2 days ago
Best Idea: Top Team Focuses On Helping Clients, Solving Problems
Germain DiCarlo & Wong Wealth Management Group
Wells Fargo advisor Jeff Germain sees himself and his team as problem solvers.
When clients call, Germain and his team spring into action. They work overtime to soothe frayed nerves and fix what is broken. But sometimes the problem isn't related to the markets or financial planning. It is of a more personal nature.
Like the time the daughter of a client, an ultra-high-net worth family, 'was getting no traction' with the admissions office at a private university on the East Coast.
Germain, 64, who is managing director at Germain DiCarlo & Wong Wealth Management Group in Beverly Hills, California, said he turned to one of the team's partners, Kelly Wong.
Wong had a contact at the university, and she agreed to make some calls.'We were able to open up the door,' said Germain.
'If Kelly hadn't done that, I'm not sure the student would have ever gotten' the attention her application deserved, Germain said. 'Little things like this are important.'
Germain adds: 'All the father could talk about is how we helped his daughter get into the university she most wanted.'
Jeffrey R. Germain
Germain's nine-member team manages $1.8 billion in assets for about 135 high-net worth clients. The team, part of Wells Fargo Advisors, has been ranked by Forbes | SHOOK as both a Best-In-State and a Top Wealth Management Team.
When wildfires ravaged Southern California in January, a prospective client told Germain that his family had lost their home. The family couldn't find a suitable building contractor. Germain made some calls and connected the prospective client with a builder. The family became a client.
Having a small client base, Germain said, 'gives us enormous bandwidth and ability to do these things for the client.'
In another instance, a client's home was burglarized and stripped of its electronics. The client called Germain in a panic.
'Oh my god, what am I going to do?' she asked.
Germain took inventory of what had been lost, drove to Best Buy and worked with the manager there. Within a week, all the client's electronics had been replaced, delivered and installed.
When another client was near tears because he lost a prized Rolex to the wildfires, Germain's team made a couple of calls and replaced the watch.
Clients in the market looking to buy a car sometimes turn to Germain's team. The team has helped clients find the right vehicle, negotiate the price and even secure financing.
After listening to the Germain's team approach toward helping clients, judges selected Germain DiCarlo & Wong Wealth Management Group as a Best Idea Winner at the Forbes | SHOOK Top Teams Summit.
'Probably 70% of what we do is outside the scope of how we make our money,' says Germain. 'It's just about being available, leveraging all the contacts I have. What drives our business is being there for whatever our clients need.'
'Our focus is on representing the client and treating others the way you wish to be treated.'
