts, Tufekcic’s commitment to 

Generation Y is impressive. “We 

owe the millennial generation in 

this country the opportunity to 

receive competent financial advice, 

shepherding, and nurturing. We 

owe them delivery of the outcome 

that they perhaps don’t see yet in 

their own dreams, but what they 

will ultimately seek,” he said. 

Currently, Tufekcic is searching 

carefully for a millennial-aged 

adviser to bring into his firm, 

intending to mentor this person 

toward full partnership. “I want to 

develop a succession plan that is the 

envy of all my peers,” he said. “If we 

are to sustain what we have done 

so well, we need to look toward the 

millennial generation.” 

Ned Tufekcic is a registered 

representative and investment 

advisor representative of Cambridge 

Investment Research Advisors, Inc. 

a Registered Investment Advisor. 

Securities offered through 

Cambridge Investment Research, 

Inc., a Broker/Dealer, Member 

FINRA/SIPC; Advisory services 

offered through Cambridge 

Investment Research Advisors, Inc., 

a Registered Investment Advisor. 

Cambridge and ProInvest Financial 

Inc., are not affiliated 

www.proinvestfinancial.com 



GAINING STRENGTH THROUGH NETWORKING 

Aided by Social Media and 

Alliance Membership 

Herbein Wealth Management, 

LLC, has grown steadily since its 

launch almost fifteen years ago. 

In fact, 2013 was their best year so far – 

growing from $240 million in client assets 

to $330 million. Yet Bill Morgan, president 

of the firm, says that one of his greatest 

challenges is spreading the word about 

what they can do for clients as a firm of 

fee-based Registered Investment Advisors 

(RIA). Family stewards looking to financially 

provide for spouses, children and 

grandchildren fit their typical client profile; 

people looking to time the market or 

trade on a short-term basis do not. 

Social media marketing has helped with 

client outreach, but regulations by the SEC 

for the RIA community, make it difficult 

for financial companies to understand 

what is allowed and what is not. Herbein 

Wealth Management hosts a company 

page on Facebook and uses Twitter on a 

regular basis. Morgan, a Certified Public 

Accountant and Personal Financial Specialist, 

finds LinkedIn to be a useful platform 

for networking, even though using 

client testimonials is technically against 

SEC regulations. 

Morgan said that the economic downturn 

during 2008 through 2009 revealed 

each client’s true risk tolerance. As advisors, 

Herbein Wealth Management focuses 

on long-term investing afforded by mutual 

funds and other investment options compared 

to the very popular exchange-traded 

funds (EFT). “One of the big advantages 

of ETF’s is intra-day trading versus 

the trading of mutual funds – which is at 

net asset value at the close of each day,” 

said Morgan. “But, we are not interested 

in trying to time the market or in shortterm 

trades moving money from one asset 

class to another, because we don’t believe 

it helps our clients’ portfolios.” 

What does help clients is Herbein 

Wealth Management’s membership in 

The BAM Alliance Based in St. Louis, 

the Alliance is a cooperative community 

of more than 140 independent wealth 

management firms located throughout 

the United States. 

“Being part of The BAM Alliance gives 

us more time to deal with issues that are 

important to our clients, because BAM 

handles some of the daily routine tasks 

that investment managers must perform,” 

explained Morgan. “Members 

are able to achieve more as an alliance 

than we could individually.” Morgan 

is also part of an advanced study group 

working within the Alliance. Twice a 

year professional peers from around the 

country meet to discuss current trends 

in the financial industry and to collaborate 

on the specific issues each member 

faces within their respective firms. 

Authors, speakers and other thought 

leaders are also members. “It has been 

a wonderful partnership over the years, 

and something that has helped us grow 

faster than we would have otherwise,” 

he said. 

Herbein Wealth Management is located 

in Wyomissing, a suburb of Reading, 

Pennsylvania. Morgan works with 

clients to build a plan that helps them 

now, and to build a family legacy for the 

benefit of future generations. 

www.herbeinwealth.com 



Sitting on the Same Side 

of the Table with Clients 

Lee A. Duckworth, 

CFP®, RFC®, CMFC 

President & CEO 

1300 Division Road, Ste. 203 

West Warwick, RI 02893 

www.capitalwealthinc.com 

The Securities and Exchange 

Commission (SEC) is under 

mounting pressure from its 

Chairman, Mary Jo White, who recently 

called on her fellow SEC 

commissioners to finally decide on 

whether brokers should be held to 

the same uniform fiduciary standard 

that investment advisors must 

uphold, in order to protect investors 

across the board. 

Meanwhile, according to Lee A. 

Duckworth, president and CEO of 

Capital Wealth Management, Inc., 

client receptivity to the independent 

Registered Investment Advisory 

(RIA) model has never been better. 

“Because of the fiduciary standard 

we follow, we find ourselves in a 

time when our service model, our offering 

and our value proposition are 

second to none,” said Duckworth. 

He thinks that a uniform standard 

will continue to be debated robustly 

throughout the industry. “We like 

the ‘conflict of interest-free’ nature 

and culture of sitting on the same 

side of the table with our clients. I 

think it’s going to move in that direction, 

although as the industry knows, 

the 100-pound gorilla is on the other 

side of the fence with the brokerage 

firms – or more aptly, the 500-pound 

gorilla,” he quipped. 

Based in West Warwick, Rhode Island, 

Capital Wealth Management is 

very active in preparing customized 

investment consultation, financial 


planning and insurance solutions 

for clients. “We are well 

known in the New England 

area for our extensive expertise 

in the alternative investment 

space, such as the oil and gas 

energy sectors, senior secured 

floating rate debt, and in mezzanine 

financing and non-traded 

REITs,” said Duckworth. 

Since about one-quarter of the 

firm’s clients are retired and income-dependent, 

they require 

a more conservative approach, 

but in working with their “accumulator 

clients,” Duckworth 

says, “We are traditional Alpha 

seekers in 15 to 25 different asset 

classes.” 

Looking back to the economic 

downturn of five years ago, 

Duckworth, a Certified Financial 

Planner®, felt that his firm 

weathered the storm well. “Our 

client retention was fantastic,” 

he said. “Prior to 2008, we were 

almost legalistic about defining 

the risk levels of our clients – we 

really pressed into those relationships 

and had an investment 

policy statement for each family 

that accurately reflected their 

acceptance of risk.” Of course, 

Duckworth admits that the history-making 

plummet did affect 

people. “Certainly, by the end 

of 2009, there was a percentage 

of clients who realized that they 

weren’t as accepting of volatility 

as they thought they were, so 

some realignments were necessary.” 

In addition to alternative investments, 

Capital Wealth Management 

differentiates itself 

from its competition through 

their partnership with eMoney 

Advisor, LLC, a global company 

providing an advanced cloudbased 

technology platform. In 

the ongoing spirit of client service, 

Duckworth said, “Transparency 

of fees and cost structure 

is an absolute must, and 

clients can access daily valuations 

on our website.” Charles 

Schwab & Co., Inc. is custodian 

for the majority of Capital 

Wealth Management’s client assets, 

along with other custodial 

partners. 

*Securities offered through Triad Advisors, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. Investment Advisory Services are 

offered through Capital Wealth Management, Inc., a registered investment advisor. Capital Wealth Management, 

Inc. and Triad Advisors, Inc. are not affiliated. 


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y annabelle preston 

A Long Career in Putting 

the client first 

Across the industry, financial 

advisors – including Charles 

Schwab, in an official statement 

– are calling upon the U.S. Department 

of Labor to encourage a shift in the national 

conversation about preparing 

for retirement, from one that is mainly 

centered on wealth accumulation to a 

conversation with a significant component 

dedicated to lifetime income 

replacement instead. 

That approach is enthusiastically 

supported by J. Michael Salley, owner 

of Salley Wealth Advisors Group, LLC, 

currently located in Summerville, SC. 

He knows his baby boomer clients are 

highly concerned that, unlike their 

parents, they could experience retirement 

years that are as numerous as 

their working years. 

“We have to plan accordingly,” Salley 

said. What we find is that many 

folks are worried about outliving their 

money. “One of the most effective 

tools we use now from an investment 

point of view is the annuity with a 

guaranteed living income rider which 

guarantees that – irrespective of what 

happens in the financial market over 

time – there will be a stream of income 

that they could not outlive.” 

Salley’s advice aligns with that of 

Annuity Outlook Magazine, which 

has declared 2014 to be “The Year of 

the Fixed Annuity.” The magazine reported 

a 52 percent increase in the sale 

of annuities in the first three months 

of 2014 as compared to the same time 

period in 2013. Some of the increase is 

attributable to uncertainty regarding 

Obamacare’s ability to adequately cover 

the generally higher geriatric medical 

expenses. The pieces of this puzzle, 

featuring an awkward financial dance 

between Medicare benefits and the deduction 

of its premiums from Social 

Security benefits, have yet to fit together. 

The magazine kindly called it, “a 

tricky financial situation for retirees.” 

Worries regarding the ability to survive 

another financial meltdown only 

complicates any retiree’s world. It’s 

easy to see, then, as the magazine reports, 

why annuities with guaranteed 

income riders are a go-to financial fix 

for baby boomers, especially after witnessing 

their investments suffer the 

draining effects of the financial meltdown 

of 2007 to 2009. 

Salley agrees that the Great Recession, 

as it has been termed, certainly 

changed investor approach. But this 

change was not necessarily for the 

worst. Many learned that viewing the 

market with short term optics and responding 

too dramatically to the dayto-day 

drama so prevalent during that 

tumultuous time was a mistake. 

“We are a long-time investor,” Salley 

said. “Our activities are never driven 

by short term events. Our philosophy 

is to make a plan for the duration and 

128 East Richardson Ave 

Summerville, SC 29483 

843 875-3645 

stick to that plan – and not get caught 

up in the day-to-day drama and emotion 

that drives the investment activity 

of most folks.” 

He’s proud to say that not one of his 

clients pulled out of their plans during 

the Great Recession. Salley told his clients 

that they were in the right investments 

to weather the storm He preferred 

not to have it on his conscience 

that fees would be paid to pull monies 

out of accounts, and that clients would 

have to pay these same fees again once 

the market settled, when they wanted 

back into certain investments. His 

view of all the movement in 2007 to 

2009: mostly resulted in a whole lot of 

fees that didn’t improve the financial 

situation of clients. 

That long-term view seems to have 

served him well. He’s a 35-year veteran 

of the financial services industry, 

having successful relocated his practice 

from Long Island, New York, to 

the South in 2005, after his children 

were grown. Salley himself grew up in 

a tough inner-city neighborhood He 

attended Queens College of the City 

University of New York, majoring in 

American history and political science. 

He landed a spot in a recruitment project 

Merrill Lynch launched in 1979. 

Salley was in the right place at the 

right time and started his career as a 

financial advisor. 

“What I feel most proud about is that 

this is my first and only career,” he 

emphasized. While Salley stayed with 

Merrill Lynch for only three years, the 

lessons he learned there stuck with 

him for decades. “When I first came 

into the business, I spent all of my time 

hanging around the older guys. Those 

are the guys who taught me how to 

conduct my business.. They made me 

believe and understand that it is very 

important that your main goal is to always 

put your clients first. If you just 

put people first and put your clients 

first, you will be in this industry for the 

rest of your life.” 

www.salleywealthadvisors.com 



Being the Bandwagon 

Pioneers in the Open Architecture, Transparent Fee Model 

Apparently, Neil Waxman, Managing 

Director of Capital Advisors 

Ltd., doesn’t need much 

sleep. A self-professed night owl, he 

feels very productive late into the evening, 

and has been known to send out 

emails until 2:00 a.m. – or even later. As 

the Chairperson on the Boards of several 

not-for-profit organizations, he holds 

Board and Committee meetings at 7:30 

a.m., averaging two or three days a 

week. All things considered, that’s a relatively 

small window for rest. 

“My motor runs constantly, right up 

until the time I go to bed,” said Waxman, 

who even finds time to coach 

wrestling. “I love my work, it’s never a 

job. It is the same with my not-for-profit 

work. It feeds me.” 

In 1990, Waxman and his partner, 

Mark Ciulla, purchased the company 

where they were working – Capital Advisors 

– a financial planning and wealth 

management firm based in Shaker 

Heights, Ohio, after working there for 

six years. They had a distinctly different 

vision than the existing owner, who ran 

it as a financial planning firm for high 

net worth business owners. It was an 

independent firm then, but funded by a 

large insurance company. As new owners, 

Waxman and Ciulla wanted independence 

without proprietary product 

obligation inherent with a parent firm. 

“We wanted to evolve into a feebased, 

open architecture firm that was 

completely transparent,” explained 

Waxman. “This was in the early 1990’s. 

We were way ahead of everybody else, 

who didn’t embrace this model until 

the next decade.” Open architecture allows 

the firm to offer clients customized 

investment solutions from a variety of 

institutions, compared to the commissioned-based 

structure or proprietary 

products 

Waxman and Ciulla built Capital 

Advisors to serve the complex and sophisticated 

affairs of high net worth individuals 

and families. The majority of 

the firm’s clients are business owners of 

large private companies, or those who 

have sold their companies and have 

moved on to other ventures. Much of 

the firm’s work involves managing the 

intersection of business and personal affairs 

that Waxman sometimes refers to 

as “financial social work.” 

Emerging trends in the financial industry 

were intrinsically built into 

the Capital Advisors service model 

long before other firms jumped on the 

bandwagon. For instance, behavioral 

investing, planning for increased client 

longevity, investing less for Alpha and 

more for absolute return, and recognizing 

the need to engage with clients’ children, 

These elements evolved not as a 

marketing strategy, but rather logically 

in recognition of the needs of clients via 

a disciplined process, which has always 

been a part of the firm’s approach to 

wealth management. 

Service and personal attention are 

hallmarks of the Capital Advisors 

brand. Every client is assigned a primary 

Senior Financial Advisor and an 

experienced Financial Analyst. “We are 

very client-centric and do everything 

with a sense of urgency. When clients 

need something, they get it right away. 


They love that,” said Waxman, which 

may be why he struggles to assign a 

figure to the firm’s client turnover. “It’s 

immeasurable, really. It’s essentially 

zilch. We develop very good consultant 

relationships,” he said. 

In addition to financial, investment 

and retirement planning, other wealth 

management services include estate 

planning, business succession planning 

and insurance management. “We start 

with planning. We understand all the 

moving parts, that way we can manage 

assets for after-tax rate of return, and we 

are consensus builders with our client’s 

other advisors,” explained Waxman, 

adding, “Our approach is driven by 

process, not product.” 

Today, Waxman observes that clients 

are more risk-conscious than ever, and 

they are satisfied with lower rates of 

return, especially if they saw that our 

portfolio construction helped avoid the 

disaster of the last two market downturns. 

“People who didn’t embrace risk 

management felt the impact of that neglect 

twice in the last fourteen years, 

once in 2000 and again in 2008. We 

are generally in a risk-averse marketplace,” 

he said. Our clients understand 

Beta, and for the most part are willing 

to give up some upside to help prevent 

a catastrophe like some investors suffered 

in 2008, when the equity markets 

dropped nearly 50% in 6 months. 

The entire team at Capital Advisors is 

credited for the firm’s organic growth 

over the years. Current goals are to expand 

and double their business within 

three to five years. Waxman and Ciulla 

work alongside their talented staff, 

grooming them to be the next generation 

of ownership. “We are a nose to 

the grindstone firm, but we have a lot 

of fun, too,” said Waxman adding that 

he was looking forward to the office St. 

Paddy’s Day potluck lunch that day. 

Currently, they are developing a very, 

targeted, robust marketing effort to help 

ignite the growth efforts. 

Waxman, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL 

PLANNER professional, is recognized 

nationally as a leader in the financial 

services industry. He has been 

named to Worth® magazine’s annual 

list of “America’s Top Wealth Advisors” 

for six consecutive years. Sought after 

as a speaker at industry events, he hosts 

seminars and webinars on wealth management 

and business succession planning 

for the Greater Cleveland Partnership, 

Kent State University’s OEOC, 

and The Society of Financial Service 

Professionals. 

