American Wealth Management, Inc. (AWM) is a fee-based financial advisor that’s centrally located in Atlanta, Georgia. The firm also operates six other branches in Wyoming, Mississippi, Florida, California and Washington State. The staff of financial advisors here is sizable, with the firm managing a couple hundred million dollars in client assets.
Some advisors at the firm earn commissions as broker-dealers.
American Wealth Management Background
Founded in 1994, American Wealth Management has been in business for over 25 years. Current president Jerry Borzello established the firm and remains the principal owner to this day. Borzello has around 30 years of experience in financial services and investing. The firm also has secondary branches in Palm Harbor, Florida; Petaluma, California; Biloxi, Mississippi; Tacoma, Washington; Casper, Wyoming; and Corinth, Mississippi.
American Wealth Management Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes
Non-high-net-worth and high-net-worth individuals are the only types of clients at American Wealth Management. Corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, foundations, endowments and charitable organizations can also receive services at the firm.
For the most part, American Wealth Management adheres to a minimum opening account size of $100,000. Depending on your circumstances, though, the firm may negotiate this requirement.
Services Offered by American Wealth Management
Clients of American Wealth Management can access a number of different advisory services across financial planning and investment advising, including:
- Comprehensive financial services
- General financial planning
- Retirement planning
- Education cost planning
- Estate planning
- Trust planning
- Investment consulting
- Portfolio monitoring and rebalances
- Return analysis
- Investment advising for:
- Stocks
- Bonds
- Mutual funds
- Exchange-traded funds (ETFs)
- Specialized advisory services
- Retirement plans
- Hedge funds
- Employee stock options
- Custodial and trust services
- Research
American Wealth Management Investment Philosophy
Rather than prepare a set of model portfolios or use a one-size-fits-all approach, American Wealth Management will customize an investment strategy for each of its clients. First and foremost, the firm states that your personal investment objectives are of the utmost concern, as this sheds light on the overall time horizon of your desired financial future. Aside from this ultimate factor, the firm takes into account your risk tolerance, liquidity needs and any investment discretion.
When selecting which investments will live in your portfolio, AWM relies on its proprietary market research. At a deeper level, this involves micro and macroeconomic information, fundamental and technical analysis, outside research materials, corporate rating services, annual reports, SEC filings, company press releases and more.
Fees Under American Wealth Management
American Wealth Management has an extremely compact, negotiable fee schedule. Clients will pay an annual fee of about 1% to 2% for investment management. This rate is divvied up into four quarterly payments, with each being paid in advance.
All AWM fees are based on the total value of your assets under management at the conclusion of the quarter. You can choose either to receive an invoice for your fees or have them deducted directly from your account’s balance.
What to Watch Out For
American Wealth Management has two disclosures listed on its SEC-filed Form ADV. Both of these involve the firm directly, though one is attributed to both the firm and one of its advisory affiliates. This disclosure references an issue that came up in 2006 due to findings of the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), which no longer exists. This resulted in a $15,000 fine, disgorgement and censure. The second disclosure does not list any publicly available information.
It is also worth noting that some advisors can earn commissions as broker-dealers. This can present a conflict of interest. Still, all advisors must act in the best interest of the clients when serving as an advisor.
Opening an Account With American Wealth Management
Prospective clients of American Wealth Management can best reach the firm over the phone at (770) 392-8740 and via email at jerryborzello@awminc.biz. You can have an AWM advisor call you by simply filling out the firm’s online contact form with your personal information, best times to contact you and an overview of the services you’re looking for.
All information is accurate as of the writing of this article.
Tips for Building a Long-Term Investment Portfolio
- If you’re new to investing or don’t have the time to manage your portfolio in an in-depth way, you may want to consult a financial advisor. Finding a qualified financial advisor doesn’t have to be hard. SmartAsset’s free tool matches you with up to three financial advisors who serve your area, and you can interview your advisor matches at no cost to decide which one is right for you. If you’re ready to find an advisor who can help you achieve your financial goals, get started now.
- Having an asset allocation that aligns with your level of risk tolerance is one of the best ways to set up your portfolio for success over a lengthy time period. SmartAsset’s asset allocation calculator offers help in figuring out what kind of allocation fits you. Once you select where you fall on the risk spectrum between “very conservative” and “very aggressive,” the tool will illustrate what collection of investment types you should look to buy and the percentages each should occupy in your portfolio.
- Similar to how annual income is taxed, your portfolio’s returns are taxed based on how much you profited from your investments. Calculating your capital gains tax is important, especially if you’re planning on holding onto an investment for years at a time.
