Multi-Family Office

Our founder, Brett Cicinelli, is an avid fly fisherman and water has always had a special meaning to him. The word confluence has two meanings: 1) two rivers coming together; or 2) an act or process of merging. We seek to build a long-term partnership with clients in this mold.

Confluence was established in March 2016 and officially began managing client assets on July 5, 2016.

“A family office is the organization a family creates, often after the sale of a family business or another realization of significant liquidity, to support the financial needs of a specific family.” (Family Office Exchange) Unique features of these organizations include the ability to offer specialized expertise, high levels of service, and solutions that are customized – extending beyond what is traditionally known as wealth management. A “multi-family office” provides the same solutions, but to more than one family.

As fiduciaries, we are legally obligated put the interests of you, the client, ahead of our own.

Confluence has not established a minimum required account size. We note, however, the families we have partnered with have grown to understand the value of alternative investments as a diversified piece of their portfolios. Most alternative investments require that clients meet certain minimums of income OR have obtained net worth of $1 million (excluding their primary residence), and in some cases more.

That is an essential question, but one that is difficult for us to answer for you. We know that we are credible, but we would never tell you how to feel. We hope that the points below will help to get you started in the right direction.

- Find more about me on LinkedIn.

- We have provided an article to use as a guide while interviewing any financial advisor.

- Maintaining a culture of full transparency is important to us. All of our clients’ liquid securities are held with an independent third-party custodian, Charles Schwab Corporation. - We are also open to working with your custodian of choice.

- In addition to internet searches, a targeted search tool is provided to look for blemishes on the background of any advisor. This is provided by FINRA, the non-governmental regulator for the securities industry.

Our founder, Brett Cicinelli, has obtained the CFA designation.

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According to investopedia.com, the CFA designation is regarded by most to be “the key certification for investment professionals,” especially in the areas of research and portfolio management. The designation requires passing three “rigorous,” six-hour exams over several years, and forty-eight months of "acceptable professional work experience."

Our founder, Brett Cicinelli, has obtained the CFP® designation.

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The four “Es” to qualify for the designation include: education, examination, experience, and ethics. The examination covers such areas as financial planning, taxes, insurance, estate planning and retirement. Regarding financial advisor designations, The Wall Street Journal's Jason Zweig notes: "Among the best are CFA® (Chartered Financial Analyst®), CPA® (Certified Public Accountant®) and CFP®, which all require rigorous study, continuing education and adherence to high ethical standards. Many other financial certifications are marketing tools masquerading as fancy diplomas on an adviser’s wall."

Our founder, Brett Cicinelli, has obtained the CDFA® designation.

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A CDFA® professional is a financial professional skilled at analyzing data and providing expertise on the financial issues of divorce. The role of the CDFA® professional is to assist the client and his or her attorney to understand how the decisions he or she makes today will impact the client’s financial future. A CDFA® can take on many roles in the divorce process, including: financial expertise and strategy, data collection and analysis, and expert presenter and litigation support.

The MAFF program is the foundation for a credentialed professional to provide financial investigative and forensic accounting support in all stages of litigation and alternative dispute resolution, such as mediation, arbitration, and collaborative law.

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Learn More HERE: https://www.nacva.com/maffinfosheet

Confluence operates as an RIA® - a Registered Investment Advisor®. An RIA® operates independently of any broker-dealer, custodian, or bank. Two of the more distinguishing features of an RIA®, include: 1) client assets are held by an independent custodian, which creates a system of checks and balances (Charles Schwab Company is our preferred custodian, but we can work with your custodian of choice); and 2) the obligation to operate as a fiduciary (defined above).