Throughout the day, our schedules are filled with calls and meetings with the top advisors and teams in the US. The natural rhythm of conversation centers around identifying what’s effective and pinpointing pain points. At numerous major wirehouses, we consistently hear the refrain: “The compliance and operations oversight is overwhelming; I can barely compose an…
When advising advisors and teams, a crucial initial step is the evaluation of your true worth or value. Frequently, we tend to underestimate our own value—a challenge rooted in our innate subjectivity towards self-assessment. This is a pivotal factor in what we try to profess with most any advisor – understand the value of your…
For over half a century, The Gershman Group has partnered with advisors, guiding them to assess their practices and find the optimal fit. In the past decade, the perennial question has persisted: stick with the established wirehouses or embrace independence. Much like in investing, life demands a careful weighing of risks against rewards. While maximizing…
Alex Brown advisors and their predecessor firm Deutsche Bank has been a part of my family’s history for decades. Both myself and my father, Norman Gershman, were once advisors who always had high respect for these advisors and consequently, we too have acted as trusted consultants. As the firm now folds into Raymand James, we…
On March 30, 2023, Lindsay Hans and Eric Schimpf were promoted to co-presidents of Merrill Lynch after Andy Sieg departed for Citibank. The two have continued to live out Sieg’s mandate from Brian Moynihan, move Merrill Lynch as swiftly as possible to a dominating private banking model. As an example, Hans and Schimpf pointed to…
Alex Brown, formed in 1800, is the oldest and one of the best investment banks in America – a relatively small house that, what it lacked in diversity and reach more than made up for in service, knowledge, and attention to detail. That was the boutique firm that Deutsche Bank bought in 1999, and the…
First things first As we converse daily with dozens of Alex Brown advisors, we noticed a recurring subject around uncertainty which would lead to the following question: “What are you seeing other FA’s like me do?” In this survey we set out to answer that question. The Gershman Group conducted an independent survey, anonymous compiling…
*Oct 2023: Castle Island Family Office currently only custody thru Schwab and exploring Goldman Sachs Advisor Solutions as a second solution for their advisors. Kevin McCluskey is Founder and CEO at Castle Island Family Office and Managing Partner of its Investment arm, Sea Hunter Capital. Previously Kevin has been Capital Markets Portfolio Advisor for over…
Meet Bruce: After a successful 30+ year career at Merrill Lynch, Brad launched mFORCE Capital in 2021 as an independent wealth management advisory firm. In mFORCE, he has found the freedom and flexibility to serve his clients as they truly deserve. Brad is driven by his passion to deliver effective and relevant solutions, and…
JPMorgan’s Private Bank initiated a new family office practice geared towards the UHNW. For First Republic advisors sitting in the wealth management arm of the business, this announcement brings some concern given that the firm’s attention seems to be focused on the Private Bank. 17-year JPMorgan veteran, William Sinclair, is to lead the group and…