Last year Waxman marked his third 

consecutive year as a panelist at the 

R.I.S.E. Forum XIII (Redefining Investment 

Strategy Education). It is the largest 

student investment conference in the 

world, sponsored by the University of 

Dayton in association with the United 

Nations Global Compact. Other panelists 

include thought leaders and prominent 

personalities from Wall Street, 

corporate America, government and the 

financial media, and Waxman – with 

important points to make – is in excellent 

company. 

www.capitaldvisorsltd.com 

Advisory services offered through Capital Advisors, 

Ltd., LLC, Capital Analysts, Inc, or Lincoln Investment, 

Registered Investment Advisors. Securities 

offered through Lincoln Investment, Broker Dealer, 

Member FINRA/SIPC. 

Capital Advisors, Ltd. LLC and the above named firms 

are independent, non-affiliated entities. 



With Service to Others 

KEPT CLOSE TO THE HEART 

John A. Frisch, CPA/PFS, CFP ® , AIF ® , PPC TM has nearly 30 years 

of experience in the finance industry. He is a CPA, a Personal Financial 

Specialist, a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER TM , an 

Accredited Investment Fiduciary ® and a Professional Plan Consultant 

TM . 

Frisch is speaking of his work 

with 13 local families whose 

loved ones were victims of 

the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He 

helped family members file claims 

with the September 11 Victims Compensation 

Fund (VCF) by appearing 

with them in front of the VCF board 

to state each case and justify why a 

victim was worth a particular amount 

of compensation. “It was gut-wrenching 

– you are trying to put a value on 

somebody’s life,” he reflected. 

When the Financial Planning Association 

learned of Frisch’s pro bono 

work, they asked him to educate other 

association members who wanted 

to help victims’ families in New York, 

which he gladly did. 

Frisch has also been helping families 

find financial peace of mind in 

other ways since 1995, through Alliant 

Wealth Advisors’ wealth management 

services. Generally, their clients 

have assets of $1,000,000 or more that 

can be safely invested. “If it is a simple 

family situation, our model might 

be overkill for them,” said Frisch, explaining 

that typical clients are business 

owners, rental property owners 

or families with complex estate plans. 

The firm serves corporate America, 

too, by delivering The Alliant Wealth 

Advisors 401(k) Solution. “Just like 

we do on the family wealth side, we 

offer a very high level of service to our 

corporate clients. We want to make 

sure that they are utilizing 401(k) plan 

best practices, and that they are offering 

solutions to help their employees 

reach a comfortable retirement – while 

also mitigating their risk as a fiduciary 

to the plan participants,” said Frisch. 

Many plan sponsors are not familiar 

with 401(k) rules, regulations and fee 

structures. Alliant Wealth Advisors 

helps them to understand the current 

status and what changes are necessary 

for compliance. They also help to 

optimize plans to benefit employees. 

When Frisch, who is a CPA and 

a Certified Financial Planner ® , first 

started in the industry, it was unusual 

for a client to ask about fees. He noted 

that today, it is very common for 

prospective customers to ask how he 

is paid. “There has been an education 

process, mainly through the media, 

and most families know that they 

should be aware of what the fees are 

and how their advisor is compensated,” 

said Frisch. 

Corporations are insisting on additional 

transparency, too. “Plan sponsors 

are starting to become aware that 

there are a lot of hidden fees in the 

retirement plans that their advisors 

are managing,” said Frisch. “That was 

driven by rule changes implemented 

by the Department of Labor in 2012 

requiring service providers to disclose 

what the fees were. For the most part, 

the sponsors didn’t know – and it was 

a real eye opener for them.” 

Honorable service to others is still 

never far from his mind. Frisch has 

served continuously as a docent at the 

National 9/11 Pentagon Memorial in 

Arlington since 2009, when the program 

began. 

www.alliantwealthadvisors.com 


The Small Business Fixer 

Keeping Them POSITIVE and On TRACK 

By Diane E. Alter 

Statistics show that small businesses are major players 

in the U.S. economy. Indeed, over 50% of the current 

working population in the United States works in 

small business, according to Forbes. Moreover, small 

business growth is expected to accelerate in 2014. And, small 

businesses have generated more than 65% of new jobs created 

in America since 1996. 

Over the last several decades, the small business landscape 

in the Unites States has dramatically 

changed. Thanks to technological advances, 

it is easier for people to create and run businesses 

without overwhelming operating 

expenses, effectively stoking the growth of 

small business nationwide and altering the 

way they operate. What hasn’t changed are 

the challenges small businesses face. 

“While it may be easy to get a small business 

up and running, it is tough making it 

a success,” Kirk Johnson, owner of Intelli- 

Genz Business Solutions LLC, told The Suit. 

“Many give up before realizing their dream of accomplishment. 

That’s where we come in. We are the small business 

fixer.” 

With some three decades of experience working in business, 

and over 15 years owning a small business himself, 

Johnson’s invaluable services include advising on improvements, 

such as cash flow and customer service, evaluating 

processes and managing time. His Fair Lawn, NJ-based firm 

is also a certified QuickBooks Pro Advisor. “We help clients 

select, set-up and purchase the No.1 financial software in 

the world. Most mom and pop small business owners aren’t 

computer wizards, but we make it easy. That’s key to their 

success and ours,” Johnson explained. 

Clients run the gamut from restaurateurs to retail owners 

to electricians. In addition to helping with the books, Johnson 

will show owners how to capitalize on growing trends 

including how to implement critical tools such as cloud 

computing, crowdsourcing, point of sales, loyalty 

programs, outsourcing, mobile and social 

media. 

“There is nothing more rewarding than helping 

a small business owner who has ‘hit the 

wall’ and is ready to give up – watching his or 

her business thrive,” Johnson added. “I keep 

them positive, on track and remind them that 

being undeniably good trumps any buzzword 

or big competitor.” 

www.intelligenzbusiness.com


PILOTING 

Financial Decisions 

If the results of a recent survey of Charles Schwab 

investors indicates demographics, then it appears 

the bulk of investors remain focused on long-term 

goals instead of short-term gains. Schwab currently 

manages more than $2.08 trillion in assets for nearly 

75,000 clients. When its survey statistics say that 

70 percent of investors indicate more confidence in 

an investment strategy if they have regular meetings 

with their advisors, and that three out of every 

five investors believe financial markets will improve 

within the next year, it really means something. 

It also represents the type 

of relationship Alan Bewley, 

Founder and Managing 

Member of United Wealth Management, 

LLC, tries to develop 

with the clients seeking his investment 

advice. Bewley’s clients 

aren’t just any people wanting 

access to his financial skills. 

They are fellow workers from his 

first job – as a pilot with United 

Airlines. Not only do they share 

the controls in the same jumbo 

jet cockpits, but they also share 

the same 401(k) plan, the same 

health insurance and the same 

retirement plan. 

“It is a niche with a great pool 

of prospects,” said Bewley. 

Along with fellow pilot and financial 

services partner Dan 

Lohmar, they market financial 

advisory services exclusively to 

United Airlines pilots. “Having 

done both jobs concurrently for 

the last decade, we are uniquely 

qualified to help our fellow 

United pilots... reach their lifelong 

financial goals.” 

Bewley flies the Boeing 757 out 

of Washington, D.C., and Lohmar 

flies the same aircraft out 

of Chicago. A chance meeting 

during a layover in the windy 

city airport, during which the 

pair chatted about financial issues 

and the stock market, led to 

their partnership. Like Bewley, 

Lohmar had also gone to work 

in financial services post 9/11, 

but his 22 years of flying the F-16 

for the Illinois National Guard 

overpowered his interest in the 

stock market, drawing him back 

into flying for United. 

In finding a way to combine 

these joint passions, United 

Wealth Management was 

formed in March 2005. The timing 

proved fortunate for Bewley 

and Lohmar, even as United’s financial 

picture became less rosy. 

The airline filed for bankruptcy 

in 2002, and its pilots worked 

under a bankruptcy collective 

bargaining agreement lasting 

until Jan. 1, 2013, and financial 


uncertainty clouded the minds 

of all United employees. Bewley 

had already established himself 

unofficially as the pilot to go to 

for financial advice – particularly 

regarding 401(k) funds. 

Bewley had been flying for 

United for over 5 years prior 

to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 

11, 2001. He watched helplessly 

from his Birmingham, Ala. 

home, as United Airlines Flight 

175 crashed into the South Tower 

of the World Trade Center 

in New York. It was a plane he 

himself had piloted. 

“It hit me that the profession I 

loved and had been working for 

since I was age 15, was going to 

change forever,” he recalled. 

Meanwhile, the flow of cockpit 

conversations often drifted to finance 

and Bewley developed a 

following of pilots seeking his 

advice. He and Lohmar had 

gone through United’s threeyear 

bankruptcy. They were in 

the same boat – or rather, the 

same aircraft. When Continental 

Airlines merged with United 

in 2010, the ranks of pilots grew, 

providing both with additional 

potential clients. 

“When changes to things such 

as pay or benefits occur, we 

have first-hand access to all the 

important information,” Bewley 

said. “Ultimately, what affects 

our families also affects our clients’ 

families.” 

With this guiding principle, 

United Wealth Management 

uses goals-based investing, and 

Bewley promotes long-term investing. 

He knows he cannot 

control market activity, but he 

isn’t interested in picking winners 

or losers, or attempting to 

prime the market. 

During the Great Recession 

from Nov. 2007 through March 

2009, Bewley cautioned clients 

to ride the financial rollercoaster 

rather than opt out of current 

investments. 

“The Great Recession was a 

real eye opener for investors 

and advisors alike,” he said. “It 

made a lot of people realize their 

perception of risk and the reality 

of risk are actually two different 

animals. The only people that 

period really hurt are those who 

reacted to the market by bailing 

out of equities for cash or bonds 

and then subsequently missed 

out on what was an amazing recovery.” 

A believer in using a suitable 

percentage of equities versus 

bonds over time to fight inflation, 

he ensures his clients will 

have account balances necessary 

to get them through retirement 

years. Preferring to insulate retired 

clients, he re-balances their 

portfolios to ensure three years 

of guaranteed income. Asset 

classes doing well are sold to 

raise cash, while current market 

under-performers are purchased, 

to hold until performance 

improves. In years when 

this isn’t possible, Bewley knows 

his client still has two years of 

income set aside as a buffer. 

“A year into the downturn, we 

still had two years of income set 

aside,” he said. “This gives us 

the greatest chance of long-term 

success and gives our clients and 

ourselves the comfort of knowing 

the next paycheck is always 

saved.” And it has brought him 

success that cannot be measured 

in dollars. 

“My greatest success is in 

balancing a flying career and a 

growing investment practice, 

while being a husband and a father 

to two sons,” Bewley said. 

www.unitedwealthmanagement.com 



OFFERING A PARTNERSHIP APPROACH 

The Exit Planning Institute 

estimates nearly $10 

trillion of private business 

equity in the United States 

is currently controlled 

by baby boomers preparing 

to exit their working 

years as business owners. 

Within the next year to ten 

years, some economists 

predict a “Baby Boomer 

tsunami” in which a glut 

of “for sale” businesses 

placed on the market at 

the same time could create 

an asset bubble that 

will break, spilling out in 

favor of buyers, and leaving 

sellers heading into 

retirement short on cash 

resources. 

It’s an issue of which Ryan Vice, 

CEO of Sierra Pacific Advisory 

Group, Inc., in Santa Rosa, Calif., is 

well aware. Among the many other 

business services it provides, Vice’s firm 

specializes in helping business owners 

prepare their businesses for sale. 

“It is hard when you are a business 

owner and grinding away at the dayto-day 

activities of running a business, 

to set the appropriate time aside 

to prepare for that day when the sale 

comes,” Vice said. He thinks that even 

though many owners might lay awake 

at night wondering what their business 

is worth, that is as far as the topic goes. 

“Many of them just do not actually sit 

down with their advisors during the 

day to see what it truly looks like.” 

Vice seeks clients who are willing to 

view their current business operations 

in a different light. He wants to work 

with business owners willing to have 

an intellectual discussion, debating the 

pros and cons of the firm’s current direction. 

Vice feels he can help clients 

willing to fully accept Vice and his staff 

as partners in the process of preparing 

a business for sale based on the current 

needs of the market. 

He noted that thorough documentation 

– especially regarding finances – 

has become an even greater need of the 

marketplace after the end of the Great 

Recession. 

“Business owners able to see the value 

in a strong accounting staff … creating 

very accurate financial reporting goes a 

long way toward a client realizing the 

true value of our services,” Vice said. 

“And toward making their business 

more attractive to buyers.” 

Yet he does not view the anticipated 

glut caused by exiting baby boomers in 

quite the same light as those economists 

who predict that a high level of supply 

alone will force sellers into accepting 

lower values for their businesses. 

Vice believes the standard laws of 

supply and demand will kick in – yet 

he isn’t even convinced that all baby 

boomers will sell simply because they 

reach a certain chronological age. 

“They all have a price they want for 

their specific business,” he said. “If 

they currently cannot get their price, 

then they will hire someone to run (the 

business) until they can get what they 

want.” 

That is where other services – such 

as CFO for hire – offered by Sierra Pacific 

can enter the picture. Outsourcing 

of this specialized service is a growing 

trend, and one Vice is capitalizing on 

for the benefit of clients needing the expertise 

of a chief financial officer without 

the cost of a full-time employee. 

“As a CFO for hire, my goals are what 

is in the best interest of that company,” 

Vice said. “I enjoy seeing the level of 

comfort that a business owner receives, 

knowing that an expert is looking at 

the numbers with them and coming up 

with new strategies to help their business 

flourish.” 

P.O. Box 1989 

Santa Rosa, CA 

95402 

www.sierrapacificadvisors.com. 


Getting “Real” with Clients 

Part Emotional Therapy, Behavioral Coaching and Financial Advice 

In the ten-year period between 2003 and 2013, those investors 

who allowed their own emotional reactions to 

market conditions dictate their investment strategies, 

earned 2.49 percent less than their counterparts. The ones 

who stayed the course – even during the Great Recession of 

2007 to 2009, according to Chicago-based independent investment 

research firm Morningstar – earned more. Forbes 

Magazine, in analyzing this trend near the end of March 

2014, concluded that the most successful investment advisers 

provide clients with just as much emotional therapy and 

behavioral coaching as they do with financial advice. 

Lawrence DeRamus, president of DeRamus Wealth Management, 

LLC, based in Richardson, Texas, knows his role 

as a financial adviser is a mixed bag of duties. For that reason, 

he conducts a thorough discovery up front, in order to 

immerse himself in the personal affairs of his client. 

“The easy part of what we do is the financial statement,” 

DeRamus explained. “The hard part – the most important 

part – is really being able to understand their circumstances, 

their goals, their emotional triggers. It is almost a psychological 

interview, because money is just the result of the 

lives they are living.” 

And DeRamus thoroughly explores those lives. As increased 

life expectancies have changed the range of necessary 

financial planning, he talks to his clients about any 

illnesses they currently have or could expect due to family 

history. He talks about 

their medications. DeRamus 

said that he wants 

to get “real” with clients 

about how their current 

cash flow matches up to 

their expected mortality 

rate. 

With a comprehensive approach stemming from his personal 

conviction that – while his industry has yet to set a 

nation-wide uniform fiduciary standard – he himself views 

the relationship with his clients as being of that nature. 

“When I first started in this business 18 years ago, I didn’t 

even hear the word ‘fiduciary’ in the training,” DeRamus 

said. “When I first started, no one was putting the fees they 

were charging their clients on the client statements. Today, 

the bulk of financial advisers do so at least quarterly, if not 

on every statement. This shift toward transparency and putting 

the needs of clients first is a benefit to the industry.” 

