Cadaret Grant/Atria Merger Update

It has been close to a year since Cadaret Grant was purchased by CEO Doug Ketterer’s holding company Atria Wealth Solutions.  Throughout this time there have been many exciting changes and improvements happening at Cadaret which I believe ultimately will improve the experience we can deliver to our clients.  I thought it would be helpful to outline some of the improvements that have taken place at Cadaret as well as provide a timeline as to what you can expect to be rolled out over the next several months.  The infusion of an experienced, forward thinking and hard working management team into Cadaret Grant has me excited about the future and the improved experience it will provide to our clients.

• Cadaret Grant: The management team has hired personnel with impressive track records in the financial services industry to head important departments such as compliance, recruiting, operations, technology and product development. They have also improved many of the operational procedures within the firm thus improving efficiency. Many of these changes are instrumental in helping me spend less time on operational tasks and more time on actions that matter to my clients!

• Electronic Signature:  We now have the ability to offer Electronic Signature of documents through Pershing such as new account openings, IRA Distributions, beneficiary changes, and other processes.  This will eliminate us having to send forms to sign either by mail or over email to be printed and scanned back.

• Business Texting:  I was selected to be part of a pilot program for a business texting platform.  Texting is a very popular communication tool which we will soon be able to offer.  I am excited to be a part of the pilot, which will allow us to gain firsthand knowledge of how the program will operate and how best to roll it out.  Due to securities regulations the texting process will be different for me than what we are accustomed to on our phones.  

• A New Client Portal:  Many people like to view their accounts online.  Atria has been working on developing a new client portal for clients to view their accounts online.  They have begun a test launch with two smaller firms that they own and will be looking to implement the new technology within Cadaret Grant in late 2019/early 2020.  WealthManagement.com published an article on the platform recently to which I have attached along with a sample of what the new portal will look like!  

  https://www.wealthmanagement.com/technology/atria-wealth-solutions-unveils-upgraded-clientportal o https://vimeo.com/335516407/1bc78e3538 

Improvements at Northern Westchester Financial Services  

o  We have completed an overall redesign of our company’s website.  In addition to the website upgrade we will be expanding our social media foot print to new platforms such as Facebook while upgrading the content being provided on LinkedIn.   

o I was asked to be a guest columnist for a local newspaper called the Yorktown News.  Keep an eye out for my monthly column starting in June!  

o We have upgraded our monthly newsletter and have been receiving positive feedback as to its content! If you are interested in receiving it please sign up via the link provided on our site.  

o Our decision to offer a web based/go to meeting solution has proven to be a smart decision.  We understand that free time is not something that is readily available.  Providing our clients the ability to meet with us while at the same time eliminating the worry of the lack of free time or the hassles of travel has proven to be beneficial.  Our web based software allows clients to log onto our computers from home viewing their information interactively while not having to carve out time to drive to my office. This is great for quick, simple questions that may involve a visual aid such as a statement review or a performance update. 

o I recently had the honor and the privilege to speak in front of 150 advisors and peers at Cadaret Grant’s Top Advisor Conference.  The discussion was centered around the growth of my practice and what we have been doing in order to achieve, maintain and continue it.  The speech was very well received and was built around delivering a transparent, organized, goal based, client experience.  We are always looking to provide our clients with the best tools and advice to help accomplish their financial goals.  It meant a lot to me to be granted this opportunity to present in front of my peers  and I am committed to continually providing an improved client experience!