Diversified Portfolios.
Insightful Guidance.

Building portfolios that balance return with a level of risk that won’t
keep you up at night

Preserve principal. Maintain purchasing power. Manage risk. Finding the right mix of investments to help you achieve these basic tenets of investing takes time and knowledge of the financial markets. Rather than go it alone, many people want someone to do it for them or with them.

Cerity Partners can be your someone—whether you want a wealth management advisor who manages every aspect of your portfolio, collaborates and coordinates with your existing advisory team, or simply serves as a sounding board for your decisions.

And we believe in full transparency. You’ll always know what we’re doing at each stage of the process and why.

We provide objective investment solutions that encompass your complete financial landscape:

  • Financial goals, needs, and priorities
  • Risk profile, time horizon, and liquidity constraints
  • Charitable, legal entity, and tax considerations
In a world awash with endless financial information and investment products, the value of working with thoughtful advisors who can sift through the noise and build personalized portfolios continues to rise.

Ben Pace, Partner & Chief Investment Officer

Investments that Complement Other Aspects of Your Wealth

Investments don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re an integral part of your comprehensive wealth management strategy. Your portfolio’s performance directly impacts your ability to achieve your goals. Harvesting investment losses helps reduce your tax obligations. Your risk management and estate plans influence the titling of your portfolio.

Our investment advisors understand these connections and collaborate closely with our in-house tax and planning specialists to preserve, grow, and protect your wealth.

Your big picture is made up of the smallest details. We look at both.

Steve Kurosko

Partner & Market Leader

Investing

Socially Responsible Investing

July 15, 2022 — An impactful strategy for individuals, retirement plans and nonprofits.

Putting Your Money to Work for You

Investing is a commitment to your future. It’s a way to grow and preserve what you’ve earned. Our disciplined investment process helps ensure your portfolio is positioned to withstand changing market and economic conditions.

1

Setting Your Objectives

At Cerity Partners, conversations drive recommendations, not the other way around. We want to know you as a person and as an investor. Understanding your passions, concerns, needs for today, and plans for the future is the cornerstone of designing your investment strategy.

2

Creating Your Investment Policy Statement (IPS)

Based on our conversations, we’ll draft your personal IPS. Think of it as a road map for your investment decisions. It outlines the purpose of the funds, planning considerations, your target asset allocation profile, and any investment restrictions or preferences. For example, your IPS might contain a provision about your desire to invest in socially responsible companies.

3

Constructing Your Personalized Portfolio

Using your IPS as our guide, we evaluate different active and passive solutions and select the investment managers that offer the most potential return for your desired level of risk. Where appropriate, we also identify alternative and private investment opportunities. Our size as a national investment advisor enables us to secure the most competitive terms and pricing for you.

4

Managing Your Portfolio

Shifting goals. Extreme market volatility. Inconsistent investment manager performance. All have the potential to throw your portfolio off track. We monitor and benchmark your investments, meet with you regularly, and recommend adjustments as needed to help ensure this doesn’t happen.

You don’t want to ride the ups and downs of the day. You want a sustainable future based on smart investment strategies.

Explore Our Offerings for Individuals and Families

Joseph Matus

Principal

Financial Planning

Cash is Back: Exploring Alternatives to Traditional Bank Accounts

With the recent rise in short-term interest rates, cash has re-emerged as a viable asset class for portfolio construction. In March, 3 Month Treasury Bills reached a yield as high as 5%, further turning cash from a zero-yielding liquidity management tool to an attractive asset class of its own. Bank checking and savings accounts have […]

Paul Chmielewski

Partner

Estate Planning

Sell Your Business and Create a Family Legacy

The sale of a business often represents the largest financial event in the business owner’s life. Partner Paul Chmielewski discusses the important pre- and post-sale steps a business owner should consider.

Paul D’Elia

Partner

Charitable Giving

Why Gifting Appreciated Stock is Smart, Even in a Down Market

The tax benefits of gifting long-term appreciated stock to registered charities in a down market present an attractive strategy for donors.

Susan Hartley-Moss

Partner

Estate Planning

Building Trusts That Stand the Test of Time

Today’s economic climate is a “wake up” call for anyone involved with the management and operation of a trust. Now is the time to re-evaluate your clients’ trust structures and investments to make sure they don’t have the same experience.

Michael Syer

Principal

Tax Strategies

Qualified Small Business Stock: A Powerful Tax Planning Opportunity

Qualified Small Business Stock is one of the most powerful, but often overlooked, tax planning opportunities. Principal Michael Syer summarizes the requirements and benefits of this tax exemption.

Mimi Drake and EmJay Williams

Family Office

Engaging the Next Generation on Family Wealth 

Teaching young adult children about wealth can be a challenge. Although circumstances may vary, most families want to impart on their children a solid understanding of their wealth, creating opportunities for younger generations to continue growing the family’s resources.

Brett Dearing

Partner

Business Owner Advisory

Hiring the Right Wealth Manager for Your Transaction

The net proceeds from the sale of your business adds another layer of complexity to your financial life. That’s why a wealth advisor is one of the most important people you can have on your transition team.

Emily Taken-Vertz

Principal

Financial Planning

Financial Planning for LGBTQ+ Couples

LGBTQ+ partners face unique complexities in financial planning. A skilled financial advisor with an acute understanding of the legal protections and rights for LGBTQ+ partners can help couples achieve their plans and goals.

Andrew Fisher

Partner

Cross-Border Planning

Living a Jet-Setter Retirement

Are you planning for a jet-set retirement? Or are you already spending part of the year abroad? If so, Cerity Partners can help you navigate the complex world of living in more than one place, so that you’re able to preserve your wealth.

Select your specialty

Investing is a commitment to your future. It's a way to grow and preserve what you've earned. Our disciplined and goal-centric investment approach helps ensure your portfolio is positioned to withstand changing market and economic conditions.

Our advanced estate planning and wealth preservation solutions help you achieve your goals while mitigating tax liabilities. Recommendations are tailored to your unique situation and reflect our expansive knowledge of estate, trust, gift, and tax laws.

Successfully navigating the financial challenges that come with wealth involves planning, relevant advice, and an advisor who’s not afraid to say "no" when you ask, “can I afford this?” Cerity Partners does all three.

Protect the life you and your family have worked so hard to build. We help you understand your current level of risk exposure and offer personalized solutions that seek to protect the vulnerable areas of your financial life.

We design and implement tax optimization strategies including the creation of detailed tax projections and the preparation of personal, trust, and business tax returns.

Our family office services span the spectrum from full financial management to helping you establish and coordinate your own family office. Whatever level of support you need, we can help.

We work with owners of privately-held businesses to help them create and execute transition plans that provide a seamless and successful exit for themselves, their families and other stakeholders.

We’re here to help you create a comprehensive financial plan that reflects your shared vision. In the unfortunate event your marriage dissolves, we also provide divorce financial consulting.

Just because your professional life is spread across different regions of the world doesn’t mean your financial life has to be complicated. Cerity Partners has extensive knowledge of U.S. and global tax laws and regulations, and we will work with you to preserve and grow your wealth here and abroad.