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Biography

Matt is a Partner in our New York office. He has more than twenty-five years of experience in wealth management, with an emphasis on providing investment advisory, financial planning, and trust advisory services to ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families.

Prior to joining Cerity Partners, Matt was the President of Algonquin Advisors, where he was responsible for the firm’s client relationship management, business development and marketing efforts. Previously, he was a Senior Private Client Advisor at Wilmington Trust, providing financial, investment, trust and estate, and fiduciary planning services to high-net-worth individuals and families. He also co-chaired the bank’s Corporate Executive Planning Group and headed the external Trust Consultancy practice in the New York City region. Earlier in his career, Matt served in a variety of advisory roles. He was a Director of Institutional Sales at Knight Capital Group, Inc., a Senior Vice President for financial planning with U.S. Trust Company, and a Senior Financial Counselor within Ernst & Young’s Personal Financial Counseling Group.

Education

  • Bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania

Highlights

  • FINRA Series 65 license holder
  • Serves on the Board of Directors for the Long Beach Lifeguard Alumni Association.
  • Elected by classmates as the University of Pennsylvania Class of 1994 President
  • Currently serves as the Girls’ Program Commissioner for the Rockville Centre Boys and Girls Basketball League
  • Previously served on the Board of Career Gear, a New York City-based organization committed to helping disconnected men empower themselves to become readily employable through professional development and mentoring
  • Co-coordinator of the Cerity Partners College Summit Series, a program offered to eager college students interested in wealth management

Q & A

Q:

Who inspired you to pursue your career in financial management?

My mother. She was a gifted teacher, school principal, and district administrator, however, she never had any formal education or training as it related to finance. Additionally my boss at US Trust Company in the late-1990’s, Bob Stolar. He was a relentless Fiduciary who was always placing the client first whether solutions were internal and external. He taught me that holistic planning was the best guide to said solutions.

Why is your work important, especially today?

I believe that the true holistic wealth manager should have a deep level of technical knowledge; yet also incorporate an “art over science” approach that ultimately helps individuals and families arrive at the best solutions for their particular and unique set of circumstances.

What kind of clients work best for you?

A client that challenges and wishes to be challenged. A client that has a long-term view of investments, financial and estate planning, and philanthropy.

What differentiates Cerity Partners from other firms in our space?

The true fiduciary is the one that can advise completely independent of how decisions effect compensation, cross-selling, etc. Instead, they simply focus on what is in the client’s best interest. Advisors are afforded the opportunity to act in this capacity at Cerity Partners.

What do you do in your personal life that helps you help your clients?

I coach, in every sense of the word. I coach in the traditional sense of the word in that I coach youth basketball, where I am a board member and the Girls League Commissioner for the largest youth basketball league on Long Island. I enjoy “coaching” budding young professionals – specifically through our annual Cerity Partners College Summit Series, Cerity Partners Academy, and the Cerity Partners Summer intern program. Finally, I coach clients through difficult and/or large personal financial decisions. My favorite job prior to this was as an ocean lifeguard; maybe the roles are not too dissimilar.

How would you describe your best day doing what you do?

Helping clients move on decisions. Helping clients clarify things in their minds as it relates to investments and personal finances. Helping make my client’s life easier as it relates to managing investments and personal finances.

What does the world need now more than anything?

Patience and understanding. And really good, skilled coaches.

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