Active Listening

At The Calbi & Abbate Wealth Management Group, clients provide a compass for our thinking. We are naturally curious and genuinely interested in what inspires clients. In each discussion, we ask questions that provoke consideration and conversation: “How would you describe your greatest achievement? What do you envision five or ten years from now? And what do you expect from us?” By listening closely to what clients say in early meetings – and over the course of each relationship – we can help them pursue paths that may be uncommon, but ones that that bring meaning to their years of hard work and sacrifice.

Given the ambitious nature of clients, we know that new opportunities and obstacles invariably present themselves. That’s why we speak to clients on a regular basis. As proactive financial advisors, we also know that frequent contact allows for more open communication and timely problem solving. Having longtime relationships as colleagues – and with clients’ family members – helps us facilitate a natural collaboration that can lead to positive outcomes for retirement lifestyles and family legacies.

To help optimize results, after listening to clients, we consult with Merrill thought leadership, with specialists throughout our firm, and with clients’ CPAs and attorneys. Our deliberate approach allows us to align investment, tax minimization and estate planning strategies, and to save clients the time required to coordinate responsibilities and efforts. When it can benefit clients, we also provide access to residential, commercial, and securities-based lending through Bank of America, N.A. (*NMLS #79336)

Goals-Based Planning

While clients come to us with wealth, many wrestle with the right balance – for enjoying it, passing it along, or supporting a worthy cause. Some clients have also managed wealth on their own and require an added layer of sophistication and knowledge. Others are referred to us following divorce or the loss of a spouse – and can benefit from our “hands-on, hands-held” approach to helping them make informed decisions (rather than emotional ones).

At The Calbi & Abbate Wealth Management Group, we recognize that no two clients are alike – and that a cookie-cutter approach is never sufficient. Clients face formidable challenges – financial and personal. We see our roles as helping to simplify situations that may seem overwhelming and explaining strategies that are, in many cases, complex.

When asked about their lives, most clients tell us about their kids, whether they’re young, or raising children of their own. For this reason, initial discussions typically revolve around clients’ wishes for multi-generational wealth and appropriate estate-planning strategies. Inspired by clients’ stories, we work to establish a genuine level of trust. We also encourage other family members to get involved to the extent the client wishes.

With personal experiences that mirror those of many clients, we can appreciate what keeps them up nights and what gets them up each morning. From retirement and legacy planning, to tax minimization, business succession and cash management strategies, we enjoy helping clients take next steps – toward achieving “the goal of a lifetime” or one that just brings satisfaction and stability.

Results-Oriented Investing

At The Calbi & Abbate Wealth Management Group, we ask clients many questions. This allows us to optimally manage their assets with the minimal degree of risk needed, to help them achieve financial goals that are meaningful and achievable.

With decades of knowledge gained in the behavior of markets and investors, we find that a “top-down, macro view” gives us the best starting point to build each client’s portfolio. Experience reminds us that consistent, long-term performance comes from a disciplined approach in which our strategic and tactical allocations for each client are typically made across asset classes, sectors and borders.

In addition to Merrill research, our own risk parameters, and each client’s goals, investment timeline, risk tolerance and need for liquidity, we pay close attention to cost- and tax-efficiencies. In fact, we often structure clients’ retirement, college planning, cash flow, wealth preservation, and gifting strategies in concert with clients’ CPAs and attorneys, and specialists across our firm.

In everything we do, we aim to give clients every opportunity to use their wealth wisely. For most, that means growing and preserving assets (before they need to take income and even while doing so). We take our roles quite seriously. In striving toward superior wealth management, we maintain that meeting clients’ financial and personal goals are benchmarks for own own success.

*Any information presented in connection with BofA Global Research is general in nature and is not intended to provide personal investment advice. The information does not take into account the specific investment objectives, financial situation and particular needs of any specific person who may receive it. Investors should understand that statements regarding future prospects may not be realized. BofA Global Research is research produced by BofA Securities, Inc. (“BofAS”) and/or one or more of its affiliates. BofAS is a registered broker-dealer, Member SIPC, and wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. BofA Global Research does and seeks to do business with companies covered in its research reports. As a result, investors should be aware that the firm may have a conflict of interest that could affect the objectivity of this report. Investors should consider this report as only a single factor in making their investment decision.