508 Twilight Trail, Suite 99 

Richardson, TX 75080 

P: 972.235.9090 | F:469.484.7235 

www.deramuswealth.com

y a. marie velthuizen 

Help For All Who Seek It 

If you are a baby boomer – or the financial advisor to one – here are 

a few hair-raising statistics, with deprivation of sleep a likely side effect: 

Pew Research indicates nearly half of the baby boomer generation 

self-reported their household financial situation as worsening in the past 

year. More than a quarter of people ages 46 to 64 reported in a fall 2013 

Harris poll, that they have no retirement or personal savings. Yet, this 

is the generation doctors boast will live longer, more productive lives. 

The latest numbers from Social Security indicates ages 84 and 86 as the 

average life expectancies for males and females, respectively. These stark 

realities beg the question: How will these costs be covered? 

“Living a longer and more active life has become 

a medically and socially achievable goal 

for today’s baby boomers, but it certainly puts 

financial planning through an extensive stress 

test,” said Wayne Zussman. He is the founder 

and president of Triton Wealth Management, 

with three offices in Maryland. 

“Using our financial plan, we project clients 

living out to age 100,” Zussman explained. “It 

used to be only to age 85. Retirement used to 

be sitting in the rocking chair, watching TV 

and hanging out with young grandkids. But 

not anymore. Today, retirees are much more 

active – and that choice of activity is much 

more expensive than (the choices) of previously 

retired generations. We are cognitive of that, 

and encourage our clients to start saving early 

– and as much as they can – so they do not run 

out of money down the road.” 

One of his first suggestions is to delay taking Social Security 

payments until age 70. Zussman points out that, 

according to current projections by the Social Security Administration, 

doing so can increase monthly payments by 

eight percent. 

That’s just one example of the advice Triton has provided 

clients since opening in October of 2001. After spending 

15 years in accounting and then more than five years specializing 

in tax preparation, Zussman discovered that his 

true financial passion was in personal finance. He decided 

to open a firm characterized by comprehensive financial 

planning. 

He also decided to make his firm’s 

investment and financial planning services 

available at what is considered a 

rock-bottom price within the world of professional financial 

advising. His yearly minimum fee is $3,000. 

“Yes, it is a little bit on the low end,” he concedes, noting 

that his firm does not use the model of charging a percentage 

based on assets under management. And there is no 

minimum amount of investable assets a Triton client must 

have. “I went into this business to help people. My goal is 

to help anybody that needs help. We take on clients who 

have both a potential and a desire to save – and to learn 

how to do things better for themselves and their families 

financially.” 

www.tritonwealth.com 


y a. marie velthuizeb 

A Holistic View of Clients 

More Than Today’s Bottom Line 

In late March 2014, the Financial Times highlighted an emerging trend among 

the nation’s top financial advisors. Rather than merely evaluating potential 

and current clients solely on the bottom baseline of assets they bring to the 

practice, advisors are taking a more holistic perspective by giving just as much 

weight to a client’s future potential as to the current numbers in their financial 

accounts. 

While the Financial Times links this change to recent market volatility, Andrew 

Oster, president of Triton Wealth Advisors, LLC, in Edmond, Oklahoma, 

indicates that what seems to be a trend has been his standard operating procedure 

since opening the firm. 

“Seems like every advisor has an idea of the typical client, which is perfectly 

fine – but not everyone fits those parameters. We, as advisors, all have a mindset 

generally toward a client that has a half million or higher in net worth and 

$100,000 plus income,” Oster concedes. But in the day-to-day reality surrounding 

the type of clients with whom Oster works, a different measurement comes 

into play. “I like to look at clients in a more holistic sense to see what they are 

bringing to the firm. A client is not just a sum of their current net worth but 

more like a puzzle of their future opportunities.” 

He makes a significant effort to work with each new client referred by one 

of his ideal existing clients, never knowing what other opportunities may be 

presented by remaining open to referral business. He also keeps a portion of his 

working calendar open for pro bono work. 

Yet, Oster admits wealth management has become a more complex and difficult 

proposition. As dependable employer-provided pensions are replaced by 

401K funds generally managed by a custodian hired by the employer, Oster 

knows that his direct sphere of influence for some clients is limited. 

“What we see today with baby boomers – and especially in the generations 

behind them that we are working with – is that a lot of their assets are tied 

up in 401K plans that we cannot necessarily manage directly for them,” Oster 

explained. “But that doesn’t make them clients that I don’t want. Even though 

I cannot do the work on that 401K directly right now, it means I am developing 

those relationships for rollovers down the road and for networking opportunities 

among that person’s peers to establish a more direct relationship in the 

future.” 

As the president and chief compliance officer of Triton, Oster’s view is continually 

focused forward. The Securities and Exchange Commission announced 

on March 24, 2014, that sorting through rule-making options to establish uniform 

fiduciary standards for broker-dealers and investment advisors is an “immediate 

and high priority.” Oster is paying close attention as to how this will 

impact his business. 

“The way various media outlets and publications talk about a common fiduciary 

standard makes it sound like a great ideal,” he said. “And it is certainly the 


highest ideal we should strive for. But this is a complex problem to solve for our 

industry regarding the way it is going to be structured.” 

For fee-based providers, such as himself, Oster said the matter is simple. Your 

clients pay you, as their advisor, a fee for a particular service, such as prudent 

fiduciary-based financial advice. Any conflicts of interest are immediately disclosed. 

Oster noted that the broker-dealer side of the business – a small component of 

his business revenue – is far more complicated. “As broker-dealers are representing 

investment products for which they receive a commission from the product 

provider, it is fairly challenging to put the client’s needs ahead of requirements 

from the provider when the client isn’t paying directly for your advice,” he said. 

“It (a common fiduciary standard) is a good idea, but we are going to have to 

disentangle what that looks like,” he emphasized. 

Oster’s biggest concern is that this type of standard will result in less access to 

qualified professional advice for those clients who do not meet high net worth 

standards. He fears that increasingly stringent rules will prompt advisors to set 

even higher minimum asset requirements in order to compensate for additional 

compliance costs. 

“It’s a bridge that I think will probably get crossed,” he said. He just isn’t sure 

what awaits the industry on the other side. 

In the meantime, Oster continues to have what he considers “prudent” conversations 

with his clients regarding attitude and approach toward risk and 

retirement planning. As the housing debacle and the Great Recession of 2007 

to 2009 showed clients what Oster describes as, “the worst case of what that 

downside risk is,” the reception for his message of modifying financial behavior 

toward long-term investing and returns has certainly become more affirmative. 

Clear communication regarding the potential for risk is at the top of Oster’s client 

agenda. 

“Anybody can create a plan, but as we have seen in just the last several years, 

best laid plans can have some very substantial detours,” Oster said. “What we 

can do is over-plan and over-save from the beginning, knowing that most likely 

there will be some sort of setback down the road.” 

Triton Wealth Advisors, LLC 

2575 Kelley Pointe Parkway, Ste. 100 

Edmond, OK 73013 

www.tritonwa.com 

Andrew E. Oster, MBA has almost a decade 

of experience working with clients and business 

owners. He specializes in helping business 

owners understand the diverse and complex 

risks facing owning, operating and protecting 

their businesses. As founder and president of 

Oster Financial Group LLC, Andrew understands 

the intricate tax, legal, staffing, benefits, 

and estate challenges every business owner faces. 

He particularly enjoys crafting custom action 

plans for clients to address these issues and 

ensure that his clients can meet their personal investment goals while continuing 

to grow the business, or prepare to pass the business on through a sale or an estate 

plan. The keystone to any action plan is the collaboration of his client’s advisors 

(financial, tax and legal) to achieve the best possible solution. 

Having started his own firm, recruited associates, managed staff, and successfully 

completed an acquisition, Andrew understands that the strongest asset a client can 

have is a well developed “plan of action.” Oster Financial Group, its associates, and 

staff bring over 50 years combined experience from individual and business insurance, 

investment advice and management, and estate and business planning. 

Andrew strongly believes in providing access to the best ideas, advice and products 

possible for his clients. His unabashed objectivity can be seen in his decisions to 

proactively help clients place assets at other financial institutions when in the 

client’s best interests. 

Plan of Action – Strategies to Help You Build and Preserve Wealth Oster 

A Collaboration of Financial Professionals 

from Securities America, featuring 

Andrew E. Oster, MBA 



Employers Bail Out of Traditional Pension Plans 

Guiding Today’s Retirement Planning 

It’s no secret that private 

employers are not 

just shunning – but 

completely discontinuing 

– the traditional 

pension plan model 

through which employees 

received a monthly 

payment for life once 

they retire. What isn’t 

as widely discussed or 

outlined is the impact 

this shift of financial 

responsibility is having 

on employees. 

www.elamfinancial.com 

So I contacted Calvin Elam, 

President of Elam Financial 

Group, based in Columbia, 

South Carolina. In that scenario, 

expect Calvin to, discuss 

this philosophical shift with 

you on a regular basis as you 

meet to map out your road to 

financial independence during 

retirement. 

“We need to get people to 

understand the long-term implications 

of that,” Elam said. 

“It changes the way people 

have to plan for their financial 

future.” 

In Elam’s view of the shift 

away from standard pension 

plans to defined benefit contribution 

programs, the challenge 

isn’t merely that the 

onus is being shifted to the employee to 

assume responsibility for their own financial 

planning. The most pressing problem 

associated with this change is that many 

employees simply do not understand 

how to handle that change. 

The company today, as Elam explains, 

says to the employee, “We are no longer 

in the pension business.” Instead, the 

employee gets told when matching 401K 

plans are detailed, “Here is what we will 

give you. If you run out of money in your 

retirement, well, that is your problem.” 

Elam’s recognition of the quandary in 

which this shift leaves workers is only 

part of the reason he decided to write a 

book in 2013, “Self Reliance: What Do You 

Mean You Did Not Know?” While aimed 

primarily at African-Americans, as per the 

subtitle on the book’s front cover, Elam’s 

conversational approach to financial matters 

– such as the importance of long-term 

planning, the long term effects of the recent 

financial crisis, the life phases of financial 

planning and how to use money 

to do what you want to do – is applicable 

to anyone. 

While his firm doesn’t have a minimum 

asset requirement for new clients, he does 

seek clients who can help the firm grow 

along with the growth of their own personal 

net worth. Elam has been fortunate 

enough, as he describes it, to have worked 

with some high net worth National Football 

League players, but the bulk of his 

clients are in what he calls the middle 

market, ranging from $250,000 to several 

million in terms of investable assets. 

“This has been the hallmark of our practice 

since I (founded) this firm in 1992,” 

Elam said. “They (new clients) might not 

have the desired amount of investable 

assets right now, but in ten years – when 

they are getting ready to retire and they 

have a large 401K to roll over or a cash balance 

fund to reinvest to fund their actual 

retirement – they think of how I’ve helped 

them with their other assets and allow me 

to advise them on their retirement assets.” 

“We seek clients who are not so concerned 

about immediate returns, but are 

goal-oriented and are looking for someone 

who can build a relationship with 

them as they seek to take their finances to 

where they want to go.” 

That works for Elam. 

Securities and Advisory Services offered through 

LPL Financial, a Registered Investment Advisor. 

Member FINRA/SIPC 


Progressive High Net Worth Financial Asset Management 

Maximizing Value Not Clients 

When John Robert Austin first started 

in the financial industry some 30 

years ago, he commuted to work on 

his bicycle, navigating San Francisco’s hilly 

topography to be in the office by 6:30 A.M., 

when the markets opened on the West Coast. 

These days, he has only a short walk to work – 

very short. By simply stepping over a threshold 

into the office built into his Maryland home, Austin is 

at work by 9:00 A.M., 30 minutes before the opening bell on 

Wall Street. 

After three decades in the financial industry, Austin, a Certified 

Financial Planner®, launched Austin Wealth Management 

LLC, in 2005. Starting with a small base of accounts, he 

used a tried and true marketing approach – direct mail – in 

order to grow. He sent a simple letter to previous clients, 

some of whom he hadn’t contacted for almost 20 years. “I 

said that I was back in business, and they literally came out 

of the woodwork,” said Austin, calling it a very gratifying 

experience. And he jokes, noting, “They were a lot wealthier 

than when I last worked with them.” 

Most clients of Austin Wealth Management have a portfolio 

of a million dollars or greater and are now more interested 

in capital preservation than capital appreciation. “We 

share a rapport and common values. I would rather work 

with clients I like than just deal with clients who have money,” 

said Austin, adding, “I’m just as selective as the public 

A 

relationship with The Renn Wealth Management 

Group, Inc. is one of the most distinctive in the financial 

world of the South. Focused exclusively on 

the financial affairs of a select group of high net worth individuals, 

families and business owners peppered across the 

Southeast, the firm has been enhancing the quality of life and 

standard of living for its affluent clients for more than three 

decades. 

“Ours is a relationship business, “Patrick Renn, president 

of Atlanta, Ga-based Renn Wealth Management, told The 

Suit. “We view all relationships as potential partnerships for 

living better, and we limit the size of our client base so we 

can maximize our value. Our choice clients count on us to 

help them do the things they want and need to do.” 

The firm has been doing those things by offering bespoke, 

comprehensive wealth management. “We start any financial 

plan by getting to know a client. We get to know what’s important 

to them, what matters to them, what their aspirations 

are, what concerns they have and what they value. That way 

we can make, and we can help them make, wise financial 

decisions. From coordinating investment strategies, to managing 

risk in multiple portfolios, to aligning family and business 

structures, to estate planning for future generations, we 

do it all,” Renn explained. 

Renn and his highly qualified team of Vice President Kathryn 

A Edmunds, Client Relations 

Manager Laura I. Martin 

and Marketing Manager S. 

Tyler Renn, have developed 

a tried-and-true process that 

helps clients manage all aspects 

of their financial situations 

in the most effective, risk adverse and tax efficient 

manner. The focus centers on financial independence, family 

legacy and social capital legacy. “At any time, one level may 

be important than the other depending on what stage of life 

a client is at. But our process stresses all of these, separately 

and collectively,” Renn added. 

Boasting some 35 years of industry experience, Renn says 

there’s very little he hasn’t seen or heard. A truly seasoned 

and accomplished certified financial planner, Renn intimately 

understands the financial markets and his clients. With 

a unique perspective into the complex financial world, and 

a keen insight into well-heeled family dynamics, Renn and 

his team are indeed deemed “high society” throughout the 

South. 

www.rennwealth.com 

OPTING FOR CAPITAL PRESERVATION 

should be in picking their advisor.” 

Austin Wealth Management provides fee-based portfolio 

management, financial planning and retirement planning 

services. Through periodic reviews, Austin revisits the original 

intent of a client’s portfolio. “Based on a risk and reward 

client profile, we constantly test people to see that we are 

still investing assets in accordance with their pain threshold,” 

explained Austin. He runs hypothetical scenarios and 

Monte Carlo analyses (a tool used to simulate the impact 

of financial risk and uncertainty) to make sure that clients 

have a reasonable probability of not outliving their capital. 

This is critically important, because more people are now 

living into their 80’s, 90’s – and even reaching the age of 100 

or beyond. 

The true value of working with Austin Wealth Management 

is the firm’s experience. By calling upon that, the firm 

can help clients do more than just “diversify and pray.” This 

is a quote Austin borrowed from John Templeton, a pioneer 

in mutual fund investing. Hanging on his wall is a framed 

letter from Templeton granting Austin permission to use the 

quote in expressing his firm’s principles. 

And, Austin adds another line to this valuable phrase, “If 

you don’t diversify – pray harder.” 

www.austinwealthmanagement.com 



INTIMATE, PERSONALIZED SERVICE 

Defusing Money: a complex emotional subject 

Sure, you can try to do it 

yourself when it comes to 

managing your money. 

And you could also attempt to 

do it yourself when it comes to 

a big plumbing job. However, in 

both DIY cases, it can be a brilliant 

idea for a select few but 

is usually a disaster for most. 

