The Garrett Group
At The Garrett Group, we bring our extensive wealth management knowledge to a diverse clientele that appreciates our competency, care and consideration. It is with gratitude and respect that we continue to build on these relationships and welcome new clients to our practice.
Results and relationships throughout the U.S. matter to us – and to those we serve in the Atlanta area. The people we serve are active and retired – including male and female executives (many with Fortune 500 companies), successful business owners (many with 401k plans that we administer), attorneys and physicians. We also assist several non-profit endowments and foundations whose missions we have long supported.
Led by Mary Ellen Garrett, who founded our group at Merrill more than 35 years ago, we have cultivated an approach that places clients at the center of our concentrated efforts. We are proud to engage frequently in thought-provoking conversations that revolve around their families & interests, not just their finances. We feel it’s important to know what drives clients personally and financially.
Perhaps we’re old-fashioned, but we find there’s no substitute for face-to-face meetings and talking to clients on a casual basis, not when the calendar says so. Through honest dialogue with both spouses, whenever possible – where we share our own stories and lessons learned – we work to help clients “see around corners” to prepare financially and emotionally for what they envision.
Our engagements span investment and retirement planning, tax-minimization and estate planning strategies. In addition, we provide clients with ready access to Bank of America, N.A. for traditional banking services, and in residential lending, treasury management, equipment financing and other forms of commercial lending. It is also our practice to be a “total resource” to clients and stay connected with their other trusted advisors, to include CPAs and attorneys.
We feel good knowing that our clients’ success has paralleled our own. Many of them have become our close friends. These natural connections inspire our best efforts.
At The Garrett Group, we are a family-focused team that truly cares about the impact of financial decisions on future generations. Each day, we guide families in exploring "facts and feelings," as both are critical to formulating a strategy in synch with their financial goals.
Rather than see clients as similar to others, we recognize that each is unique. Therefore, our planning-based approach is customized for each family and presented in a logical and practical manner. As clients' situations and ambitions evolve over the course of their lifetimes, we make sure to revisit and make adjustments when needed.
To learn, we ask questions of clients, "What is the purpose of your wealth? Why do you work so hard? Do you want to leave a family legacy? How do you want spend retirement years and where? Do you want to travel? What have you always wanted to do, that you don't think you can?"
While most clients focus on years following their careers, many report that "retirement" doesn't accurately reflect what they see as the next stage in their lives. They often define happiness in terms of new experiences, helping family and making a difference. They're not retiring – they're shifting gears and asking for our guidance to help solidify their financial foundations and identify new opportunities.
Regardless of our clients' visions, we work to provide a clear assessment of where they stand in relation to their financial objectives and what steps should be taken to help achieve and protect what matters most to them. Our initial conversations may touch on personal and business circumstances, family issues, cash flow, investment goals, tax situations, legacy planning and titling of assets.
To help clients grow and preserve their assets in the most tax-efficient manner, we scrutinize how wealth is structured. After analyzing risk and opportunity, we take overall investment direction from our firm's Chief Investment Office and engage with independent portfolio managers screened and vetted by Merrill. Ultimately, each client's portfolio may include investments across asset classes and sectors – stocks, bonds and cash.
Having earned a reputation for being proactive and responsive to three and four generations of clients, we appreciate clients who place their trust in our discretion and ability to offer enlightened guidance. In each instance, we do (and say) what we believe is in a client's best interest, even if straightforward suggestions may be difficult for them to hear.
*The Chief Investment Office (CIO) provides thought leadership on wealth management, investment strategy and global markets; portfolio management solutions; due diligence; and solutions oversight and data analytics. CIO viewpoints are developed for Bank of America Private Bank, a division of Bank of America, N.A., ("Bank of America") and Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated ("MLPF&S" or "Merrill"), a registered broker-dealer, registered investment adviser and a wholly owned subsidiary of BofA Corp. This information should not be construed as investment advice and is subject to change. It is provided for informational purposes only and is not intended to be either a specific offer by Bank of America, Merrill or any affiliate to sell or provide, or a specific invitation for a consumer to apply for, any particular retail financial product or service that may be available.
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