The wealth of an individual or entity – measured by possessions and money – needs to be managed to grow and avoid losing value in the future. Wealth management is the process of skillfully reviewing finances and making informed decisions to achieve financial independence.
On the mission to enrich the financial well-being of its clients, colleagues, and communities, Cerity Partners operates through its team of experts – financial planners, investment professionals, tax advisors, retirement plan consultants, and attorneys – dedicated to helping clients achieve their short and long-term financial goals. Established in 2009, this firm’s footprint spans 25 markets and 15 states in the US.
Claire O’Keefe, Partner and Head of Partner Development at Cerity Partners, as well as a member of Cerity Partners’ Executive Committee shares, “Our vision is to grow into the first-of-its-kind global professional services firm in wealth management. We seek to develop a brand and reputation as powerful as McKinsey, Deloitte, and Cravath maintain in their respective professional services fields, and to one day celebrate our partnership’s hundredth anniversary.”
Positively Impacting Financial Lives
Derived from the word ‘Sincerity’, the name Cerity Partners reflects the firm’s steadfast commitment to enhancing the financial well-being of individuals and their families, businesses and their employees, and nonprofit organizations through objective advice and oversight.
With a highly experienced and credentialed team, Cerity Partners has the ability to offer tailor-made services and reporting to its clients ensuring that each unique need and objective is understood and addressed. While on the one hand, the firm provides its clients with objective advice as a fiduciary, on the other, clients receive the resources and access generally offered by larger firms.
Additionally, for those families who want the benefits of a family office without the cost and effort of managing one, Cerity Partners is uniquely qualified to serve as an outsourced family office, a welcomed solution to many of their clients. “Our colleagues have a service mindset and leverage our firm’s depth of wealth management solutions and best-in-class technology infrastructure to deliver exceptional client service,” states Claire.
Power to the People
“The “magic” of our partnership is our people,” states Claire. In addition to welcoming recent college graduates and individual professionals with experience from other financial and legal organizations, at Cerity Partners mergers are embraced as a way to come together with talented professionals who share a commitment to clients, colleagues, and community. “We are not an aggregator, consolidator, or roll-up. Words matter to us. We never acquire anyone or any firm; we merge to become a better firm,” says Claire.
The entrepreneurial mindset and collegial culture at Cerity Partners create a rewarding professional experience for all its colleagues. Committed to the professional and economic success of its colleagues, Cerity Partners has established “multiple organic growth channels to develop new client relationships for colleagues to serve, including our niche workplace solutions offering for business and their leaders, and Cerity Partners University for dedicated training and development for all colleagues of the firm, particularly our next gen,” Claire shares.
Within Cerity Partner, all colleagues are unified by a clear and shared purpose, vision, and strategy, and also have the opportunity to become a partner and equity owner in the firm via a defined path to partner process. With no public company pressures of meeting quarterly earnings, colleagues are free to always act in the best interest of clients and to provide a broad array of wealth management services.
“As a firm, we are committed to meritocracy, diversity, and inclusion, including ensuring that we are sourcing a diverse group of candidates for open positions,” Claire shares. Not to mention, colleagues are awarded equity and compensated based on their performance and contribution to the firm’s success, making this company an attractive proposition for wealth management professionals.
Claire’s “American Dream”
Born to a loving family and raised in a small village in the southwest of Ireland, Claire’s path to being a leader at one of the fastest growing wealth management firms in the country was not a planned one. “My grandparents owned a local bed & breakfast and village store so at a very young age I was exposed to tourists from many different countries, which fostered my curiosity about the world and passion for travel,” she shares.
Having obtained her bachelor’s degree at Trinity College in Wales, Claire became an elementary school teacher in inner city Dublin. After her first year of teaching, Claire and a group of friends came to the US for the first time. Instantly falling in love with the country she and her friend came back two years later with hopes to travel throughout the US and the world.
In 2003, a year into the journey, Claire got married and moved to New York. Here, she accepted a role at a boutique wealth management firm initially as a means to support the family while her husband pursued a master’s degree. Never making it back to teaching, Claire soon became enamored with the business world. She obtained her MBA and had the unique opportunity to work both on the business and in the business, serving as COO and a client-facing advisor for affluent individuals and their families.
“I experienced first-hand the positive impact a wealth advisor can have on the lives of clients by giving them peace of mind when a plan is put in place to protect their loved ones and their legacy, time to devote to their families, profession, and hobbies instead of hours reviewing paperwork and coordinating with multiple advisors, and an objective sounding board to help them to navigate the complexity of lifestyle, legacy and charitable planning,” Claire shares.
In 2009, Claire was introduced to Kurt Miscinski, Founder, President & CEO of Cerity Partners. “I vividly remember how impressed I was with the vision of the firm that he was building,” she shares. Soon thereafter, their firms formed a strategic partnership and collaborated for many years. In 2018, Claire relocated to Chicago to officially join Cerity Partners’ leadership team and has never looked back since. “Cerity Partners is my forever home! I am on the ride of a lifetime with an ever-growing group of incredible partners and colleagues who share a passion for this amazing firm that we are building together”.
"In my experience, authenticity, empathy, active listening, high EQ, and genuine curiosity, are essential to effective communication and building trusted relationships."
A Resolute Leader
“I believe that a strong work ethic, a growth mindset, and a positive “can-do” attitude are key attributes for success,” states Claire. In addition, she feels that it is important to be part of a firm that aligns with your values, believes in meritocracy for how to share success, and provides opportunities for economic and professional fulfillment for all colleagues throughout the chain.
In her role as Head of Partner Development, fostering rapport with current and prospective colleagues of the firm is at the very core of Claire’s daily routine. “In my experience, authenticity, empathy, active listening, high EQ, and genuine curiosity, are essential to effective communication and building trusted relationships,” she says.
As a firm, Claire and her colleagues pride themselves on being informed about the latest market trends, regulations, and innovations in asset and wealth management. “I read the Wall Street Journal every day, industry reports and articles from financial organizations and investment bankers, and quarterly earnings reports,” she shares. To network and collaborate with other professionals in wealth management Claire regularly participates in industry conferences hosted by leading financial organizations.
“I have the privilege of being on the leadership team for one of the fastest-growing wealth management firms in the country, so it won’t surprise you that there are often periods of stress and uncertainty, shares Claire. “For me, those periods tend to be the most gratifying because I enjoy problem-solving, being challenged and being part of an incredible team where we have each other’s backs.” That said Claire is a believer of work-life balance and knows how to unplug so that she doesn’t burn out. “From a day-to-day perspective, 7 hours of sleep, exercise, and healthy eating are my best coping mechanisms. In addition, ensuring that I spend time with friends and family, get outdoors, and do something fun on the weekends, even if it’s only for a few hours, helps me to mentally recharge,” says Claire.
Looking Ahead
In the modern business landscape, every industry is constantly changing. Organizations and business leaders need to be well-read, pay attention to many trends, understand the changing sentiments of clients and colleagues, and be adaptable to change. “Cerity Partners is an entrepreneurial partnership, so innovation is part of our DNA,” shares Claire. “We are excited about embracing AI and ML as a means of enhancing our client and colleague experiences and are beta-testing AI within our marketing function as a first step.”
To other professionals with ambitions of making their mark in wealth management, Claire says, “Whatever role you accept, give it 100%! Work hard, listen and learn, invest in building relationships, take risks, be kind, and be humble. It will be noticed.”