Becoming skilled at personal finances 

requires years of research, 

learning and experience. For the 

masses, it’s simply not worth the 

time and constant effort. Moreover, 

as you grow older, busier, 

more successful and (hopefully) 

wealthier, your financial goals 

and options become more complicated. 

That’s why you need a 

financial advisor. 

But not just any financial adviser. 

You need a financial adviser 

like Mathew T. Goldberg, 

CEO of Manhattan Wealth Management. 

“I started Manhattan 

Wealth Management Group after 

working at a couple of Wall 

Street firms, so that I could serve 

my clients in the way I see fit,” 

Goldberg told The Suit. “Here, 

clients come first and outstanding 

customer service is our goal. 

We listen to client goals, create a 

realistic financial blueprint and 

execute plans in an impartial 

way, as only an independent financial 

adviser can.” 

Goldberg’s clients are a diverse 

mix. The commonality 

among them is in acknowledging 

that they need help with 

their finances. “We don’t have a 

minimum amount a client needs 

to have to come on board, and 

we enjoy working and growing 

with young clients just starting 

out. While some clients just 

don’t have the time, and others 

don’t have the inclination, all are 

open and amenable about working 

with a financial adviser,” 

Goldberg added. 

Areas of expertise include investment 

management, personal 

finances, retirement planning, 

tax strategies, insurance and 

budgeting. Using a hands-on approach, 

Manhattan Wealth Management 

Group keeps clients 

disciplined and focused. Goldberg 

and his highly qualified 

team also guide clients, preventing 

them from procrastinating 

– saving them from all sorts of 

money problems. It’s that kind 

of intimate, personalized service 

that has earned the firm a reputation 

for excellence in the industry. 

More and more individuals 

have turned to financial advisers 

in recent years to help with 

changes to capital gains, dividends 

and taxes. Yet, a growing 

number are also turning to professionals 

like Goldberg to help 

them deal with what is often 

their most costly downfall: emotions. 

To be sure, where finances 

are concerned, it’s all too easy – 

and common – to let emotions 

like fear, envy, greed and pride 

take the reins. 

Goldberg knows a thing or 

two about emotional investing. 

In fact, that’s what drew him 

onto his current path. “My aim 

and my desire has always been 

to help people with one of the 

most important things in their 

lives: making, growing and saving 

their hard-earned money.” 

641 Lexington Avenue15th Floor 

New York, NY10022 

Phone: 212-810-6961 

Fax: 212-937-5229 

www.manhattanwealthmanagement.com 



Clean Energy 

Investing Brings Renewable Returns 

Investment in 

clean energy for 

the first fiscal 

quarter of 2014 is up 

more than 14 percent 

as compared to 

the corresponding 

time frame for 2013. 

According to a mid- 

April report by the online clean energy 

reporting service ClickGreen, investors 

poured $61 billion into clean and 

renewable energy projects during the 

first three months of 2014, compared to 

the $53.4 billion invested in 2013. 

This upswing is good news for Russ 

Landon, founder and managing director 

of North River Capital Advisors, 

LLC, based in the greater Boston area. 

“The traditional forms of equity financing 

for this sector will come back, 

if they are not already starting to,” 

Landon said, in reference to the improving 

performance of clean and renewable 

energy 

stocks over the last nine to 12 months. 

“The public markets have done well 

finally, and stocks in this sector specifically 

have done well – and that tends 

to be a good indicator of private financing 

opportunities.” 

Landon himself has a 20-plus year 

track record in financing projects for 

the clean energy/renewable energy 

field, as robust activity in the clean energy 

sector in the mid 1990s captured 

his attention. In 2010, after directing 

the Sustainability practice at Canaccord 

Adams for 10 years, he founded 

the Clean Technology Group at Key- 

Banc Capital Market. After directing 

that division for two years, he decided 

it was time to hang out his own shingle. 

“I made the decision in the fall of 2012 

that I wanted to do this on my own,” 

Landon said. “I wish I had made that 

decision ten years earlier.” 

Currently, Landon is monitoring 

business developments across the 

clean technology field, included under 

the umbrella of what he defines as Energy 

and Resource Technologies. One 

important area is grid level storage – 

specifically in the storage of renewable 

energy for use in generating 

electric power after the sun 

stops shining and the wind 

stops blowing. 

“The grid needs steady, 

predictable power, and 

what renewable energy 

sources such as wind 

and solar provide are 

unsteady and unpredictable 

power sources 

that are a challenge,” 

he said. 

Yet, in his mind, 

it isn’t a matter 

of “if” appropriate 

and affordable storage 

solutions can be 

found, but “when” the 

cost will be acceptable. When 

that happens, he wants to be 

there and ready to invest. “Storage has 

been challenging because it is hard to 

get down in cost enough to where it is 

economically viable. When it does, it 

will make an enormous difference in 

the acceptance of renewable technology 

because suddenly, it will enable 

renewables to be cost competitive with 

conventional forms of energy.” 

Despite the challenges over the past 

5 years or so, Landon sees investment 

in clean energy and renewable power 

sources as prudent. He points to statistics 

demonstrating that nearly 70 percent 

of all new power installations in 

the United States are some form of a 

renewable energy source. When compared 

to the rest of the current grid, 

he said that these new installations 

are still quite small. Yet, they represent 

a dramatic movement in terms 

of growth of the percentage of power 

coming from renewable sources. “If 

renewable energy continues to grow 

at current rates, it will surprise us all 

in 10 to 20 years in terms of its overall 

market penetration.” 

“We have a huge energy infrastructure 

that needs to be replaced,” 

Landon said. “While you are not going 

to see a renewable-powered only economy 

anytime in our lifetime, you will 

see the continued growth of all forms 

of clean energy, and this will present 

continued opportunities for investors.” 

www.northriverca.com 



Managing Money at Risk in the Market 

The popularity of exchange-traded 

funds (ETF) 

is running at an all-time 

high. In the last half of 2013, 

PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) reported 

that global ETF assets were 

valued at over $2 trillion. Though 

it may seem like the market’s latest 

golden child achieved success overnight, 

the truth is that ETFs have 

been on a slow rise to fame over the 

last 20 years. 

Dan Hunt, CEO of Redhawk 

Wealth Advisors Inc., told The Suit 

how his firm uses ETFs and stocks 

to keep investment costs low and 

liquidity high. “ETFs offer a lot of 

advantages, especially through the 

high end providers that we deal with 

– like First Trust, Black Rock and 

Wisdom Tree,” he said. “We are continually 

surprised at the level of sophistication 

they can put into these 

products and they don’t take away 

from the clients’ ability to achieve 

the full transparency that they have 

come to expect.” While diversifica- 

tion and tax efficiencies are highlighted 

as additional advantages of ETFs, investors 

must also be aware of their disadvantages 

– including brokerage commission 

fees, tax inefficiencies over short 

hold periods, and reinvestment options 

resulting in additional fees. 

Redhawk, an SEC Registered Investment 

Advisor firm based in Minneapolis, 

provides investment management 

services to individuals, families, 

non-profits and to 401(K) plans. With 

advisors located in 43 states, forecasts 

are for the nine-year-old firm to double 

in size, doubling their number of 

advisors by the end of 2014. “Redhawk 

is not one of the bigger investment 

companies, so we had to fight 

for our clients and advisors to come 

on board. We have had to maintain a 

sterling reputation,” said Hunt. 

In addition to Redhawk’s advisors – 

located all over the country – a very 

skilled staff at the firm’s headquarters 

is always on call. Even though the client’s 

advisor is the main point of contact 

and counsel, in the event a client 

can’t reach an advisor or in the case 

where the advisor’s expertise needs to 

be supplemented, the corporate advisory 

team is always ready to help with 

any questions a client may have. 

The main job of the corporate staff, 

however, is to concentrate on their 

strength – managing money at risk in 

the marketplace. Clients with a minimum 

of $100,000 are best suited to 

enter into Redhawk’s higher end, tactically-managed 

investment models 

because of the trading costs that may 

result from the model’s dynamic nature. 

“We are watching everything every 

day on behalf of every single client 

– which is no small task,” Hunt 

explained. To accomplish this, they 

created an extensive scalable system 

called the Redhawk Advisor Maximizer 

Program (RAMP). “Of course,” 

said Hunt, “a client’s risk tolerance 

and their investment personality are 

also important criteria that we examine 

to see if a client is best suited for 

these models.” 

7400 Metro Boulevard Suite 400 

Minneapolis MN 55439 

www.redhawkwa.com 



LONG-TIME Friends Offer Long-Lasting Advice 

As the five-year anniversary of the 2009 market crash 

has come and gone, many financial advisors are using 

that time marker to take stock of lessons learned 

from hard experience. Looking back through time’s kinder 

retrospective lens, each can gleam gems of wisdom and filter 

out its continued impacts half a decade later. 

“Quite frankly, the financial debacle of 2008 and 2009 has 

been one of the single best things that happened to my practice,” 

said Brad Katz, co-founder of Premier Wealth Advisors, 

LLC, based in Boonton, New Jersey. 

He isn’t looking through rose-colored glasses, either. Katz 

views the Great Recession’s continued impact today with 

20/20 vision, especially when he takes a good long look at 

the “tremendous growth” of Premier Wealth, the firm that 

he and Hiro Wakatsuki, friends through high school and 

college, founded together in 2010 – just as the nation’s economy 

began its recovery. 

“What I kept hearing from new clients that came to our 

practice at that time was that ‘their guy’ before was not 

talking to them during the financial crisis and that they 

could not reach them,” Katz explained. “Their fear was that 

their financial advisor was hiding under his or her desk.” 

Katz said he intentionally kept lines of communication 

with clients open during the Great Recession. Brad is a Certified 

Wealth Strategist© offering securities through First 

Allied Securities – a registered broker dealer Member FIN- 

RA/SIPC . Katz knew that regular and consistent communication 

was essential for guiding his clients through that 

frustrating time. 

As a financial advisor, Katz recommends and encourages 

his clients to use a system of earmarks to fund their retirement. 

Portions of each client’s portfolio are earmarked in 

investments that are designed to provide income for five 

year segments of their retirement years. Thus, clients in or 

close to retirement when the stock market took a major dive 

five years ago, already were prepared and had the needed 

income earmarked. This approach gave Katz the flexibility 

to adjust the asset classes being used for the next five year 

earmark, when market fluctuations took place. 

“Our performance by no stretch of the imagination was 

excellent during the debacle of 2008 and 2009. Like anybody 

else, our accounts were down – but we had safeguards in 

place. Our clients knew that the market that was currently 

hurting them was impacting the money they were looking 

at for 2011 and beyond. We felt very strongly that the market 

would recover and that with adjustments, we could gain 

back any losses,” Katz explained. “We had some hand holding 

and reviewing to do, but in the end, we didn’t lose any 

clients. When a market correction such as this occurs again 

inevitability sometime in the future, we expect to have the 

same conversation with our clients and again make the necessary 

adjustments to help get them through.” 


“Trust is the common thread in any successful relationship. 

Jeopardize the trust, and the relationship 

will become stressful, eventually dissolving. Trust, 

however, must be earned over time. 

If Katz exudes confidence, it is because 

he and Wakatsuki together represent 

a wealth of experience within 

the various segments of financial advising. 

Katz’ background began at a 

regional bank on the bond desk, learning 

the ins and outs of municipal and 

fixed-rate bonds, along with investment 

and retirement planning. Wakatsuki 

cut his teeth as a senior financial 

specialist in the banking industry and 

a senior premier wealth manager with 

Wachovia, owned by Wells Fargo and 

Bank of America, respectively. 

“We each bring different skills to 

the table that complement each other 

to the client’s benefit,” Katz said. “We 

have now known each other for half of 

our lives, and when you have known 

someone that long, our relationship is 

so strong that we can talk openly and 

honestly with each other. He is not 

embarrassed to tell me if he thinks I 

can do something better and I am not 

embarrassed to tell him. We build each 

other up – and because we have this 

very long lasting friendship and new 

business partnership, our clients get 

a good feeling and a good sense that 

we work well together and care about 

them, too.” 

And Katz and Wakatsuki don’t feel 

threatened by other financial professionals, 

either. In fact, when Wakatsuki 

observed to Katz that high net worth 

investors needed a more comprehensive 

suite of financial services, the pair 

knew they had found a way to partner 

with other professionals to build a 

one-stop financial services firm. 

That observation sparked the birth 

of Premier Wealth Advisors – an independent 

firm offering investment and 

retirement planning services as well 

as partnerships with selected accountants, 

attorneys and insurance agents 

representing health, life and property/ 

casualty insurance. 

“We wanted the ability to provide a 

one-stop shop where the advice was 

not based on having to sell a specific 

product, but instead on being able to 

give options to our clients,” Katz explained. 

“We feel very strongly about 

the independent, unbiased approach 

that this enables.” 

While Premier’s comprehensive approach 

did find its start in the idea of 

catering to the wealthy, Katz said that 

the firm does not maintain an asset 

minimum for prospective clients. Instead, 

they work with anyone interested 

in applying the firm’s mantra 

of “Protect, Grow, Transfer” to the finances 

in their own lives. 

Katz said Premier Wealth recognizes 

that clients fall within different asset 

levels – and that each level represents 

its own unique needs in terms of advice 

and investment services. 

“We will help anyone who needs 

and wants help. We look at a client’s 

willingness to understand that they 

have a financial issue they need some 

help with, and are willing to follow 

advice,” Katz said. 

550 West Main Street Boonton, NJ 07005 

P:973-317-2831 F:73-317-2877 

www.wealthadvisorsnj.com 



They Do It Their Way... 

and Clients Like It 

Dan Davis knows a lot about “the perils and pitfalls of proprietary products” 

as well as the adverse effects of “advice before analysis.” Soon after graduating, 

Davis started as a financial planner in a division of American Express. It 

didn’t take long before he became a district manager – and it didn’t stop there, 

either. His district placed among the top in his region and in the country. 

We view our role 

as educators, helping 

our clients to 

understand their 

many options in a 

complex financial 

world. 

Success notwithstanding, throughout the 

better part of the next decade, Davis became 

increasingly frustrated with the 

constraints and conflicts of interest inherent 

in the business model found in most financial 

companies offering their own products. The 

message from the top was more about driving 

product sales than about providing sound 

financial advice, and Davis wanted to work 

in a different way with clients. For two years 

Davis, along with Cory Kraft, a like-minded 

friend from college days, planned the next 

phase of their careers. They became Certified 

Financial Planners, and in 1998 they founded 

ADK Wealth Advisory Group, an independent 

financial planning firm based in St. 

Louis. 

Davis was trained with what he calls a 

Western philosophy of investing, purporting 

a “buy and hope” strategy. Not a proponent 

of active or day trading, he does believe that 

investors need to have significant downside 

protection. “The Western philosophy says, 

‘Be a long-term investor, wade through market 

volatility, and stay fully invested,’” Davis 

explained. “I don’t believe in that anymore. 

I believe that there is crisis that can happen 

and you have to have financial risk systems 

in place that help you exit and reenter.” ADK, 

whose clients are generally retired, near retirement, 

or experiencing employment transition, 

provides them with a blend of Eastern 

and Western philosophy in the way risk is 

managed. 

Prior to the economic crisis of 2008, Davis 

suggests that investors had lost sight of 

risk. “Even though the market crash of 2002 

was difficult, it seemed to fade from people’s 

memory. That was the only time it happened 

during most investors’ lifetime of investing,” 

he said. Today, risk management is at the top 

of the list of concerns for most ADK clients, 

and Davis calls that one upside to the economic 

downturn. “People are more willing 

to follow a financial leader who focuses both 

on capturing market upswings and on protection 

during downswings,” he noted. “People 

are firing advisers from big name firms 

because they are operating as asset gatherers 

instead of risk managers. Intelligent people 

aren’t following that lead anymore.” 

