FAQ

We partner with high- and ultra-high net worth families, founders, and executives whose financial success has reached a point of complexity. SlateStone provides comprehensive advisory services for families whose financial lives extend well beyond traditional investment management. We work with households managing multi-generational wealth, business owners approaching liquidity events, corporate leaders with concentrated equity positions, and retirees. 

Our clients come to us because they’ve outgrown a self-directed approach of a standard broker-dealer relationship. SlateStone delivers institutional-level capabilities from a highly personalized service model. Our clients want coordinated guidance across investments, liquidity events, and wealth planning. 

The traditional model is often fragmented, requiring multiple professionals, and may lack an advocate that can see the entire picture and provide holistic guidance. We built SlateStone to be different. 

We provide a suite of services that encompasses all parts of your financial life. We provide holistic financial planning and select and manage your investments across traditional asset classes and alternatives so they actually work together. Instead of using generic templates, we start with a “clean slate” to build a strategy around your life.

We step in as your primary advocate, coordinating with your CPA and attorney so you don’t have to act as the middleman. 

Our goal is to replace the usual “clutter” of financial advice with one clear, focused direction. 

Importantly, as a wealth manager, we adhere to a fiduciary duty, giving you the assurance of knowing that we are legally obligated to put your interests first. We have a duty of trust and loyalty to you.

To us, “integrated” means your financial life is no longer being treated like a collection of separate silos. Usually, tax planning happens in one office, estate planning in another, and investment management somewhere else. This often means you have to connect the dots on your own. 

We help bring all those pieces together in a comprehensive wealth plan. We look at the ripple effect of each decision to make sure your investment portfolio supports your tax strategy and your estate plan addresses your legacy objectives. 

It’s about building one cohesive plan where every part of your wealth is finally interconnected and aligned.

We don’t chase the latest market headlines or react to the daily noise on the news. To us, a portfolio is only as good as the plan it supports. We build portfolios where every investment has a specific role in the portfolio: protecting your capital, generating income, funding a legacy.

We follow a disciplined, research-informed investment approach designed to support long-term objectives. This approach ensures that your money is always moving in the same direction as your life goals, rather than just following a generic market index. 

SlateStone’s investment team is credentialed and highly experienced in the areas of equity analysis, fixed income management, and alternatives selection.

We’re there for the small and the “big” moments—selling a business, preparing for retirement, handling an inheritance, managing a shift in family structure, or simply refining an investment portfolio. 

These events are heavy on both financial and personal stress, frequently requiring more than just a standard off-the-shelf investment strategy. We provide the steady analysis and clear-headed advice you need to make these moves with peace of mind. 

Instead of just reacting to a change after it happens, we want to be informed early of anticipated changes so we can help you prepare for them early. And, when life’s unexpected eventualities occur, we will be there to provide advice on the best solutions to help you through. We are there for you each step of the way.

Yes. We believe in a comprehensive approach to wealth management – that’s where financial planning and investing become part of the same conversation.

In many traditional models, your financial plan sits on a shelf while your portfolio is managed somewhere else. That disconnect can lead to decisions that don’t fully reflect your goals, liquidity needs, tax considerations, and legacy.

We bring everything together for you in a defined wealth plan. That’s when your financial plan directly informs how your investment portfolio is crafted and managed on an ongoing basis to meet your objectives. Your wealth plan is then modified when things change in your life or as you reach specific life milestones we’ve identified in your plan.

This ensures every investment decision supports your broader strategy, rather than operating independently from it.

We start with your vision and values, then your experiences with your wealth, to clearly define your needs. A well-defined investment plan informs many areas. We identify those things we can control and manage, such as where your investments should be located for tax efficiency. Then we apply a thoughtful asset location approach, paired with proactive tax planning, to increase your control over your future. 

Your investment plan is informed by your wealth plan. Every investment portfolio plan is built to address your specific goals, time horizon, liquidity needs, and risk tolerance. From there, we structure your investment strategies so each one has a clear role, whether that’s protecting capital, generating income, supporting long-term growth, or preserving generational wealth.

We manage portfolios in-house using a disciplined, research-informed process. This allows us to stay consistent and make adjustments with intention, not reaction. The result is a portfolio that is aligned with your life, not just the market cycle.

Yes. Many of our clients have financial lives that extend well beyond a single account.

We regularly work with trusts, family entities, partnerships, and other structures that require coordination across multiple professionals and family members. Without that coordination, even well-designed strategies can become disconnected.

We act as a central point of oversight, helping maintain visibility across your entire financial picture while working closely with your CPA and attorney.

Our role is to simplify complexity, provide solutions, and ensure every part of your structure is working together.

We provide a centralized, secure way to view your entire financial picture.

This includes consolidated reporting across accounts and entities, giving you a clear and organized view without having to piece information together from multiple sources.

You’ll also have access to a secure client portal where documents, statements, and reports are stored and easy to access. Permissions can be extended to family members or advisors when appropriate.

The goal is to give you clarity and access, without adding another layer of complexity.

We operate as a fee-only firm. We offer a flexible fee structure that can be personalized for your circumstances. We charge a fee based on assets under management as well as a flat fee structure and can separate financial planning fees from investment management fees if necessary.

We do not sell financial products or earn commissions, which removes the conflicts of interest often found in traditional brokerage models. 

Our advice is based entirely on what is best-suited for your specific situation. This structure keeps us on the same side of the table as you. 

Yes. Wealth planning and investment management work together so financial decisions remain coordinated as your goals and circumstances evolve.

→ Learn more about our integrated approach

SlateStone provides integrated wealth planning, active investment management, and family office services for affluent families, business owners, and multi-generational households. Our approach is designed to coordinate every aspect of your financial life within one cohesive strategy.

→ Learn more about how we serve families

Rather than treating investments, planning, and family financial decisions separately, SlateStone brings them together within an integrated framework supported by in-house investment management and wealth professionals with ongoing coordination.

→ Learn more about our integrated approach

Many clients begin working with us during major life or financial transitions such as reaching specific asset levels, receiving sudden wealth, expanding a family, or when lacking personal time to devote to investment selection and decision-making. Early financial planning often creates the greatest value before complexity arises.

→ Explore Wealth Planning