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Calamos Wealth Management Review

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This review was produced by SmartAsset based on publicly available information. The named firm and its financial professionals have not reviewed, approved, or endorsed this review and are not responsible for its accuracy. Review content is produced by SmartAsset independently of any business relationships that might exist between SmartAsset and the named firm and its financial professionals, and firms and financial professionals having business relationships with SmartAsset receive no special treatment or consideration in SmartAsset’s reviews. This page contains links to SmartAsset’s financial advisor matching tool, which may or may not match you with the firm mentioned in this review or its financial professionals.

Calamos Wealth Management is a fee-only financial advisor firm based in Naperville, Illinois home. You’ll also find Calamos office locations in New York City and Coral Gables, Florida.

As its name indicates, Calamos Wealth Management specializes in private wealth management and investment management. Calamos also boasts services specifically for professional athletes, entrepreneurs, lawyers and doctors. Calamos is also the No. 1 firm on SmartAsset's list of the top financial advisors in Naperville.

Calamos Wealth Management Background

Calamos Wealth Management can trace its roots back to 2007, when John Calamos Sr. founded the firm. It is a subsidiary of Calamos Investments, LLC, which is ultimately owned by a combination of Calamos Family Partners, Inc., John Calamos, Sr. and John Koudounis.

Clients of Calamos Wealth Management will have access to advisors with the certified financial planner (CFP), chartered financial analyst (CFA) and certified investment management analyst (CIMA) designations.

Calamos Wealth Management Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

Individuals with and without a high net worth make up most of Calamos Wealth Management’s client base. This group includes families, professional athletes, doctors, lawyers and entrepreneurs. Calamos also has advisory relationships with pensions and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations, corporations and businesses.

Calamos Wealth Management's has a $1 million account minimum for wealth advisory services and a $5 million mininmum for its institutional advisory services. Individual separately managed accounts carry a minimum of $100,000. 

Services Offered by Calamos Wealth Management

The array of services available through Calamos Wealth Management are rather extensive, with offerings such as:

  • Private wealth management
    • General wealth consulting
    • Retirement planning
    • Customized asset allocation planning
      • Risk tolerance
      • Personal investment objectives
      • Time horizon
    • Proprietary investments
    • External investment manager selection
    • Income distribution planning
    • Separately managed account (SMA) management for both tax-deferred and taxable accounts
    • Multi-generational investment policy creation
    • Deferred compensation plan management
    • Trust services
  • Investment management
    • Wealth Advisory program, including:
      • Mutual funds
      • Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
      • Equities
      • Limited partnerships
    • Calamos Managed Mutual Fund program, including:
      • Proprietary Calamos funds
      • Non-Calamos external funds
  • Institutional advisory services for corporations
    • General investment consulting
    • External investment manager selection
    • Proprietary investments
    • SMA management
    • Individualized account reporting
  • Investment consulting services
    • Non-discretionary management
    • Review of assets
    • Personalized investment advice

Calamos Wealth Management Investing Philosophy

In order to understand the specifics of your investment needs, Calamos Wealth Management starts all client relationships with an in-depth meeting. During this discussion, you and your advisor will ultimately nail down your risk tolerance, investment goals and time horizon and condense them into your investment policy statement. Based on this, you’ll receive a personalized asset allocation and investment strategy that will consist of varying percentages of common and preferred stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, warrants, corporate bonds, municipal bonds, government bonds, notes and Treasury bills.

Although strategies may vary from client to client, Calamos generally adheres to a long-term investment ideology. Occasionally you may see your advisor introduce short-term investments into your portfolio. This is customarily done to help satisfy liquidity requirements. All of the investment philosophies used by Calamos are under constant scrutiny from the firm’s investment committee. Should this board see a shift in the economy or market, changes may be made to its typical strategies.

Fees Under Calamos Wealth Management

The fees for most Calamos Wealth Management’s services depend on what type of investment program you are in. There are more than a dozen different investment styles to choose from. Typically, wealth advisory fees follow the following schedule:

Fees for Wealth Advisory Program
Portfolio Value Annual Fee
Up to $2,000,000 1.25%
Next $3,000,000 1.00%
Next $5,000,000 0.75%
Over $10,000,000 Negotiable

Here's a breakdown of about how much you can expect to pay for wealth advisory services at Calamos:

*Estimated investment management fees do not include brokerage, custodial, third-party manager or other fees, which can vary in amount.
Estimated Investment Management Fees at Calamos Wealth Management*
Your Assets Calamos Wealth Management Fee Amounts
$500K $6,205
$1MM $12,500
$5MM $55,000
$10MM $92,500

What to Watch Out For

According to its SEC-filed Form ADV, Calamos Wealth Management’s regulatory and legal record is completely clean.

Opening an Account With Calamos Wealth Management

Prospective clients of Calamos Wealth Management can either call or visit one of the firm’s branches or email the firm to find out more.

All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.

Tips to Improve Your Investment Portfolio

  • Finding a financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three vetted financial advisors who serve your area, and you can have a free introductory call with your advisor matches to decide which one you feel is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
  • Although it’s impossible to guarantee gains on your investments, asset allocation is one of the best ways to position your portfolio for success. This time-tested investment approach states that your risk tolerance should dictate how much of your portfolio should be invested in different asset classes. Accomplish this, and you could be on your way to strong returns.

How Long $1mm Lasts in Retirement

SmartAsset's interactive map highlights places where $1 million will last the longest in retirement. Zoom between states and the national map to see the top spots in each region. Also, scroll over any city to learn about the cost of living in retirement for that location.

Least
Most
Rank City Housing Expenses Food Expenses Healthcare Expenses Utilities Expenses Transportation Expenses

Methodology We analyzed data on average expenditures for seniors, cost of living and investment returns to determine how many years of retirement a $1 million nest egg would cover in cities across America.

First, we looked at data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) on the average annual expenditures of seniors. We then applied cost of living data from the Council for Community and Economic Research to adjust those national average spending levels based on the costs of each expense category (housing, food, healthcare, utilities, transportation and other) in each city. Using this data, SmartAsset calculated the average cost of living for retirees in the largest U.S. cities.

We assumed the $1 million would grow at a real return (interest minus inflation) of 2%. Then, we divided $1 million by the sum of each of those annual numbers to determine how long $1 million would cover retirement expenses in each of the cities in our study. Cities where $1 million lasted the longest ranked the highest in the study.

Sources: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), Council for Community and Economic Research