The 2008 economic downturn and the Ponzi 

scheme scandals masterminded by Madoff 

and Standford are driving the current push to 

hold broker-dealers to the same level of fiduciary 

responsibility that investment advisers 

are required to uphold. Creating a uniform 

fiduciary standard will require all financial 

professionals to make investment recommendations 

that are in the best interests of their 

clients. Davis supports such a standard, but 

doesn’t think it will happen anytime soon. 

“Large financial companies who market their 

own products are lobbying heavily against 

this, because it will make their growth more 

difficult and have a significant impact on 


Our mission is to help affluent advocates design and implement a customized plan 

focused on achieving life dreams and financial goals. We will do this by providing world 

class advice, education, and service with a truly personal relationship. 

their profits,” he said. “What will ultimately happen is that 

more firms will decide that they are going to be fiduciaries, 

and over time, they will get scale that is large enough 

where they will be advertising as a fiduciary entity. But 

right now, customers don’t understand what that is, because 

the big money beasts of the industry don’t want it.” 

To say that compliance regulations for financial advisers 

are plentiful is an understatement. While Davis understands 

that the intent is to encourage transparency and 

protect clients from unscrupulous money managers, he 

feels that the new regulations make it harder for firms to 

do business – and that they don’t necessarily protect the investor, 

either. “Regulators increase rules and make it more 

difficult for people who are really trying to help people. 

What they really need to do is to punish the bad people 

more severely.” 

Regulations permitting financial firms to use social media 

have eased slightly, allowing ADK’s social platforms 

on LinkedIn and Facebook to complement their other 

forms of client outreach. Davis hosts a video series where 

he provides quarterly market updates, and also posts comments 

about relevant issues that may impact investors. For 

instance, prior to Crimean annexation, Davis posted his 

view of the current unrest in the Ukraine, calling it more of 

a regional crisis for Europe. 

At ADK Wealth Advisory Group, the firm strives to fully 

understand each client’s individual situation before making 

any recommendations. No two investors are alike; people 

have different needs and different goals. Positioning 

themselves as educators, ADK staff members help clients 

understand their options in a complex financial world. 

Since trust is essential, Davis expresses how they strive to 

have a truly personal relationship with each client. 

12935 N. Outer 40 Dr., Ste. 101 

St. Louis, MO 63141 

Toll-Free 877.345.6103 

www.discoverindependence.com 



CHASING ALPHA 

IS A RISKY BUSINESS 

Investment gurus 

managing 

Yale University’s 

$20.8 billion 

endowment recently 

touted in 

the institution’s 

annual report that, 

in terms of generating 

market-beating returns for the 

university’s portfolio – “alpha is not 

dead.” In a Bloomburg Businessweek 

article dated Feb. 27, 2014, Yale officials 

reported a 12.5 percent return on 

investments ending June 2013, beating 

the 11.3 percent average for foundations 

and endowments. These results 

seem to fly in the face of post-Great Recession 

investment advice that focuses 

more on mitigating risk and concentrates 

on obtaining smaller, sustainable 

investment returns. 

The excess return when a mutual 

fund outperforms its price risk above 

its benchmark index is known as alpha. 

Yale officials conceded that their success 

is atypical, stating, “While alpha is 

not dead, opportunities to access it may 

not be available to all investors.” 

It’s a statement Gil Baumgarten, 

president of Segment Wealth Management 

LLC based in Houston, Texas, 

not only agrees with but subscribes to, 

in approaching the management of his 

client’s investments. 

It’s not that Baumgarten is against 

generating alpha. When investments 

he has chosen perform in an alpha 

mode, he’s pleased. He just isn’t seeking 

it outright. 

“I think alpha-seeking generates 

fees,” Baumgarten said. “There is no 

correlation of the fees being charged 

in pursuit of alpha and the returns that 

could be achieved by simply relying 

on beta. All the fees that a client might 

have paid to a hedge fund for some 

exotic money manager in the hope of 

the pursuit of alpha quite often leads to 

disappointing results and the certainty 

of much higher fees.” 

Baumgarten is a beta investor relying 

on index products, exchange-traded 

funds and Vanguard funds with 

lower entry costs. He said he would 

rather buy into a vanguard product for 

six basis points versus paying 25 times 

that amount to a Fidelity manager or 

100 times that amount to a hedge fund 

manager. 

“The only person who generates 

alpha is the one who is consistently 

smarter than everybody else – or he 

is just lucky. If he is lucky, that is not 

repeatable,” Baumgarten said. “I think 

money managers for the most part add 

lots of risk to a portfolio and hope they 

are right. When they are periodically 

right, they claim how smart they are 

when really all they did is take more 

risk.” 

Having open discussions regarding 

risk with clients and then accurately 

determining their tolerance for risk is 

a big part of Baumgarten’s approach 

to customizing portfolios. Many 

clients cannot accurately 

gauge their personal 

risk tolerance without 

input from an 

adviser, Baumgarten 

believes. He views 

an adviser’s best 

service to a client 

as being 

the ability 

to contextu- 

alize the client’s true appetite for risk. 

“That adviser who is doing a good 

job is the one who can artfully determine 

where a client’s risk and reward 

and expectation levels are disjointed 

from what that client is communicating, 

and then can guide that client into 

committing to something that can be 

deemed as a plan – and then create 

an investment portfolio that fits that 

plan,” Baumgarten said. 

www.segmentwm.com 



THE COUNTRY 

DOCTOR OF 

INVESTING 

A recent article appearing in “Investment News,” a 

weekly publication for financial advisors, discussed 

how people are leaving the traditional mass production 

wire houses behind in favor of personalized investment 

firms capable of customized service. 

The exodus from 

the financial giants 

is nothing new 

to Paul L. Moffat, 

president of Arista 

Wealth Management 

who didn’t 

like the “bigger is 

better” vibe at the 

Wall Street firm 

where he once worked. He found the 

celebratory atmosphere over sales of 

in-house products and earned commissions 

unsettling. 

At Arista Wealth Management, the 

idea that all clients receive the benefits 

of customized financial solutions 

and personalized relationships with 

their advisors is what guides their 

work. Moffat and Arista Vice President, 

Scott J. Johnson, believe that clients 

need more from an advisor than 

a transaction—they need someone to 

guide them through life’s complications. 

Moffat relates it to the tale written 

by Mark Twain, “The Prince and the 

Pauper.” It is the story of a prince who 

wanted to get away from his somewhat 

complicated royal life to live 

what he thought would be a simple 

life among the peasants. The prince 

soon discovered that regardless of 

where we live and in what condition 

we live, life is still demanding. 

“Inside every person there is a deep 

desire to escape from the responsibilities 

and challenges that often overwhelm 

us. It is as if we are drowning 

in a sea of demands,” Moffat said. 

Moffat’s passion as an advisor 

comes through in various ways as 

he teaches clients about financial ups 

and downs and connects with them 

beyond a surface level. “We really like 

to listen to an individual’s stories and 

family history about where their money 

came from, and what they would 

like to do with it,” he said, adding 

how important it is that clients receive 

empathy and compassion from their 

advisors. “We draw clients who are 

looking to have an old country doctor 

relationship with their finances. Our 

mission has been to make sure every 

client’s needs come first. We will always 

be needed, because the industry 

is fraught and riddled with half-truths 

and mistruths.” 

Arista is very focused on customized 

solutions that help individuals, 

families and business owners. The 

firm offers comprehensive financial 

planning for retirement, estate planning, 

life insurance, asset protection 

and tax efficiency investing. At their 

offices in Arizona and Nevada, regularly 

scheduled telephone calls and 

visits to talk with clients about risk, 

planning and goals are standard operating 

procedure. 

Because of the uncontrollable nature 

of interest rates, oil prices, and economic 

indices, the Arista team doesn’t 

spend a lot of time talking to clients 


about the market, nor do they indulge 

in industry jargon. “Terms like Alpha, 

standard deviation, and R-squared 

are overused and sometimes used 

manipulatively,” said Moffat. “Some 

advisors think that by pontificating 

about these terms, clients may think 

they can control the market. No one 

can control the market. We need to direct 

our energy to some of the things 

that we can control like spending, 

saving, risk tolerance and our behavior. 

When we control the things within 

our control, our anxiety decreases 

and our confidence increases.” 

Economic bubbles, fluctuations, 

and capital meltdowns will always 

exist in the financial markets. Moffat 

said the economic downturn of 

2008 actually proved to be a period of 

growth for Arista. “We grew quite a 

bit during that time because we were 

having healthy, high-level conversations 

with people about their money 

and investments,” he explained. 

“Many other advisors weren’t calling 

their clients because they had sold 

them something that wasn’t working 

and they were afraid to speak with 

them.” 

As part of the country doctor conversation 

with their clients, Arista 

asks: “If you have a million dollars 

and your risk factor is ‘X,’ are you 

prepared to have your million-dollar 

portfolio go to $700,000? Or what 

about $600,000? Or $530,000?” Based 

on the answers, Arista creates a financial 

plan customized to the client’s 

investment personality and risk tolerance. 

“When people focus on the 

things that they can control, it lowers 

their anxiety and increases their confidence,” 

said Johnson. 

At Arista, each client works with 

an accredited investment fiduciary 

– meaning they have a legal duty 

to put the needs and interests of the 

client first at all times. The standard 

should be based on transparency and 

fairness. 

In order to keep from unnecessary 

surprises, Moffat suggests these valuable 

interview questions be asked 

whenever someone is looking for a financial 

advisor: 

1. Is your broker a fee-based Registered 

Investment Advisor? 

2. Is your broker a Fiduciary who 

will sign a Fiduciary Declaration? 

3. Is your broker providing broad 

wealth management advice? 

4. Does your broker have inhouse 

conflicts? 

5. Are your total portfolio fees 

simple, transparent, and clearly understood? 

“If a potential broker starts pushing 

products, you need to run and go find 

a fee-based fiduciary financial advisor,” 

Moffat warns. 

The need for a transparent fee-based 

fiduciary advisor who follows fiduciary 

standards and provides personalized 

service to each individual is the ultimate 

reason prospective clients should 

contact Arista. The firm’s approach is 

to help all clients – whether a prince or 

pauper – to discover methods that will 

help them accept and conquer the financial 

challenges of their specific lives. 

Learn more about Arista Wealth Management 

online at www.aristawealth. 

com or call 877-309-9970. 

10091 Park Run Dr. Ste #200 

Las Vegas, NV 89145 

www.aristawealth.com 



Global Consolidation in the 

STAFFING INDUSTRY 

The continued slow recovery of the U.S. economy 

is news that can be capitalized for professionals in 

the temporary staffing industry. Employer reluctance 

to hire permanent staff, coupled with elevated, 

yet stable high unemployment rates since April 

2010, creates significant economic activity in this 

non-traditional model of employment. 

The U.S. Bureau of Labor 

reported the addition 

of 40,400 temporary 

jobs to the nation’s economy 

in Dec. 2013, representing 

the largest monthly increase 

in two years. More importantly, 

the bulk of those jobs 

remained in place in January, 

showing that the increase was 

not solely related to the holiday 

shopping season. Instead, 

it appears that an increasing 

number of those jobs are of a more permanent nature, yet are 

still classified as “temporary” within the industrial sector. Labor 

Bureau statistics document 35 percent of the 5.1 million 

workers employed by staffing companies are temporary and/ 

or contract employees within the industrial sector. 

Those statistics are full of opportunity for Alfonso J. Cervantes, 

Chairman of TRIG Capital Group, LLC, a private 

equity firm based in New York. Cervantes, a 30 year capital 

markets veteran, is also Vice Chairman and President of 

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. a publicly held global entity he 

founded with a the stock symbol of STAF and trading on the 

OTCQB. Staffing 360 is also a TRIG affiliate company by virtue 

of its formation. 

“With respect to this burgeoning international company, 

the soft economy is actually working to our advantage,” Cervantes 

said. “When employers around the world, both big 

and small, are deciding they would rather not make long 

term commitments by hiring employees, temporary staffing 

becomes a solution.” 

This theme carries over into the employer response to 

Obamacare regulations as well, Cervantes noted. His sentiment 

is echoed by World Wide Specialty Programs, an insurance 

provider for temporary staffing firms, based in Melville, 

NY. A Jan. 27, 2014 post on its website identifies the 

Obamacare mandate – requiring companies with 50 or more 

full-time employees to provide health insurance by 2015 – as 

being part of what is fueling the increase in temporary staffing 

employment. The post also highlights unemployment as 

a factor. “Many business owners are even noting that there 

are so many more people looking for work than there used to 

be, that most people are willing to put up with a temporary 

job while waiting to find a full-time job.” 

Yet Cervantes doesn’t need affirmation from other players 

in the staffing industry. He need only look at the statistics 

associated with the firm he founded only 24 months ago. 

The metrics are impressive. In calendar Q1 2013, Staffing 

Solutions 360 in its infancy was annualizing a little under a 

million dollars in revenue per year to annualizing more than 

$130 million in revenues in Q1 2014. Four major acquisitions 

– including the Jan. 2014 purchase of Initio International 

Holdings Limited, a London-based staffing company with 

operations on the UK and US that generated $80 million in 

revenues in 2013 – have fueled Staffing 360’s extraordinary 


growth from its startup under Cervantes’ 

direction. 

“TRIG Capital was formed two and a 

half years ago to identify industries that 

would lend themselves to traditional 

consolidation business models,” Cervantes 

said. “We focused very heavily 

on the staffing industry once our team 

did a deep dive and analyzed troves of 

data on this industry.” 

What Cervantes and his team at TRIG 

found was a highly fragmented industry. 

In the U.S. alone, more than 15,000 

privately held staffing companies exist, 

most generating less than $25 million in 

revenues each. Cervantes describes it as 

a “very deep pool, rich with acquisition 

targets.” 

Cervantes said his team hit the bull’seye 

in acquiring Initio. Not only has 

the firm’s full-service staffing become 

a valuable player in the United Kingdom, 

the acquisition also 

garnered legendary staffing 

services guru, Brendan 

Flood. Cervantes didn’t 

blink an eye installing Flood 

– the former Chief Financial 

Officer for North America 

for TMP Worldwide, which 

generated more than $1.7 

billion in revenues during 

his tenure, as well as the 

man who led Hudson Global, 

Inc. through its 2003 initial 

public offering on NAS- 

DAQ – as Staffing 360’s new 

Executive Chairman. 

“He is a long-standing, 

successful staffing industry 

executive,” Cervantes noted. “He is 

very experienced. He is very buttoned 

down. He is respected in the staffing industry. 

He is a major asset.” 

When the acquisition was announced 

in January, Flood himself was quite positive 

and forward-looking. “I’m pleased 

to announce the close of this major acquisition 

and I look forward to boosting 

the Staffing 360 Solutions growth 

trajectory as we take this company to 

the next level,” said Flood. “With a long 

career in senior management positions 

in the staffing industry, I know what it 

takes to lead publicly-listed companies 

and build them into highly successful 

global enterprises. Our collective vision 

is to do the same for Staffing 360 Solutions 

as we expand our global footprint 

and maximize growth potential around 

the world. I firmly believe that Staffing 

360’s publicly stated objective of $300 

million in revenues over the next several 

years is highly achievable.” 

Despite the great success of the Initio 

acquisition, neither Flood nor Cervantes 

are resting on their laurels. They 

are already in hot pursuit of a number 

of staffing firms, developing a robust 

pipeline of prospective acquisitions. 

But the firms being acquired by Staffing 

360 are not completely re-branded. 

Instead, the uniqueness of each new acquisition 

is retained and management 

teams stay onboard. 

“In our case, we are focused on leaving 

the management in place – we call 

it retaining the DNA that created the 

success,” Cervantes said. “We only buy 

profitable companies. Our model offers 

the seller an attractive value proposition: 

a liquidity event today coupled 

to equity in a public company that can 

appreciate significantly over time as we 

grow. In addition, it is an opportunity 

to continue working at their same capacity 

with competitive industry compensation. 

Our view is to keep the companies 

optimized and profitable, and 

for us to move on to the next phase of 

our merger and acquisition activity. 

