A conversation with Strategies for Wealth’s senior leadership team

At 90, Strategies for Wealth, a general agency of The Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America, continues to evolve. With offices in Rye Brook and Manhattan, 100 financial professionals and 100 support staffers across the tristate, Strategies recently welcomed four new members to its executive leadership team – partner Jerry Tavella, managing director Andrew Harman and associate partners Bobby Angel and Joe Long: 

What strategy has enabled Strategies for Wealth to last 90 years?  

Jerry Tavella: “The context that those 90 years provide and the lessons learned allow us to provide tremendous value to clients. And that is the key to our longevity – a focus on guiding clients so they can experience security and freedom.  

“The reality is a lot of what worked 90 years ago still works today. We have hundreds of thousands of hours working with clients, and we bring that institutional knowledge to every meeting and every strategy. That, combined with exceptional leadership, has allowed us to enjoy 90 years and feel confident about the next 90. Starting with our founders (Bob Spaulder and Arthur Warshall, the S and W in Strategies for Wealth) to our present senior partner, Josh Becker, Strategies for Wealth has enjoyed decades of strong leadership, grounded in a true belief system.  

“That is the key to it all – leadership and belief.  We believe in what we do. We consider it a calling to help people overcome challenges and build the life they want for themselves. And when our financial professionals come to their clients with an unwavering belief in the work they do, they are able to communicate clearly and authentically. It allows us to build real relationships with our clients. And that’s what this is all about – relationships that last generations.  We take great pride in the legacies we help create.”

Recently, the four of you have come together as members of senior leadership. Tell us about that dynamic. 

Joe Long:  “….That journey began several years ago with the addition of Jerry Tavella as a partner of the firm. Jerry had already helped to build one of our most successful teams, and he had already attained tremendous success as a financial professional in the firm. It was a natural progression to add his talent and leadership to our partnership. He is focused on training our financial professionals and helping them build teams of their own, so their clients will always enjoy uninterrupted guidance and support from Strategies for Wealth.  

“Around that same time, we added Andrew Harman to our leadership team. Andrew has extensive background in the market and has helped us build on our platform to provide more value to clients in the investments space. He has also spearheaded a project to ensure that all of the firm’s clients get value in the investments space. Like Jerry, Andrew represents the next generation of financial professionals in the firm.  

“With new blood added to the leadership team, it also made sense to empower two of our existing leaders to take on more responsibility.  Bobby Angel and I have been members of the leadership team for a long time. Our focus was initially on training and developing new financial professionals in the firm, and we still hold that responsibility along with others. We have been empowered to help bring new financial professionals to the firm and to help with the day-to-day intricacies of running Strategies. We serve as the bridge between the existing partners and the new generation of financial professionals in the firm.” 

The markets have been soaring of late, yet people are down on the economy. Why the disconnect? 

Andrew Harman: “Well, the market is not the economy, and they don’t move in lock step. It’s easy to forget that, because we live our daily lives in the economy, while the market usually lives in the future. The market is forward-looking, anticipating what it expects to occur rather than reflecting what is currently happening. It’s one of our responsibilities as financial professionals to help our clients remember that when making investment decisions.”  

What do you think needs to be done to improve either the economic picture or people’s view of the economic picture? 

Harman: “A primary area of focus for us at Strategies for Wealth with our clients is that we challenge them to control what they can control. We challenge them to be world-class savers, and we give them the tools to do so over time. We remind them that they need not only to pursue opportunities but also to protect themselves against unforeseen events. And we guide them to establish non-market-correlated assets in conjunction with their stocks to help them weather storms or to take advantage of opportunities that come their way.  

“Our clients who follow this model have dramatically increased confidence in their ability to succeed and have a far more abundant perspective on the economy as a whole. We need to help our clients understand their personal economy, understand how they can create a feeling of freedom and security and hold them accountable in their journey to attain that confidence.  

“The economy is doing well, but what we read and see on the news often doesn’t make people feel that way. It is our responsibility to educate and guide our clients, to instill them with confidence and to help them accomplish their goals. If we do that, our clients will have far more confidence in the economy and a deep sense of security.” 

