HAVING AN ADVISOR THAT PROACTIVELY COMMUNICATES, EDUCATES AND GUIDES YOU AND YOUR FINANCIAL WELL-BEING IS CRUCIAL.

TRUST IS PARAMOUNT when it comes to money matters, and one word makes working with Allegiant Private Advisors one of the safest-possible options for clients: fiduciary.

What does this term mean? Simply stated, being a fiduciary is a legal obligation to do what’s in the client’s best interest, without regard to self-interest. There is a huge advantage working with a fiduciary advisor like Allegiant.

“Part of the reason our industry sometimes gets a bad rap is because people think of financial advisors as salesmen who make commissions to sell you products. They’re incentivized to sell. Worse, they’re not legally required to recommend what’s best for you,” says Allegiant’s President, Ben Jones. “The best and only way we can be advocates for our clients is to act as their fiduciary.”

Allegiant is a fully independent, fee-based firm of wealth advisors, financial analysts, portfolio managers and customer service professionals. Allegiant’s advisors are not salespeople; however, they are required to serve their clients financial planning needs. There is no incentive compensation, no product sales, and all employees are salaried.

How they serve is based on the rules outlined in the Certified Financial Planner (CFP) Board’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct. A CFP® professional has three duties: to put the clients’ interests first, to completely analyze the clients’ unique goals and circumstances, and to follow client instructions, complying with all policies, restrictions and lawful directions of the client. These are all the highest, legally-binding standards that exist in the profession, and every Allegiant advisor holds a CFP® certification and is therefore held to those standards. Allegiant team members have also earned the Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF) designation, which also has its own set of practice standards. In all, it is a culture of professional excellence that is solely client focused.

PHILOSOPHICALLY SPEAKING, we all ask ourselves some big questions throughout our lives: What is our purpose? What will our legacy be? How will we leave the best possible mark on the world? Allegiant advisors are helping clients answer these questions every day, uncovering the personal stories behind the paperwork, and using financial investments to accomplish their important and meaningful goals. The team’s advisors become so much more than number crunchers to their clients; they are coaches, trusted advisors, independent problem solvers, and “thinking partners” who talk clients through everything from business decisions to overall life paths.

“For example, we’ve seen too many times where money is passed onto the next generation and it’s not used in the way the parents would have liked, the results being far less than optimal. We feel like our goal is to offer that softer-side coaching and hand holding to make sure we best serve the client,” Jones says. “We’re all here to help in any way we can by combining our professional expertise and experience with the ability to really listen to each client and advise them appropriately.”

The Allegiant team includes three Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholders (plus one more in process), six Accredited Investment Fiduciary® (AIF®) designees, two Certified Divorce Financial Analyst® designees, one Certified Public Accountant (CPA), one Chartered Market Technician (CMT), one Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor®, and nine CFP®-certified professionals. Combined, these team members act as sounding boards during the most pivotal times in their clients’ lives— from college saving to retirement planning and every step in-between. The advisors offer broad perspectives, reality checks, and the ability to empower clients to make smart financial decisions (choices that could affect multiple generations). They help crystallize clients’ visions and then make those goals materialize. Throughout, they have every client’s back, always.

BRANDSTORY FEATURE | SRQ MAGAZINE | MAY/JUNE 2020