“In our view,” Cervantes concluded, 

“Staffing 360 has built a world-class 

M&A machine with a deep bench of 

experienced professionals that have 

significant expertise in everything from 

the capital markets to the staffing industry 

and everything in between.” 

Staffing 360 Solutions, Inc. (OTCQB: STAF) is a public company 

in the global staffing sector engaged in the acquisition 

of international staffing organizations with operations in 

the US, Europe and India. As part of its targeted consolidation 

model, Staffing 360 Solutions is pursuing broad 

spectrum staffing companies in the IT, financial, accounting, 

healthcare and cybersecurity industries. The Company 

believes the staffing industry offers opportunities to create 

a successful public company with a longer term objective 

of accretive acquisitions that will drive annual revenues to 

$300 million. 

www.trig-capital.com 

(Ticker: STAF) 

www.staffing360solutions.com 


y abbabelle preston 

FIVE YEARS LATER: 

LESSONS LEARNED 

With March 

marking 

the fiveyear 

anniversary of 

the stock market hitting 

bottom in 2009, 

many financial advisors 

are continuing to 

integrate the lessons 

learned – albeit painfully 

– from that experience. 

Paul Gydosh, Jr., managing director 

of Kensington Wealth Partners, Ltd, 

based in Columbus, Ohio, remarked 

that the time period still leaves a fresh 

imprint on his mind and on the investment 

actions he makes on behalf of his 

clients. 

“It served as a salient illustration of 

the risk associated with investing our 

money in the equities market,” Gydosh 

explains. “We talk about that risk 

all the time – for all of the 26 years that 

I have been in this business. But for 

many people, it became an academic 

discussion because, after two or three 

wonderful years in the stock market, 

people in general can easily forget that 

you can have ugly years as well.” 

Continuing to use that market 

plunge as a teaching tool for use with 

his clients, Gydosh describes the Great 

Recession as a stress test for the effectiveness 

of a retirement plan – for 

the ability of a portfolio’s structure to 

withstand the downside. “Financial 

planners learned new techniques for 

managing risk and new financial management 

terminology was created,” he 

said. 

“What emerged are new metrics. One 

of these is a term called ‘downside capture’ 

in which we focus on alternative 

strategies to dampen the 

downward movement in 

the market without 

giving up much on 

the upside,” Gydosh 

explained. 

He said, “Achiev- 

ing this kind of risk mitigation while 

still seeking returns able to build sufficient 

asset and income for investors 

requires a partnership and new techniques 

as well as increased communication 

between planner and client.” 

The alpha approach – that constant 

drive to beat the market – isn’t the focus 

at Kensington. Instead, they concentrate 

on a customized approach 

aimed at helping meet long-term 

goals that clients have set for their retirement 

years. 

“Our metric – and our client’s metric 

– is not the S&P 500. It’s a number 

that we have calculated and derived 

through our analytics, which uses the 

client’s unique assets, their needs and 

their goals to determine their own 

metric is,” Gydosh said. “This is our 

barometer: How did we do against 

what we needed to earn to get our client 

where they want to go.” 

He admits that, if alpha occurs 

during that process, then even better. 

Certainly he does look at how the 

S&P and other indexes performed. It’s 

a concession related to the fact that 

he’s human too – and curious to check 

how his advice stacks up against the 

rest of the financial world. But, he said 

that this is not the final measure of his 

success as an advisor – nor is it the final 

measure of success for his clients. 

The key to achieving their success, 

in Gydosh’s mind, is knowing what 

they need. “What good is alpha if 

you don’t know what you need 

to earn. Chasing after alpha 

is going to lead to disappointment, 

to an abandonment of the 

plan, and more risk than is necessary.” 

Currently, Gydosh is using a life 

expectancy range of 95 to 100 years 

of age to determine a client’s financial 

needs during retirement, unless family 

history is decidedly less. 

“We use very conservative assumptions 

and sound mathematics in the 

analysis, then review the changes 

that life brings and adjust plans as we 

need to,” Gydosh said. “Having said 

that, we are cheerleaders for today 

also. People have to live life fully for 

today as well. Once we calculate what 

we need to do and have gotten on that 

path, let’s enjoy life along the way!” 

Paul Gydosh is a registered representative 

and investment advisor representative of Lincoln 

Financial Advisors Corp., member SIPC. 

CRN-910071-042314 

www.kensingtonwealth.com 



Giving Clients the Best 

Investing for the Long Term 

According to numerous studies, 

too many Americans are seriously 

lacking in basic financial 

knowledge, with a stark overall 

lack of confidence in their financial 

future. From budgeting to saving to 

estate planning, Americans are missing 

the mark when it comes to managing 

their finances and future. One 

recent Financial Literacy Survey cited 

the following disturbing results: Some 

50% of U.S. adults don’t have a budget; 

40% are saving less today than 

they did in 2011; 39% have zero retirement 

savings; 41% of Baby Boomers 

don’t have a will; 25 million are 

under-insured; and just 16% are very 

confident their investments will increase 

in value. 

But valuable help is available. 

“Our value comes from not just 

managing people’s money, but also 

in helping clients reach their goals,” 

Richard L. Alt, principal and CIO of 

Carnegie Investment Counsel, told 

The Suit, “We are an exclusive, fee-only 

firm, not motivated by commissions 

or hidden benefits. We always act in 

the best interest of our clients.” 

With roots tracing back to 1974, 

Carnegie is one of Cleveland’s leading 

planning and investment management 

firms. Alt brings more than 

25 years of industry experience to the 

table and he wears several hats at Carnegie. 

In addition to serving as chief 

investment officer and principal, overseeing 

the investment process of the 

firm, Alt is one of Carnegie’s six portfolio 

managers. He has the daunting 

responsibility of building and managing 

clients’ portfolios. “Constructing 

effective portfolios has become a lost 

art. It’s a dying skill, but a much needed 

one,” Alt explained. 

Alt and the highly skilled Carnegie 

team begin the process of creating 

an investment strategy by getting 

to know clients and their objectives. 

While clients are a diverse mix of professionals, 

private foundations and 

endowments, all have the same needs: 

assistance with planning their dreams 

with proactive, prudent financial advice. 

To be sure, financial planning is 

a complex process involving much 

more than investments. Cultivating 

trusted relationships while sharing 

similar core values and philosophies 

are at the heart of every successful financial 

planning/client affiliation. 

“We take on clients we know we can 

add value to. Our aim is to build relationships. 

Clients span generations. 

Some of our clients’ money will never 

be spent, but passed on to children 

and grandchildren. Whether it is capital 

appreciation or preservation, we 

plan accordingly,” Alt added. 

Keeping a firm focus on the future, 

Alt plans to keep providing the best 

service, employing the best people 

and giving clients the best investment 

advice. “Financial planning involves 

Although founded some 55 years after his death, the timeless wisdom of Andrew 

Carnegie forms the basis of our firm’s principles – a belief that hard work, 

accountability, responsibility and stewardship will result in prosperous and 

productive lives for our clients, their families and the community. Each principle 

takes on a new importance as our clients move through the phases of their 

financial lives. As their counsel and advocate, the Carnegie team is focused on 

helping achieve the unique goals and desires of every client. We have structured 

our firm in such a way that allows us to only work on behalf of the client, fosters 

personal relationships and focuses on results. We hope you enjoy getting to 

know us and we welcome the opportunity to serve you. 

some hand holding, as well as a firm 

upper hand. We don’t let client’s 

emotions undermine their long-term 

goals. It’s a comfort to our clients that 

we have solid investment disciplines, 

emboldened over the years,” Alt said. 

www.carnegie-capital.com 



A “Legendary” Advisory Firm 

The word “legend” is typically reserved for a famous 

person known to have done something extraordinarily 

well, who then becomes the inspiration for legends. 

It’s not a word casually tossed around or frequently used. 

But it is the perfect word to describe Louis P. Stanasolovich’s 

financial advisory firm. Founded two decades ago, Legend 

Financial Advisors, Inc.® (Legend) is widely respected 

as one of the nation’s leading Fee-Only financial advisory 

firms. Based in Pittsburgh, PA, the firm serves clients nationwide. 

Among Legend’s numerous awards and accolades 

is recognition as “Best Advisors in the Country” 

more than 50 times by a wide variety of 

national publications. Additionally, Stanasolovich 

has been named by Financial Planning 

magazine as one of America’s “Movers 

& Shakers” recognizing advisors who have 

done the most to advance the financial advisory 

profession. Furthermore, Mr. Stanasolovich 

has been chosen by Financial Planning 

Magazine to receive their “Influencer” award 

where he was selected for their Wealth Creator 

award recognizing the advisor who has 

made the most significant contributions to 

best practices for portfolio management. He 

also has been named to Investment Advisor 

magazine’s “IA 25” list three times, ranking 

the 25 most influential people in and around 

the financial advisory profession. 

Yet when asked for his biggest success story, 

the highly accomplished Stanasolovich 

says it’s helping people financially succeed throughout retirement, 

while allowing them to sleep peacefully at night, 

knowing their finances are well looked after. 

To be sure, Legend builds connections. “We’re focused 

on long-term relationships,” Stanasolovich told “The Suit.” 

“There are no short term fixes. Our objective is to provide 

competitive returns over time with less risk than the overall 

market. When appropriate, we use open- and closed-end 

mutual funds, ETFs, and ETNs, individual equities and/or 

any combination of these investment vehicles.” 

Managing all kinds of risk – running the gamut from market 

gyrations to inflation to credit risk – Legend’s Investment 

Committee carefully researches thousands of potential 

investments. “While ETF investing is among today’s hottest 

trends, there are a lot of underlying issues that must be addressed. 

Some ETF’s are illiquid and some are a headache 

at tax time. Legend’s attitude with regard to any type of 

investment product is 'Buyer Beware.' To use an analogy, 

you have to look under the hood to see what’s there. This 

same approach applies to advisors and brokers as well. Investors 

are often hurt financially by bad advice and brokers 

selling expensive and/or poorly constructed products that 

do not fit the client’s situation. The advisors at Legend act as 

fiduciaries. Unfortunately, most individual investors don’t, 

or they’re not knowledgeable enough to perform thorough 

and intelligent research when selecting investment products 

or advisors.” 

As a Fee-Only firm, Legend has a legal fiduciary responsibility 

to always work in the client’s best interest. “That is 

something we have always taken very seriously – and pride 

ourselves on,” Stanasolovich said. The Fee-Only method 

for investment compensation almost always results in unbiased 

advice and the best outcome for clients. 

Indeed, that’s why the entire financial planning 

and investment management industry 

is moving in that direction. Five key reasons 

to always choose a Fee-Only advisor include: 

1. A Fee-Only Advisor and their firm 

are Fiduciaries and therefore are required by 

law to always work in the clients’ best interests. 

2. Little, if any, conflicts of interest exist. 

3. The investor and the advisor share 

the same goals. In other words, they are on 

the same side of the table. 

4. The investor and the advisor communicate 

on a regular basis. That’s because 

there is not a “make a sale and I’m done” 

mentality with a Fee-Only advisor. 

5. The focus is on designing dynamic, 

creative, and personalized financial planning 

and investment solutions for the client, not selling products 

to them. 

Such practices, coupled with constant client communication 

and Legend’s brand of dynamic, creative and personalized 

financial planning and investment solutions are behind 

their high historical client retention rate. 

To put a spin on the immortal words of American icon, 

Babe Ruth – heroes get remembered but legends like Legend 

Financial Advisors, Inc.® thrive. 

To obtain a free second opinion with regard to your personal financial 

planning and investment situation, contact Lou Stanasolovich 

and the advisory team at Legend Financial Advisors, Inc.® 

at (888) 236-5960. 

www.legend-financial.com 


y diane alter 

Strategically Blending Old and New 

Kim Dejana, Richard E. Mayer, Heather Cramer 

Lagging job growth and uncertainty 

in the stock markets, along 

with the change to a new Federal 

Reserve Chairman, are some of the 

events that can cause investor nervousness. 

President of Wealth Strategies of 

America, Inc., Richard E. Mayer, CFP, 

has seen changing market cycles for 

more than thirty years-including the 

most recent financial collapse in 2009. 

“We encourage our clients to pick up 

the phone and talk to us, as opposed to 

being afraid,” says Mayer. “We don’t 

want our clients to sell their holdings 

on emotion, or try to time the market, 

as that does not lead to success from 

many of the reports he has reviewed. 

Wealth Strategies of America help 

people who appreciate what they have, 

as well as those who have kind things 

to say about their children and families. 

It is very difficult to help people with 

their wealth management if the overall 

picture is obscure simply because the 

client is not being forthcoming with 

the information needed. Additionally, 

for those couples with one overly dominating 

partner, Wealth Strategies of 

America might not be a good business 

match. 

In helping clients, Mayer’s approach 

is a blend of alpha (A measure of performance 

on a risk –adjusted basis) 

and beta (A measure of the volatility, 

or systematic risk, of a security or a 

portfolio in comparison to the market 

as a whole.), as well as using Morningstar 

ratings. This is a bit of investing 

which may seem old school, but, as 

Mayer points out, “They tend to still do 

well today, so we are going to side with 

time-tested strategies until it tells us 

otherwise.” While this investing style 

still works today, Wealth Strategies of 

America understands that the future 

involves using technological advances, 

such as social media to maintain and 

grow their business clientele for the 

future. Among the goals for 2014 is to 

connect more frequently with their clients 

and prospects through social media 

sites. 

Base on Mayer’s wealth planning 

approach, although investing itself is 

long-term, portfolio adjustment takes 

place in five year segments at a time, 

rather than in terms of 30-40 year time 

horizons. The portfolio is assessed and 

reassessed depending on the client’s 

position in life, over 65 and retired, under 

65 and still working or people just 

starting out in the work force. “After 

going over goals with the client,” Mayer 

says, “We try to keep everything 

simple by reviewing their current income 

and spending habits, whether 

they have kids who will be enrolling in 

college in 5-10 years and so on.” With 

larger clients, all holdings and any 

applicable appreciation are examined 

each quarter. 

Richard E. Mayer, CFP, CLU, ChFC, CLTC 

Wealth Strategies of America, Inc. 11 Grumman 

Hill Road – Suite 1B Wilton, CT 06897 

Toll Free Phone: 1-888-879-3258 

Securities offered through Raymond James Financial 

Services, Inc. Member FINRA/SIPC. 

Wealth Strategies of America is independent 

of Raymond James and any opinions are those 

of Richard Mayer and not necessarily those of 

RJFS or Raymond James. 

Morningstar Ratings are proprietary to Morningstar 

and is independent of Raymond James. 

www.raymondjames.com/Mayer 



DEALING WITH YOUR DOLLARS 

A Name Standing for Preservation and Longevity 

Wealth management encompasses 

a wide range of offerings 

– including financial 

planning, investment management 

and private banking services – catering 

to the special and specific needs of 

individuals. It’s an increasingly competitive 

business, and a great deal of 

finesse is required in order for a firm 

to stand out. One notable standout in 

the industry is Cahaba Wealth Management. 

“Our mission is to help our clients 

build and preserve wealth by providing 

objective, fee-only advice,” Brian 

O’Neill, president of Cahaba Wealth 

Management, told The Suit. “All relationships 

begin with a carefully curated, 

long-term financial plan tailored 

to each individual based on goals, life 

cycle and objectives. We spend a great 

deal of time talking with and understanding 

clients. Investing is really just 

part of what we do.” 

O’Neill began his noteworthy financial 

career in 1995 with Bank of America. 

A Certified Financial Planner, he 

founded Cahaba Wealth Management 

in 2009, with offices in Atlanta, GA and 

Birmingham, AL, wanting to provide 

customized financial planning, active 

risk management, bespoke investment 

services and retirement transitions for 

corporate executives, business owners 

and affluent individuals. The firm’s 

takes its name from Alabama’s storied 

Cahaba River, while its logo draws inspiration 

from the rare and protected 

Cahaba lily. 

