Since 2002, Sensible Financial Planning and Management (“Sensible”) has been building financial plans and guiding their clients to help them achieve their goals.
As of October 1, Sensible, their advisors, and staff have joined Beacon Pointe Advisors (“Beacon Pointe”). You may wonder what that means for clients and employees.
Rick Miller, Founder and CEO, and Rick Fine, Principal and Senior Partner, sat down to talk about this new direction.
Both are looking forward to the move. Rick Miller says, “Working with Beacon Pointe will enable us to provide more integrated tax, estate planning, and financial planning advice. These are the kind of offerings it takes scale to deliver. We have twenty people, including 12 financial advisors. Beacon Pointe has more than six hundred people, including 200+ advisors, multiple estate planning attorneys, and a team of people entirely focused on identifying and developing new technology. It’s exciting.”
Miller continued, “Over the years, clients have asked us for estate planning and tax advice we couldn’t provide ourselves. At Beacon Pointe, we’ll be able to communicate better with estate planners and tax professionals and create more integrated financial plans for clients.”
What will this mean for the Sensible staff?
“I think this will open a host of career opportunities for our entire staff. Our team will gain exposure to a larger company, increased educational opportunities, and exposure to different aspects of financial planning.”
Think back. How did Sensible Financial start?
For the first year of Sensible Financial, Rick Miller was a one-man show. Then, he brought Rick Fine into the firm in 2003. They’ve worked together ever since. After a while, they knew they had something special. Rick Fine recalls Miller, after gaining a new client, popping into his office to say, “I think we have a real business here!”
Did you think it would last?
“Yes,” says Miller. “I did think we’d be around, but I didn’t know what that would look like. In the beginning, our goal was to introduce people to low-cost indexed funds. They’re efficient, diversified, and generally good financial advice. What I didn’t realize was how many people really wanted complete financial planning, not just investment recommendations.”
Did you know the firm would get so big?
“Not really,” said Miller. “When we hit twenty employees, I was happily surprised. I will say I had no idea how hard it would be to grow a firm to this level.”
Rick Fine continued. “Financial planning takes a lot of thought. We take our time and create truly customized plans. We became a small, boutique firm, but we’ve still had steady growth over the years. That came from being accurate, detailed, and meticulous.”
Why Beacon Pointe Advisors?
“We went through an extensive search process,” said Rick Miller. “Beacon Pointe impressed me because of their focus on financial planning. We were pleased to find a company with strong values consistent with our own and the potential for both increased offerings for our clients and expanded opportunities for our people.”
“We see this as a natural evolution for the firm. I’ve met many people at Beacon Pointe for whom planning is a high priority. They, like Sensible, look at a client’s whole financial picture before providing recommendations. It’s a good fit.”
Will the Sensible offices remain in Waltham and San Diego?
“Yes,” says Rick Miller. “We are keeping our offices, our team, and our clients. While most things will not change, we are looking forward to the advantages of being part of a larger firm. Beacon Pointe will be a good home where our clients can thrive, and our staff can grow professionally.”
People often fear change, but Rick Miller, Rick Fine, and the rest of the Sensible team are looking forward to this one.
Important Disclosure: The information contained in this article is for general informational purposes only. Opinions referenced are as of the publication date and may be modified due to changes in the market or economic conditions and may not necessarily come to pass. Forward-looking statements cannot be guaranteed. Past performance is not a guarantee of future results. The discussions, outlook, and viewpoints featured are not intended to be investment advice and do not consider specific investment objectives or risk tolerance you may have. All investments involve risks, including the loss of principal. Consult your financial professional for guidance specific to your circumstances.