WE Family Offices celebrates its six-month anniversary as it passes the $2 billion mark in assets under advisement. The firm, operating since 2000 through predecessor companies, recently reclaimed its independence in January 2013 as Maria Elena Lagomasino, Santiago Ulloa and Michael Zeuner came together to form the executive leadership team. On a mission to serve families, the three have set out to once again change the face of the wealth management industry, said the firm in a press release.
“We founded WE Family Offices because we believe in independent advice uncolored by an interest in sales-based fees and commissions,” says Chief Executive Maria Elena Lagomasino. “We believe families have a right to expect their financial adviser to be focused solely on their best interests at all times. We believe in serving client families the way that benefits them the most. And we believe that, at this point in time, that kind of adviser is hard for clients to find.”
The global firm, with offices in New York and Miami, currently serves more than 60 clients from the US and other countries. “Why WE?” Managing Partner Santiago Ulloa asks. “WE stands for Wealth Enterprise – family members managing their wealth as they would a business. A successful business has a mission statement, financial statements, a clear decision-making framework, reporting capabilities… why shouldn’t a family operate their wealth in the same way?”
“We believe clients should stay in control – always engaged, making critical decisions around their wealth,” says Michael Zeuner, managing partner at WE. “We respect the service provider relationships clients have, but as an independent adviser, we try to make sure clients know what they need to know to keep their costs down and make sure the providers are focused on the client’s best interests.”
With offices in New York and Miami, “WE Family Offices is a different kind of family office for the ultra-high net worth client”. Working with clients to help them enhance their wealth enterprises, WE Family Offices believes families should stay in control of their wealth, constantly learning and always engaged so that they are able to make the critical decisions necessary to manage their wealth. WE is not affiliated with any financial service company and is compensated only with client fees. As a result, WE’s advisors are free to offer their clients only independent advice and to work as the clients’ advocate, focused on their best interests. WE was most recently ranked by Investment News as the number one RIA in Florida, by assets under advisement.