“My aim then, as it remains today, is 

to always have clients’ best interests at 

heart. When I started the firm, I wanted 

to create a company with a brand 

name that stands for preservation and 

longevity. As a financial planner, I go 

to clients with realistic cash flow projections 

to help them make the best 

strategic moves for their investments 

and retirement.” 

O’Neill says the highly publicized 

scandals that rocked Wall Street over 

the last several years, along with the 

2008 financial crisis, have benefited his 

firm. Indeed, more and more individuals 

have and are turning to fee-only 

planners. A key advantage of going the 

fee-only route is not having to worry 

that your planner is making a particular 

recommendation solely for the 

purpose of generating fees. Another 

distinct benefit is that you get a clearer 

idea of how much you are paying for 

advice. 

Cahaba designs clear investment 

portfolios for its diversified client base, 

aimed at generating the best possible 

returns, while minimizing risk. 

It protects assets by monitoring risk 

and guarding against future inflation. 

“Our investment selection is very specific 

and driven by many factors. Once 

we have assembled a custom-made, 

diversified and 

balanced portfolio, 

we monitor 

economic and 

market data and 

make changes 

as warranted. 

Finances are a 

huge part of people’s 

lives yet many don’t know how to 

deal with their dollars. We give people 

a trustworthy place to go for unbiased 

financial advice,” O’Neill explained. 

In addition to helping clients, 

O’Neill also helps to make positive social 

changes for the benefit of Atlanta. 

He is a passionate board member of 

Soccer in the Streets, a nonprofit conducting 

soccer clinics in urban and under-served 

communities. 

www.cahabawealth.com 



Planning for an Active Phase II of Life 

A Disciplined, Consultative Approach to Investing 

Every day 100,000 baby 

boomers retire. Along 

with that fact comes opportunities 

and challenges for 

financial professionals. While 

many financial planners are 

highly experienced when it 

comes to helping these individuals 

accumulate wealth, few 

are equally adept at helping 

them spend it wisely. Indeed, 

an American College/Investment 

News poll found that a 

whopping 94 percent of financial 

professionals believe that 

planners need to know more 

about retirement income planning, which focuses 

on spending, as opposed to retirement 

planning, which looks at accumulation. 

“Without question, people are living longer 

and healthier,” John Choudhary, Managing 

Principal at CAM Private Wealth Services, 

told The Suit. “That has changed the way we 

work for our clients. We don’t just plan for 

retirement, or what used to be known as the 

golden years. We plan for an active Phase II 

of life.” 

Bringing some 14 years of industry experience 

to the table, Choudhary worked with 

high net-worth individuals and businesses 

for global giant UBS Financial Services prior to forming 

CAM. He created CAM in the belief that clients would be 

best served in an independent setting. 

Headquartered in Reston, Virginia, CAM is an independent 

financial planning and wealth management practice 

focused on helping clients preserve and build wealth by 

using carefully curated strategies. Choudhary and his team 

provide discipline, structure and perspective. The aim is to 

keep clients fixated on the “big picture” and to keep them 

away from fad investments and fleeting trends. Totally independent, 

CAM is associated with the Wells Fargo Advi- 

sors Financial Network. 

“Our association with Wells 

Fargo gives clients the best of 

both worlds,” Choudhary explained. 

“We have access to 

one of the country’s largest 

and most respected investment 

firms’ resources and financial 

strengths. Plus, we offer the 

customized and personal service 

unique to a boutique firm.” 

In addition to pre- and 

post-retirement plans, specialties 

include personal net-worth 

analysis, education planning, 

fee-based portfolio management, 

asset allocation review, independent 

professional money management, cash flow 

planning, and long-term care and disability 

insurance. 

CAM’s clients are mostly affluent individuals 

who come by way of referrals. “We are not 

all things to all people,” Choudhary shared. 

“And since most clients come by word of 

mouth, they understand that. We build enduring 

and effective professional relationships. 

Every investment portfolio is unique 

to a person’s goals and risk tolerance. We 

are about customized solutions, services and 

communication.” 

To be sure, the more money you have, the more complex 

your finances are likely to be. Choudhary and his team work 

diligently to ensure clients are making the most of their resources 

and to protect them from uncertainty. That’s certainly 

a comfort to his growing and prosperous client base. 

www.camprivatewealth.com 

Investment products and services are offered through Wells Fargo Advisors Financial 

Network, LLC (WFAFN), Member SIPC, is a registered broker-dealer and 

non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo & Company. CAM Private Wealth Services is a 

separate entity from WFAFN. 



Cloud 

Desktop 

& 

Server 

Hosting 

Managed 

Services 

IT Consulting 

Business 

Hosting 

Solutions 

Cloud Hosting Makes Sense 

the smb sector realizes significant benefits 

Diverse Technology Solutions, Inc. (DTS) operates out of one of the largest data centers of its kind in North 

America. Classified as “Tier III SOC 2 and SOC3 compliant,” the facility offers the kind of security levels found 

at major banking and financial institutions. Located 25 miles west of Chicago, DTS’s primary data center is safe 

from west coast earthquakes, east coast hurricanes, gulf coast storms and from the destructive tornadoes that tear 

across the nation’s midsection. 


Based on Long 

Island, DTS 

provides 

managed IT 

services, cloud hosting 

and technology 

consulting. Under the 

leadership of Managing 

Partner, Clayton 

Hart, DTS consistently demonstrates 

a keen ability to forecast where IT is 

heading, quickly recognizing how technological 

advancements can change the 

way companies operate. As an early 

industry provider of managed IT services, 

when cloud computing emerged, 

Hart and his team immediately saw its 

enormous potential – and they were 

ready. 

“We’ve been in the cloud computing 

business for over a decade,” said Hart 

– whose company also operates out of 

data centers in Denver and Virginia. 

“We forecast the future of that technology 

very early and offered remote backup 

services around the time of Y2K. We 

followed with hosted Exchange email 

services, and as bandwidth technology 

evolved we embraced the virtual realm 

as cloud computing became a platform 

from which to securely operate a business. 

Now, our primary business is delivering 

applications, virtual desktops 

and virtual server services in private 

cloud environments for our clients.” 

Cloud services are being widely adopted 

and integrated into companies 

with 10 to 200 employees – the SMB 

sector – which makes up the majority 

of DTS’s client base. “In the small 

to medium business sector, there are 

three components common to every 

business in relation to IT,” said Hart. 

“An accounting system, an email platform 

and an industry-specific or generic 

system that helps them manage 

clients, contacts, inventory, employees 

and other aspects of their business.” 

DTS’s cloud services are adaptable to 

most any type of industry or business 

model, including financial and legal 

professional services, non-profit organizations, 

healthcare, insurance, manufacturing 

and transportation. 

Currently, DTS is receiving a steady 

influx of questions from clients about 

Microsoft’s decision to end extended 

support for Windows XP, Office 2003 

and Exchange 2003. “This is an opportunity 

for businesses to decide if they 

need to keep supporting PC’s at their 

desk, or if they are going to make their 

applications mobile by going to a virtual 

desktop and server,” explained 

Hart. “The proliferation of tablets and 

Whether you are looking for a private cloud solution for hosting primary production 

applications, virtual servers, virtual desktops – or to extend your inhouse 

server infrastructure into a private cloud for disaster recovery purposes 

– look to Diverse Technology Solutions (DTS). Private cloud hosting is our 

core competency: We have the experience to precisely design and implement a 

custom private cloud solution to meet your complex requirements – and take 

your business from an on-premises data closet into a completely managed cloud 

hosting solution. 

Diverse Technology Solutions 

2949 Sunrise Highway 

Islip Terrace, NY 11752 

T 631-619-0556 

F 631-277-3857 

mobile devices has people wanting all 

their applications available anytime 

and anywhere on any device. Being 

tied down to a desktop computer can 

be a disadvantage.” According to DTS, 

cloud computing services present a 

far superior and far more affordable 

solution, especially when compared to 

a typical IT closet or computer room. 

And they can ask in jest, “Does your IT 

closet have an armed guard or biometric 

readers that grant physical access?” 



DRAMATIC SHIFT IN THE SALE AND 

DISTRIBUTION OF LIFE INSURANCE 

Ownership of life 

insurance policies 

by Americans is at an 

all-time low. Just 62 

percent of consumers 

indicate they have life 

insurance coverage, as 

reported in the “2013 

Annual Insurance Barometer Study” 

released by the LIFE Foundation and 

LIMRA, two leading professional organizations 

in the financial services and 

insurance industries. 

“The number of life insurance agents 

in today’s market has decreased by 50 

percent from 20 years ago,” said Blake 

Mohr, CEO of Capitas Financial, Inc. 

“One of the biggest changes to the sale 

of life insurance is its distribution model. 

More banks, financial planners and broker 

dealers are now offering insurance 

to their clients. Headquartered in Minneapolis, 

Capitas Financial, Inc., is a 

life insurance brokerage company with 

more than 140 sales professionals in the 

U.S. and Puerto Rico. One of the difficulties 

of selling life insurance is the 

complexity of the process, according to 

Mohr. “One of the top-selling variable 

life insurance products … requires an 

application that is 100 pages long to 

complete. Could we make it any more 

difficult?” he asks. “Our industry has 

a long way to go to streamline itself so 

people can have the life insurance in 

other industries that are progressing 

along with technological innovation. 

Electronic signatures – currently being 

used in every other part of the economic 

sector – to date, cannot be used in the 

life insurance industry. 

Mohr reminds us that age 50 is the 

right time to start having conversations 

with a professional about another 

insurance product – long-term care 

insurance. “Start the discussion and 

revisit it every year, because by age 

60, a decision should be in place. The 

typical buying pattern takes an average 

of nine years from the time a person 

starts talking about long-term care 

until the actual purchase, ,” said Mohr. 

Capitas’s carrier partners provide clients 

with several options, including a 

new solution for addressing long-term 

care benefits inside an insurance policy 

through the use of LTC riders. 

Current trends see comprehensive financial 

planning services by banks and 

stock brokerage firms on the rise. Capitas 

assists these financial institutions 

with the life insurance component of 

the process. Presently, Mohr estimates 

that only about 10% of financial advisers 

with banks and broker-dealers 

write life insurance policies. “Over the 

next three years, our goal is to increase 

the number of advisors who are selling 

life insurance and long term care insurance 

by 50%. 

CAPITAS OFFERS SOPHISTICATED, UNBIASED INSUR- 

ANCE SOLUTIONS TO FIT YOUR CLIENTS’ NEEDS 

place that they need.” Capitas is working 

diligently with leading financial 

companies to effect such regulatory 

changes. Underwriting without medical 

exams or medical record reviews 

are examples of changes Mohr feels 

need to be made. Federal and state 

government regulations also cause the 

life insurance industry to lag behind 

www.capitasfinancial.com 


y the suit staff 

Successfully Selling Your Company 

Taking Care of the Business when You Want to Retire 

As owners of multi-million dollar 

companies move into their 

retirement years, they may lean 

toward spending more time with family 

and loved ones. If so, the choices for 

the businesses they built or expanded 

are somewhat limited. They can either 

pass the company down to financially 

savvy partners, relatives or friends, 

or try to sell it. In the latter scenario, 

many boomers may find that on their 

own, they don’t have the right tools to 

sell that company for the highest and 

best offer. 

One solution is to use the services 

of a professional investment banking 

firm that can handle such a transaction 

from start to finish. John Emory, 

Jr., president of Emory & Co., LLC, excels 

in this area. He recently shared his 

opinion regarding the increasing numbers 

of aging baby boomers who are 

thinking about selling their businesses 

in the near future. 

“It’s great for investment bankers 

and our company, as it will be a main 

driver for the foreseeable future. There 

may appear to be a glut of businesses 

for sale, but the pool of buyers will still 

be around fifty times more numerous 

than sellers.” 

Established in 1999, Emory & Co., a 

Milwaukee-based boutique investment 

banking firm, focuses on M&A and 

business valuations. They sell companies 

with annual sales of between 

15 and 80 million dollars – which one 

could call “the middle market” – as 

well as doing stock appraisals. Prior to 

founding the company with his father, 

who was an investment banker at Robert 

W. Baird, John D. Emory, Jr. was a 

lawyer with an M&A practice in Milwaukee. 

Emory & Co. represents sellers and 

buyers of privately-held, middle market 

companies. Their clients come 

mainly from referrals through privately 

held business owners, trusted 

advisors, accountants and financial advisors. 

Their pool of potential buyers 

includes operating companies looking 

to make strategic purchases as well as 

private equity groups funded by institutional 

investors who are looking to 

buy privately-held companies. 

When Emory evaluates a prospective 

company for acquisition, he provides 

a valuation analysis, as well as evaluating 

strategic alternatives and advising 

clients of them. Guiding investors 

when it comes to the timing, arrangement, 

funding and costs involved in 

acquiring companies, he can also assist 

in negotiating and finalizing the transaction. 

One of Emory’s most notable successes 

came when Emory & Co. was 

hired by an owner who was planning 

to sell the company to his management 

team for $12 million, and who already 

had a contract out to sign. After performing 

a valuation analysis, Emory 

thought the business could sell for a 

higher price. Emory & Co. conducted 

their professional sales process, and 

the company actually sold for 45 million 

dollars, almost four times as much 

as the initial offer that came very close 

to being accepted. 

Emory commented, “We spend a lot 

of time and focus on trying to make 

sure that our clients understand the 

most likely price range they would 

fetch in the marketplace.” 

Expert guidance and analysis are 

among the many successful attributes 

of Emory & Co. Clients are informed 

that the sales process is private and 

can take up to six months to complete 

from initially hiring the firm to closing 

the deal. With an increasing number 

of boomer-owned business coming up 

for sale, the future looks truly brilliant. 

Emory said, “As a client service firm, 

we measure our success by successful 

outcomes for our clients.” 

www.emoryco.com 



The Relationship 

Will Always be 

About Trust 

It’s no secret that information technology 

is a powerful transformational 

force in how financial advisers 

communicate with their clients. In 

looking at 2014 tech trends, Financial 

Planning Magazine sheds more light 

on those technologies that can give financial 

planners an even greater edge 

this year. According to the magazine’s 

writers, continued migration to the 

cloud is inevitable, with custodians 

being major movers in this direction, 

deepening integration of their technology 

with other third party vendors, as 

well as advisers and clients. Multi-factor 

authentication – requiring second 

and potentially third forms of identification 

for account logins – will become 

the norm and collecting data from advisers 

into analytical dashboard formats 

is already occurring in the larger 

advisory firms. Expectations are that 

the price of this leading edge technology 

will decrease, making it more 

affordable, even for smaller financial 

operations. 

That is serious technological improvement, 

but it is exceedingly welcome 

news for Christopher Pullaro, 

managing partner at Catalyst Wealth 

Management in Suwanee, Ga – just 

northeast of Atlanta. 

“The biggest change in our industry 

coming in the next five to ten years is 

going to be increased 

technology 

that gives us 

a better ability to 

build relationships 

with that 

tech-savvy generation that is our next 

wave of clients,” Pullaro said. 

In recognizing that the younger 

generations predominantly source financial 

services online, Pullaro shows 

his understanding of how people are 

simply “on the go” all the time and 

need mobile, accessible options. 

Yet, despite big changes in technology 

and delivery, there’s one factor 

Pullaro insisted doesn’t change: relationships. 

“At the end of the day, whether you 

have a Twitter account or Facebook or 

a fancy website or conduct webinars 

– our business is based on trust and 

relationship,” Pullaro said. “How you 

deliver those services might change, 

but the importance of the relationship 

won’t. The dissemination of information 

will change but the relationship 

will always be about trust.” 

Pullaro seeks clients desiring to 

improve their financial stewardship. 

He looks for that desire for an ethical 

approach toward making their 

money work efficiently to meet their 

goals and to fund charitable activities. 

In talking with potential clients, Pullaro 

listens actively to see if they fit 

his definition of a progressive thinker 

– someone wanting to grow money 

within the context of an understanding 

that risk is involved in investing. 

