Our Passion

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.

Serving Our Community

At The Garrett Group, we recognize that serving our community is a powerful and lasting way to serve clients. By “giving back,” we can help maintain vibrant, healthy neighborhoods and continue the valuable work of non-profit organizations – many of which our team supports. We also encourage our individual team members to support causes they find important.

Through volunteerism and charitable outreach, we currently support – or have supported – these economic, social and cultural endeavors:

Mary Ellen Garrett’s Community Involvement

Current:

•  St. Joseph’s Health Systems: Vice Chair
•  Atlanta Catholic Archdiocese: Chair Finance and Advisory Council & Past Chair Investment Committee

Past:

•  United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta: Chair Alexis de Tocqueville Society
•  United Way World Wide: Board Member
•  Community Foundation of Greater Atlanta: Philanthropic Council
•  Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta: Board Member
•  The Carter Center: Board of Councilors
•  Visions Anew: Advisory Board
•  The Wellness Community: Advisory Board
•  Marist School: Board Trustee
•  Emory University: Board of Visitors
•  Atlanta Girls School: Board Trustee
•  Sandy Springs Youth Sports: Fund-Raising Chair
•  St. Jude Catholic Church: Council Member
•  Big Brothers Big Sisters: Board Member
•  Mercy Care: Chair, Foundation Board

Patricia Townsend’s Community Involvement

Current:

•  MOCA GA: Secretary & Board Member
•  Most Valuable Kids Atlanta: Founding Board Member
•  City Springs Theatre Company: Board Member

Past:

•  Olmsted Plein Air: Patron Chair
•  Alliance Theatre: Advisory Board Member

What To Expect

At The Garrett Group, we manage our clients’ wealth and expectations.

When asked, we characterize our offering as a rich repository of knowledge and best practices. While privacy is a pillar of our practice, we may share what others facing similar challenges are doing – when it can be beneficial. This leads to proven ideas for addressing situations and provides education that can help family members learn and prosper.

As our client, you can expect that we will:

• Serve as responsible stewards of your wealth – prioritizing your objectives and examining all areas of your financial picture – “goals and holes” that demand our attention. 

• Help you make informed decisions, not emotional ones. Our proactive efforts are meant to help you plan and prepare ahead of circumstances you foresee and those you don’t.

• Do our best work when your needs grow in complexity. We enjoy meeting challenges and stand ready to assist in a timely manner. The more you ask us to do, the more value we can deliver.

• Explain what actual outcomes look like – in simple terms, without needless financial jargon. Going beyond spreadsheets and simulations, we will illustrate real-world scenarios with you.

• Remind you to contact us with any financially related question. or if you need our opinion on a financial or life circumstance. We are here to deliver the perspective and time you need to make informed decisions that are wise and unhurried. We see ourselves as “life advisors” as much as “financial advisors.”

• Strive to help you optimize both sides of your balance sheet – assets and liabilities. We offer cash management and credit strategies, and access to specialists at Bank of America, N.A. for residential and securities-based lending solutions.

• Align our tax minimization and estate planning strategies with those of your CPA and attorney, or a professional we can recommend. When beneficial, we can also call upon our firm’s trust professionals to offer assistance.

• Invite you to events that, in the past, have included intimate dinners, concerts, museum visits, and golf tournaments. We are grateful to have celebrated countless occasions with clients, including their weddings, birthday and anniversary parties.

We rarely see situations we haven’t encountered. We feel fortunate to have long memories and relationships. It is our intention to help you benefit from others we’ve assisted in similar positions.