Some firms focus mostly on planning as their true focus area, while other firms are mostly asset managers focused on investments but not really helping their clients with their entire financial life. Homrich Berg believes in the importance of combining both into one complete level of service for our clients, and invests in building our expertise in both areas.

This is a lengthy discussion, and we have a brochure solely focused on this topic. Key areas you should discuss with your potential advisor should include their thoughts on diversification, asset allocation, manager selection, active vs. passive strategies, manager monitoring, rebalancing, and risk management. Who is making the investment decisions and how often do they meet? How do they define investment success? How do they handle the ups and downs of financial markets? Do they focus on tax implications and estate implications when building your plan? This is a good topic to spend some time reviewing in detail with your potential advisor.

Many firms have their principals also doing the investment strategy. At HB we have a dedicated investment staff focused solely on investments research every day, not on serving clients. But we mix in the client perspective and the experience of our partners by having both groups on our Investment Committee that makes our investment decisions.

In addition to most advisors being Certified Financial Planner™ certificants, Homrich Berg also has a dedicated financial planning department led by our Director of Financial Planning who can provide support and expertise to your client service team.

Families with estate planning needs can consult with our HB Family Wealth Strategist at no additional charge in order to be better prepared to seek updates with their estate attorney that align with their goals.  Your client service team can engage our Family Wealth Strategist (a veteran former estate attorney) to spend time with you understanding your needs, evaluating your existing documents, and discussing potential new strategies.