LOCAL FIRM MAKES FORBES TOP 25 "UP-AND-COMERS" DURING MARKET CRISIS
Date: November 2008
Willow Creek Financial Services, Inc. appeared on Forbes.com national 2008 list of up-and-coming registered investment advisory companies this past month. Forbes is an American publishing and media company founded in 1917. Forbes.com and affiliated properties are a division of the Forbes Media arm. Together they reach more than 27 million business people each month.
The Forbes list was produced in response to "a black month for Wall Street". As Forbes put it, an "important limitation of our ranking is that we excluded from our listing all firms that employ representatives" (i.e. registered representatives aka stock brokers) "earning commission revenues and those that mostly sell proprietary products..." Instead "listing firms that offer fee-only advice... This differs significantly from old-line commission brokers... who earn more if they "churn" your assets or sell certain products, like annuities, that vendors pay high commissions on."
Willow Creek Financial Services specializes in comprehensive financial planning and fee-only investment management for clientele throughout the North Bay. Founder, Bruce Dzieza, said he "started the company recognizing there was a real need for unbiased, cost-effective financial advice". Senior financial planner, Heather Cleland, elaborated on the value this creates for on-going clients "We get to know our clients and their life goals well. The planning process defines the steps they need to take to reach their life goals. We tailor the investment strategy with that end in mind, using the financial plan like an architect designing their dream house". Willow Creek was founded in 1984 and currently has five broadly experienced certified financial planners (CFP) making them a resource on investing, retirement planning, real estate acquisitions, career or business development, charitable giving and estate planning.
Willow Creek Financial makes Barron's Top 100
The Indie 100
Independent financial advisers are on the rise. Meet the top players.
By SUZANNE MCGEE
THERE'S NO SHORTAGE OF FOLKS WHO'D like to tend to your investments. Brokers, money managers and private bankers, among others, all are battling to add your name to their client lists. But one type of pro, the independent financial adviser, is gaining prominence.
While traditional brokers charge a commission for each transaction, independent advisers manage your investments for a flat fee, often about 1% of assets. Another distinction: Many independents built their businesses by providing clients with financial-planning services, not just stocks and bonds. The approach has helped the independents boost their assets under management by an annualized 18% over the past 11 years, to $2.1 trillion, while assets handled by full-service brokerages climbed 11% a year, to $6.2 trillion, according to Tiburon Strategic Advisors in Tiburon, Calif., a longtime tracker of advisers.
Reflecting the field's increased stature, Barron's for the first time is publishing a ranking of the top 100 independent financial advisers in the U.S. The listing was compiled by financial-industry consultant R.J. Shook and is based on each adviser's assets under management, his or her contribution to the firm's revenues and profits, and indications of service quality. This ranking, like those we publish about advisers from brokerage houses, banks and other firms highlights many of the most prominent men and women in the field.
A great number of the top independent advisers head up firms, but their scores are based on assets in accounts that they oversee themselves. Through interviews with the advisers and analysis of their data, Shook determined those asset levels and made judgments about the quality of service provided. He also reviewed regulatory records. Investment performance wasn't a criterion, because many advisers don't have audited track records. But an adviser certainly must perform well to attract and retain clients.
How the Independent Wealth Adviser List was developed
SF Business Times / May 23-29, 2008
THE SAN FRANCISCO BUSINESS TIMES teamed up for the second year in a row with The Winner's Circle LLC to highlight top professionals in wealth management.
The Winner's Circle is an organization of outstanding advisers and industry leaders. Its mission is to promote the value of advice to the investing public. The organization's independent and objective research is published in annual feature stories in publications like the San Francisco Business Times, Barron's, Crain's Detroit Business and more.
With more than 7,000 nominations received every year rankings are based on quantitative (assets and revenues) and qualitative criteria (compliance records, discussions with management and peers, telephone and in-person interviews, etc.)
The team at Willow Creek Financial Services, Inc. is excited to be included on The Winner's Circle Bay Area's Top 25 Independent Wealth Advisers as featured in the May 23-29, 2008 issue of the San Francisco Business Times. Our president, Bruce Dzieza is number 14 on the list.
Who’s Who in PrivateBanking & Wealth Management - May 2008
"North Bay Business Journal"