At the inception of Master’s in 1994, the founding partners endeavored to create a team practice. In this environment, we wanted clients to experience the benefits of working with a diverse team of financial professionals.

In 2000, we made the business transition to a “true team practice.” At that time, we dissolved each advisor’s “book of business,” or personal clients, and all clients became clients of the firm. Also, at the same time, we decided that all team members at Master’s would work for a salary, with no compensation tied to the advice given or which advisor was working with a particular client. With this background in mind, I will highlight several ways clients of Master’s Advisors benefit from this approach.

• All advice or recommendations given to a client are generated by a group of five or six team members during an internal Strategy & Design meeting. With this structure clients benefit from various opinions and ideas that are vigorously debated in a round-table discussion until the team determines the planning solutions that best serve that client’s needs.

• Because all clients are “clients of the firm,” each client experiences the benefits of our diverse team of talented people at Master’s. We have team members in their 60s and in their 20s, and everywhere in between. Most have college degrees, some have master’s degrees, and others have gained priceless experience working in family business or local industry. Our education, individual skills and interests, and life experiences vary greatly; however, when blended well together, the end result is broad-based advice and excellent service to our clients.

• Our unique financial structure with all team members working for a salary fosters teamwork and provides multiple client benefits. First, we have placed a firewall between compensation and advice given. This protects both integrity and objectivity. Next, it does not matter which advisor works with a particular client because our unique financial structure eliminates internal competition and ensures that every client is receiving consistent advice. Finally, when our clients or other professionals refer others to our firm, they do not need to be concerned about which advisor will serve a prospective client. In our environment, it simply doesn’t matter.

Many firms in our industry market themselves as a team practice. Few have taken the necessary steps to become a true team practice. Because of your confidence in our team and our unique structure, Master’s Advisors has flourished. We are both grateful and fully committed to being a true team practice for many years to come.