 With an up market and yet a volatile geopolitical situation, what should our “strategies for wealth” be? 

Harman: “There are so many variables for the market and the economy right now. What happens with interest rates and inflation will continue to be important, and the upcoming election could also drive the market. Expecting and being prepared for some volatility is wise. For us at Strategies, we see more teams of financial professionals serving more clients.  Our financial professionals play an incredibly important role in their client’s lives. We are also focused on bringing more talented people into this career so they can have the same impact on others. It’s about helping generations we will never meet through the conversations we’re having today.”   

For a long time, women had no access to capital and yet they are now poised to control the vast majority of personal wealth in this country. What challenges lie ahead for women in finance and women investors? 

Bobby Angel: “I remember when we moved to New Jersey when I was 10, my mom had to buy a car and my dad was insanely busy at work. This was 1985 and they would not even talk to her unless she brought a man with her. They wouldn’t sell her a car. Fast forward almost 40 years, and women represent such remarkable power in our economy. And with that power, comes significant challenges and opportunity. A primary challenge is that people often want guidance from financial professionals who understand them – and that means we have the responsibility of bringing more women into the career to help guide and support that market. We are fortunate to have a number of women financial professionals, including perhaps the most successful financial professional at our firm (Michele Fine, who has led The Guardian nationally most years for the last 10 years). And we are consistently and deliberately adding more.  

“For years, women were denied institutional knowledge around finances. That means we need to focus on education and consultation with our female clients. Women have more and more control over their personal economies, and they have the power that control represents. It is on us to be sure we are listening to women, learning how best to support them, and I believe our focus on controlling what we can control and on building a plan that works under almost any circumstance aligns well with the hopes and wants of our women clients.”  

Strategies for Wealth is active in nonprofits. As you probably know, some social service nonprofits are taking a hit under new Congressional regulations. What can the financial sector do to make up for the slack in government funding? 

Angel: “Our financial system is built not only on the presence of government services for those who need support, but also on the reality that many clients want to use their money to have an impact on society. It is our responsibility to help clients attain these goals. That may mean charitable planning using charitable gift annuities or perhaps establishing trusts with charities as beneficiaries. That can also mean establishing annual gifting plans with clients. And all of the above only happens if we ask the right questions of our clients, really get to know them and understand their priorities. As we develop financial plans for our clients, we need not only to help them gift to charities if that’s what they want, but also to expand their thinking to understand that charitable gifting is among the most rewarding uses of money.”  

Looking into your crystal ball, what do you see ahead for the market, the economy and Strategies for Wealth? 

Angel: “We don’t have a crystal ball, but we do have strategies that work in almost any circumstance. There are so many variables for the market and the economy right now. What happens with interest rates and inflation will continue to be important, and the upcoming election could also drive the market. Expecting and being prepared for some volatility is wise.  

“At Strategies for Wealth, we create plans that work – period – in almost any market and any world event. So we see more teams of financial professionals serving more clients. We are deeply proud that our financial professionals play an incredibly important role in their clients’ lives. We’re focused on bringing more talented people into this career so they can help others like our current financial professionals do – and so they can make an impact that lasts another 90 years or more.” 

 

For more, visit https://www.strategiesforwealth.com/. 

Strategies for Wealth disclosure: Jerry Tavella, Joseph Long, Andrew Harman & Bobby Angel are registered representatives and financial advisers of Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS). Securities products and advisory services offered through PAS, member FINRA, SIPC. Financial Representatives of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian), New York, New York. PAS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian. Strategies for Wealth is not an affiliate or subsidiary of PAS or Guardian. Jerry Tavella CA Insurance License #OM71450. Joseph Long CA Insurance License #0L72176. Bobby Angel CA Insurance License #0G64811.  

Opinions, estimates, forecasts, and statements of financial market trends are based on current market conditions and are subject to change without notice. Opinions are those of the author and not necessarily those of Guardian or its subsidiaries. By providing this content, Park Avenue Securities LLC is not undertaking to provide any recommendations or investment advice regarding any specific account type, service, investment strategy or product to any specific individual or situation, or to otherwise act in any fiduciary or other capacity. All investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal amount invested. 

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