Pullaro’s approach to risk is not to 

focus solely on mitigating it, but to 

recognize its existence and diligently 

monitor market movements, knowing 

full well that risk is always present. 

He noted that one cannot prevent bad 

market conditions from occurring, 

and one shouldn’t lose sleep or raise 

blood pressure over it. Instead, he 

said, “Have a plan.” 

“If the markets go up or down, we 

can stay on track with the client’s plan 

by making immediate course corrections,” 

Pullaro said. “Sometimes 

clients lose sight of that in a market 

such as 2008 and 2009. Those who 

didn’t have a plan and did not position 

themselves correctly had trouble. 

www.catalystwealthmanagement.com 


y the suit staff 

Sharing the 

Facts of Life 

“Income taxes are generally the largest expense the average American 

incurs in his or her lifetime.” Wait. What? 

Ronald C. Allison, 

principal 

and owner 

of Century Tax 

& Wealth Management 

LLC, shares 

this fact and other 

interesting stats on 

the firm’s website. 

Here is another: “Only 46 percent of 

U.S. workers have tried to determine 

how much they will need to save for a 

comfortable retirement.” 

As longevity studies tell us, people 

are living longer. Reaching the age of 

one hundred – once a milestone rare 

enough to make the national news – 

today is much more common. The National 

Institute on Aging reports that 

some 35 million people in the U.S. are 

age 65 or older. It is projected that by 

2040 this number will reach 70 million 

and that people age 85 and older are 

the fastest growing group within this 

demographic. 

Allison helps his clients to plan for 

this long haul with a well-diversified 

portfolio. “I have never had a risky, 

aggressive approach with clients. I 

use a diversified strategy, customizing 

everything to the individual based on 

their risk profile,” he explained. Century 

Tax & Wealth Management works 

strictly with mutual funds, and some of 

those funds may include bonds. International 

investing is also a part of the 

portfolio mix, also achieved through 

mutual funds. 

Century Tax & Wealth Management, 

which started out as an accounting 

practice, soon evolved into a financial 

planning firm. With eleven licenses 

and professional designations, and 

a master’s degree in taxation to his 

name, Allison carefully guides clients 

through a five-step process for investment, 

retirement, education, estate, insurance, 

and tax planning that he calls 

“Total Financial Planning.” 

The motivational mantra at Century 

Tax & Wealth Management is, “Helping 

people get to where they want to 

be.” Allison emphasizes, “Before we 

talk about your numbers, I want to 

know about your goals. You’ll talk, I’ll 

listen.” As part of the H.D. Vest network 

of registered advisors, Allison 

does not sell proprietary products, and 

truly listens in depth before beginning 

the planning process rather than pushing 

financial products on the unwary. 

He also provides convenient online interactive 

tools for clients and prospective 

investors, including calculators for 

cash flow analysis, home affordability, 

life expectancy and the cost of retirement. 

Visitors can track financial markets 

and clients can monitor the performance 

of their own portfolios. 

In his never-ending quest to increase 

efficiency and productivity, Allison is 

consolidating office and home into a 

new building intended to house both. 

He looks forward to the positive impact 

this will have both professionally 

and personally. 

As Allison expresses it, “When I 

started this practice in … 1981, my personal 

ambition was to make a positive 

impact on the lives of individuals and 

small business owners. This goal remains 

my #1 priority.” 

www.centurywealthmgmt.com 



Guiding Middle Class Americans to Financial Security 

“If you are looking for a 12% to 14% return on your 

retirement investment portfolio, our approach is not for 

you. We are the 6% solution,” said Norma Jean Rector, 

CEO of Blueprint Wealth Management – a boutique 

investment firm in Charlotte, NC, specializing in 

retirement planning that yields mid-range results 

between 4% and 8% on client portfolios, while keeping 

the least amount of volatility. 

When Rector started her practice, she was providing 

planning services for life, health and long-term 

care insurance. In working closely with her 

clients, she soon became frustrated by the roadblocks they 

encountered trying to incorporate long-term care into their 

retirement planning strategy. Many of the firm’s middle 

class clients did not qualify for the insurance, and for those 

people who did qualify, the ever-increasing insurance rates 

defeated the purpose. 

Feeling middle-class America to be an under-served 

market in the financial world, Rector became determined to 

help her clients obtain long-term care insurance by working 

outside of the government system. She also knew that 

protecting a surviving spouse from facing depleted assets 

was crucial. Through research and relentless investigation, 

Rector realized that adding financial planning to the firm’s 

suite of insurance services was the best answer. 

Today, Blueprint Wealth Management, with offices in 

North Carolina and Virginia, is known for its authentic 

client-adviser relationships, where one-on-one attention is 

highly valued. In fact, Rector posits that if more middle class 

Americans were afforded this type of service – including 

annual reviews and discussions of current economic 

conditions and trends – it would make a big difference in 

our society. “My practice is structured around all the issues 

that could affect my clients’ retirement planning, including 

financial investments, Medicare, long-term care planning, 

estate tax law changes and life insurance,” she said. 

With a nod to the digital era, Rector acknowledges that 

social media and other forms of electronic communication 

are excellent ways to advertise and position yourself with 

the younger and middle-aged population. “But no matter 

what generation you’re working with, nothing can take 

the place of sitting down with a client to help them. I don’t 

believe anything will ever replace that,” she said. 

Rector, admittedly conservative by nature, does things 

slowly and methodically. While other wealth management 

firms work with either income growth or income 

distribution, Blueprint Wealth Management includes both. 

“We go full circle with our clients. We help them grow their 

money and then we help them distribute it later in life in 

the most tax-efficient way,” Rector said. 

The decision to incorporate financial strategies into 

Blueprint Wealth Management’s insurance planning 

practices is a strategy that has not only served clients very 

well, but it also brings her great personal satisfaction. “It’s 

very rewarding,” Rector said, “to work with someone in the 

middle class demographic and take them to the point where 

they can have a decent retirement, and still be covered for 

their long-term care needs. That is huge.” 

www.blueprintwealthbuilder.com 



Faith in Financial 

Planning is Rewarding 

As a nine-year-old, 

J. Douglas Floro 

read the business 

section of the New York 

Times, trying to make 

sense of all the numbers, 

symbols and interest 

rates. Today, as a Certified Financial 

Planner and president of MFB 

Wealth Management, Inc., Floro quips 

that some of what he reads in the financial 

pages still doesn’t make sense to 

him – this, in reference to the recovery 

rollercoaster ride since the 2008 economic 

bust. 

What is perfectly clear is the meaning 

Floro’s work has for him. He started in 

management at a large restaurant and 

banquet facility in a Philadelphia suburb, 

but after sitting down for his first 

401(k) review, he realized that he too 

wanted to help other people as a financial 

planner. Since his father was an executive 

in the finance industry, money 

management was a familiar concept to 

Floro. 

Located in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, 

MFB Wealth Management is a 

faith-based organization with a name 

derived from a passage in the New 

Testament. The initials “MFB” stand 

for “My Father’s Business,” taken from 

Luke 2:49. As Christian financial planners, 

they believe that how they use 

their time, talents, resources and opportunities 

matters not only now, but 

also for eternity. 

“Typically, we work with people 

who have a similar worldview and 

perspective on wealth – that it is temporary. 

You can’t take it with you, but 

good stewardship is important,” said 

Floro. “Our clients want to balance 

acts of faith, helping their families and 

helping other people, without running 

out of money.” 

MFB provides its clients with customized 

wealth management solutions 

in the areas of retirement strategies, tax 

management and inheritance planning. 

“We are in the relationship business,” 

said Floro. “People will share things 

with their financial advisor that they 

won’t share with anyone else.” 

Along with professional expertise, 

ongoing client communication is an 

important part of MFB’s service. The 

firm conducts client education seminars, 

social events and sends out a 

weekly email newsletter. Floro’s oldest 

son is the company’s tech communications 

guru keeping the website up 

to date, performing best practices in 

search engine optimization, and creating 

and maintaining a user-friendly client 

portal. While the company sees value 

in social media, current FINRA rules 

present a lot of restrictions on what can 

actually be done. 

“Media strategies have their place – 

and you can have an amazing marketing 

plan,” said Floro, “but it still comes 

down to delivering an experience that’s 

going to exceed client expectations.” 

The firm is indeed thriving. In 2014, 

MFB will be moving into their newly 

purchased building and is also planning 

to expand the advisory staff. 

“If you’re going to do anything in 

life, you have to do it with passion. Just 

working to get a paycheck, no matter 

how big that paycheck is, can leave you 

feeling empty,” said Floro. “To know 

that I have a calling in my life to do 

what I’m doing gives me great satisfaction.” 

Doug Floro offers securities and advisory 

service through Geneos Wealth Management, 

Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC 

www.mfbwm.com 



A Trusted Financial Advisor 

It’s Never Too Early or Too Late to Start 

Today’s job description of a financial 

advisor goes way beyond 

the traditional duties of designing 

investment strategies, retirement 

planning, budgeting and helping clients 

address money goals. For advisors 

who want to set themselves apart, 

there is a lot of client support, lifestyle 

Gee is also an accomplished business 

negotiator. “I am a deal junkie at 

heart,” Gee said. “I walk-the-walk and 

I talk-the-talk. There’s an art to getting 

deals done in this industry. I’m good 

at that – and that’s good for my clients.” 

Named one of Charlotte’s 40 Under 

or starting a business – the right time 

to secure a trusted financial advisor is 

always right now. It’s always the right 

time to start working on sustainable financial 

plans. “It’s never too early or 

too late to start saving,” Gee shared. 

Passionate in everything he does, 

Gee says he always arrives early and 

services and concierge amenities involved. 

“Sometimes I am a marriage therapist, 

counselor and coach,” Judson 

Gee, principal of JHG Financial Advisors, 

told The Suit. “But at all times, I 

am my clients’ trusted financial advisor.” 

Indeed, the Charlotte, NC-headquartered 

company was founded with 

the mission of helping clients with every 

aspect of their financial lives. “We 

provide the most personal services 

available. That has earned us a reputation 

for excellence in our industry and 

has also given the firm an elevated status 

when it comes to stellar customer 

service,” Gee explained. 

Gee started his illustrious financial 

career in 1994, launching JHG Financial 

Advisors in 2000. Drawing on two 

decades of money management experience, 

he helps individuals and small 

businesses pursue financial goals using 

bespoke financial planning and 

effective wealth management tactics. 

40 in 2009, Gee is frequently called 

upon for his knowledgeable advice 

and opinion from media outlets, including 

CNBC, USA Today and 

Kiplinger. 

JHG’s staff is comprised of highly 

qualified, hand-picked professionals 

who use a “hands on” approach 

to financial guidance. All adhere to 

the company’s principle: intimately 

understanding each client’s unique 

situation and goal is vital to both the 

firm’s and the client’s success. “Clients 

don’t just benefit from our know-how, 

but also from our dedicated team that 

truly cares about keeping every client 

disciplined, informed, educated and 

focused,” Gee added. 

Many people avoid working with a 

financial advisor because of the presumed 

costs. But hiring a trustworthy 

and qualified advisor can be one of 

the best investments of a lifetime. And 

while most people generally seek out 

an advisor due to a major life event – 

such as marriage, divorce, retirement 

always stays late. “This is not a sprint. 

It’s a marathon, and I am in it until the 

finish.” In the words of a true winner 

Gee added, “Failure is not an option.” 

DISCLOSURE 

This material does not necessarily represent the 

views of the presenting party, nor their affiliates. 

This information has been derived from 

sources believed to be accurate. Please note - investing 

involves risk, including loss of principal. 

The publisher is not engaged in rendering 

legal, accounting or other professional services. 

If assistance is needed, the reader is advised to 

engage the services of a competent professional. 

This is neither a solicitation nor recommendation 

to purchase or sell any investment or insurance 

product or service, and should not be 

relied upon as such. Securities and financial 

planning offered through LPL Financial, Member 

FINRA/SIPC 

JHG Financial Advisors, LLC. 

1370 Briar Creek Rd 

Charlotte, NC 28205-6271 

Phone: (704) 536-3423 

www.jhgfinancial.com 



Creating Multiple Income Streams 

A Business Approach Meeting the Needs of Others 

The efforts of average people to use real estate for generating income is not news. Countless seminars and 

online webinars provide motivation and training for those seeking to improve their financial status by 

purchasing real estate and either selling it at a higher price or renting it for a long-term income stream. 

What distinguishes the real 

estate training provided 

by Marc Wallace of The 

Wealth Trainer, based in Bolingbrook, 

Illinois, from the rest of the crowd is 

that, from his perspective, the real 

estate business is less about helping 

oneself than it is about helping others 

solve their problems. He doesn’t 

view potential and existing clients of 

his system – aiming to build multiple 

income streams through real estate 

investments – in terms of how much 

cash they have or their current credit 

rating. 

“If I hear the passion of how they 

can help other people in their voice – 

if I hear that – then I don’t care if they 

are broke. I don’t care if they don’t 

have any money,” Wallace adamantly 

explains. “If I hear passion, I know I 

can help them.” 

Wallace teaches others the same system 

he himself used after the terrorist 

attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 turned his life 

upside down. At that time, he was living 

in New York City and gainfully 

employed as a global supply chain engineer. 

That all changed quickly when 

his position was suddenly eliminated. 

Wallace found himself going from 

a comfortable paycheck of $5,000 a 

month to a beyond-stretched pittance 

of $420 twice a month, gleaned from 

unemployment benefits. 

He began offering his services to 

distressed property owners in neighborhoods 

around his New York City 

home. Wallace needed a home for his 

family and property owners needed 

someone to fix up property and show 

it to potential buyers. He asked owners 

to give him three months. This 

strategy housed his family and also 

gave Wallace the hands-on experience 

he needed for what would become a 

full-time career. 

Today, with financial woes behind 

him, Wallace has taken the hard-won 

lessons learned and turned them into 

a course called The Wealth Trainer. 

Clients can opt for an introduction to 

his system of purchasing real estate or 

they can shadow him for a day to see 

first-hand his system in action. 

Wallace is a big believer in biblical 

principles, such as looking out for 

the interests of others while taking 

care of yourself – and the idea that 

knowledge is necessary for people to 

succeed. He quotes the Bible, Hosea 

4:6 which states, “My people perish 

for the lack of knowledge.”He likes 

to point out that it doesn’t say “for 

the lack of money” – but instead the 

requirement to not only survive, but 

also to thrive, is knowledge. 

As a system, The Wealth Trainer 

teaches ways to circumvent the traditional 

financing route and how 

even purchasers with poor credit can 

become property owners. Wallace’s 

system is not intended to be a “house 

flipping” scheme, but rather a way to 

learn how to secure and then manage 

properties to create reliable sources of 

income for the purchaser, including 

the opportunity to rent those homes 

to others at affordable prices. 

www.thewealthtrainer.com 


Strength is nothing 

without consistency. 

At Northwestern Mutual, we’ve paid more 

dividends than any company in the industry for 

the past 14 years. 

Put our strength to work for you. Contact us to learn how. 

Alex Conti 

245 Park Ave 18 FL 

New York, NY 

(646) 366 - 6577 

alex-conti.com 

James Bufalo 

CLU®, ChFC® 

Financial Advisor 

(845) 562 - 4175 

jimbufalo.com 

05-2931 © 2011 Northwestern Mutual is the marketing name for The Northwestern Mutual Life Insurance Company, Milwaukee, WI (NM) (life and disability insurance, 

annuities) and its subsidiaries. Northwestern Mutual Investment Services, LLC (NMIS) (securities), a subsidiary of NM, broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, 

and member of FINRA and SIPC. James John Bufalo, Alex Conti, Insurance Agent(s) of NM. Alex Conti, Registered Representative(s) of NMIS. James John Bufalo, 

Registered Representative(s) and Investment Adviser Representative(s) of NMIS. The dividend scale and the underlying interest rates are reviewed annually and are 

subject to change. Future dividends are not guaranteed.

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