Frequently Asked Questions
Fidelity is one of the world’s largest providers of financial services. Founded in 1946, the firm is a leading provider of investment management, retirement planning, portfolio guidance, brokerage, employee benefit programs, and many other financial products and services. Fidelity has programs related to excess of SIPC coverage and reimbursing clients for unauthorized activity in covered accounts. Fidelity will provide additional disclosures about how they will protect your assets.
Concurrent has been one of The Hamilton Groups partners from day one. They provide us with the support needed to transition to independence and continue to support us in managing our practice.
The continued leverage gained from Concurrent’s collaborative ecosystem and the ability to partner with other elite wealth managers across the country is invaluable in providing our elevated level of service to our client relationships.
Purshe Kaplan Sterling Investments (“PKS”) is a full-service broker/dealer and financial services firm headquartered in Albany, New York. PKS clears its trades through National Financial Services LLC, offering state-of-the-art products and technology to our Registered Representatives. In addition, PKS provides access to every major Investment Company, hundreds of Variable Annuity products and access to some of the top professional money managers in the country.
For us, it all starts with the right relationship. As a direct result of what we do and the time commitment it takes, we cannot work with everyone. Our process always starts with a conversation to make sure that both parties are a good fit for each other’s services. From there the journey begins.
As independent advisors, we maintain flexibility in providing the optimal solution for clients through an open marketplace. We are not obligated by the products and services from a single organization or parent company.
Having both a broker-dealer and registered investment advisor, The Hamilton Group has the ability to work with clients both on a fee and a commission basis. Each client’s needs are different. Maintaining the flexibility to best serve clients always comes first.
No. However, in many cases, we act as a second set of eyes in the review of our clients’ personal legal documents. The ability to speak, understand and translate legalese often helps in making sure our clients and all members of the team are always on the same page. Local counsel is critical to the final steps in implementing a clients’ plan which is why we have established a healthy network of legal specialists around the country.
No, but we have sharp pencils and we are very familiar with our country’s tax laws. As part of our process, we intently focus on tax efficient planning strategies and coordinate the plan with our clients’ professional tax advisors to ensure that the tax strategies are integrated properly and that all team members are aligned with the rest of the plan.
It is not about us, it is about you. Our investment advisory services are built around you. Markets will go up and down. While we can’t stop the market from doing what it does, we can play a significant role in preserving wealth by being tactical, defensive and adaptive when investing for our clients.
Planning is a perpetual process not an end. For some, today’s plan may represent exactly what you and your family want to happen. For others, something may have been lost in translation or overlooked in the preparation of your documents. Having plans tested is an important step in the process. After all, in life and in planning . . . the only constant thing is that things always change.
The Hamilton Group realizes that some clients will need all our services and other may only need a few. We consider our depth and breadth of services to be a menu for clients to choose exactly what they need. We also understand that, over time, the needs of clients will likely change and different services may become more important at different stages of one’s life.
The ultimate goal of a succession plan is remarkably similar to an estate plan. First, you need to understand the value of your business, preserve the value for today and tomorrow, and then pass it forward intact.
A communication strategy is an important part of a wealth management plan. While we cannot promise family harmony, we can promise to inform, support and facilitate the process as part of the larger team. We also believe the best and most durable decisions are made by clients and their families.
It all starts with a conversation with three very specific questions . . . whether you are an advisor or client, knowing who you are, what you care about and what you want to accomplish is always our first step.