How We Are Different

Broad Reach Wealth Management was founded on the premise that the only way to do what is best for the client 100% of the time is to be completely independent and to focus on providing total wealth management solutions through a consultative, fee based approach, instead of the more common product sales approach. Our clients' best interests are at the heart of everything we do and form the structure of our company.

We have registered our firm as an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA), demonstrating our dedication to our clients. As an RIA, we are regulated as a fiduciary and are required by law to always do what is in the best interest of our clients. Registered Reps of brokerage firms (brokers) are not held to the fiduciary standard and are only required to follow a suitability standard. This can lead to the recommendation of a certain product or service that is influenced by the benefit to the broker or the brokerage firm and may not be the best solution for the client.

With no proprietary products or services or the need to "push" the products or services of parent companies, we are free to objectively search for the best solutions for our clients. We receive no incentives from any third parties to use one solution over another. We work for our clients, and no-one else.

Broad Reach Wealth Management is a genuine wealth management firm. We provide ongoing comprehensive financial planning and investment advisory services to our clients through a fee based consultative approach. We develop strong long-term relationships with every client and continually work closely with them to help them achieve all their financial goals. We are there with them every step of the way and only through their success do we succeed.

The wealth management business model has been around for decades now, but it has not been common. A study by CEG worldwide, a leading research and consulting firm specializing in the financial services industry, concluded that while as many as 77% of advisors claim that they provide wealth management services, only 6.6% of all advisors actually do.

An investment portfolio and a retirement plan are just parts of your financial wellbeing. There are many other parts that are too often overlooked or are not considered as part of a financial plan. Everything is related and should be managed as one. We consider a client's total situation, financial resources and goals when developing complete financial planning strategies, and work with a client's other trusted advisors to ensure all aspects of their wealth, including those outside our firm, are working in harmony.

Typically, individuals will have multiple advisors all providing advice, products and services independently. It is generally up to the client to manage those relationships, to figure out how each piece of the financial puzzle is related, and to communicate to each advisor independently what the strategies are. This can lead to misunderstandings, missed opportunities, mistakes or an overall plan that does not work well.

We make sure that each individual piece of a client's strategy is working together as part of one total wealth management strategy and will work directly with a client's other trusted advisors as a team to do so.

Investing and financial planning are ongoing endeavors that require attention. We do not believe that taking a long-term approach means putting an investment portfolio or financial plan on auto pilot. Our strategies are designed to provide our clients with what they need to achieve both their short and long-term goals, but things change. Client situations change. Market conditions change. Tax laws change, etc...We continually work with each of our clients and proactively address these changes that may require attention and a change in planning or investment strategy.

With just a few months of training and no experience, advisors can get a license allowing them to call themselves investment advisors or financial planners. To earn the right to hold the CFA (Chartered Financial Analyst^®) Charter or the Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP^®) designation however, requires a great deal more.

The Chartered Financial Analyst^® (CFA) credential is the most respected and recognized investment management designation in the world. It is the highest destinction in the investment management profession. The CFA Program provides a strong foundation of advanced investment analysis and real-world portfolio management skills. To earn the right to hold the CFA Charter, one must pass 3 six hour exams on 18 volumes of curriculum, have a minimum of 4 years of relevant professional experience and have a bachelor's degree. 

The Certified Financial Planner™ (CFP^®) certification is the gold standard in financial planning and demonstrates a certain level of commitment to training and ongoing education. Certification also requires a much longer minimum period of experience. Read more about the CFP^® (Certified Financial Planner™) designation here.

Every client of Broad Reach Wealth Management works directly with Albert J. Bartolomeo, CFA, CFP^® the president of Broad Reach Wealth Management. Read Al's bio here.

Many financial institutions rate their clients or define them using a tiered system based on asset levels or revenue. Many people will be assigned to lower level advisors in a financial services organization once they become clients and will not have the attention of the advisor they hired in the beginning of the relationship. They may not get the same level of service, attention or quality of advice.

Each client we accept at Broad Reach Wealth Management gets the same advice and level of attention. We build strong relationships with them and get to know their financial situation and goals very well. Clients put their trust in us and we feel they deserve nothing less than our full attention.

We are a fee based investment advisor. We receive no incentives from any third parties to use one solution over another. This allows us to be unbiased in searching for the best solutions for our clients. All fees are transparent and any conflict of interest is fully disclosed.

Our approach is solidly based on over fifty years of academic research and financial science, as well as industry research. Click here for more information on our investment approach.