GAME OF DRONES

y diane e. alter
Offering Financial Advice – Not Products
Real Financial Advice for Serious People
Few investors understand
how their financial
adviser gets
paid – a conundrum that
could ultimately cost them
plenty. When an investor
doesn’t understand how
much they’re actually paying
in fees and expenses,
when their adviser keeps
skirting the issue, or when
an adviser constantly pushes
products, it’s high time to
consider switching to another
adviser.
“I started The Fieldstone
Financial Management
Group when I saw the need
in the investment management
environment to offer
clients objective advice – not
products,” founder and
President Kristofor Behn
told “The Suit.”
With roots dating back
to 1965, Fieldstone is truly
a pioneer in the fee-only
business. The firm is one
of the oldest, continuously
operating fee-only financial
planning and investment
advisory firms in the United
States and has received
quite a number of accolades.
Fieldstone has appeared in
“Forbes Magazine” for being
named one of the Top
10 Most Dependable Advisers
in the Northeast and
Mid-Atlantic. And, the firm
has been recognized by
“Bloomberg Wealth Magazine”
as one of the Top 150
Wealth Managers in the US
every year since the magazine
began ranking advisers.
“We’ve been growing the
practice organically,” Behn
explained. Indeed, since
2000, Fieldstone has completed
six acquisitions and
the firm has client service
locations nationwide. “Unlike
many advisory firms,
we don’t look solely at an
individual’s net worth. We
look for those we can have a
good impact on. We look for
clients who have great potential
and that are willing
to be coached and guided
in a process that will yield
rewards and profits,” Behn
detailed.
After reviewing a prioritized
list of goals, Fieldstone
builds service offerings
around reaching them and
then puts a plan of action in
place to help each client ultimately
achieve those goals.
“Ours is a relationship-oriented
business, so
we start by truly
getting to know
clients,”
- Behn shared.
Services include comprehensive
financial planning,
investment advisory services
and tax return preparation.
The team is a highly
qualified mix of professionals
with decades of financial
industry experience. Behn
emphasized, “The key to
building a successful firm
is to surround yourself with
good people. Retention is
also important. Loyalty and
experience provides invaluable
stability.”
Behn describes the firm
as conservative, seeking
risk-adjusted returns wherever
they might be. “You
have to be prepared for
opportunities when they
present themselves. That
has always been our strong
suit. For example, you have
to embrace environments
where there is growth. We
presently see that in emerging
markets. We approach
risk with open eyes and
monitor it very closely. ‘Realistic’
is actually the better
word to describe Fieldstone.”
To be sure, today’s seemingly
unstoppable equity
markets call for serious reality
checks.
www.fieldstonefinancial.com
THE SUIT MAGAZINE - DEC / JAN 2014