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Atlas Private 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.

Atlas Private Wealth Management is a large financial advisor firm with its headquarters located in Albany, New York. The firm primarily works with individual investors who don’t have a high net worth, though it also serves high-net-worth individuals and various types of institutional clients.

Atlas Private Wealth Management Background

Atlas Private Wealth Management can trace its roots back to 1995 when it was called Dion Money Management. It is now under the ownership of Focus Financial Partners, Inc., a financial services holding company that’s publicly traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market. Focus Financial owns over 60 other firms around the country, and it has maintained control of Atlas since 2007.

Atlas’ team holds a number of professional certifications. This includes such certifications as a certified financial planner (CFP), chartered retirement planning counselor (CRPC), certified public accountant (CPA), chartered financial consultant (ChFC), chartered life underwriter (CLU), chartered advisor for senior living (CASL) and certified investment management analyst (CIMA).

Atlas Private Wealth Management Client Types and Minimum Account Sizes

Most of Atlas Private Wealth Management’s client base is individuals without a high net worth. However, high-net-worth individuals account for the largest percentage of the firm’s total assets under management. Atlas also works with trusts, corporate pension and profit-sharing plans, charitable organizations and foundations.

Atlas Private Wealth Management requires investment advisory clients to have at least $100,000 in investable assets to work with the firm.

Services Offered by Atlas Private Wealth Management

Most of Atlas Private Wealth Management’s services are centered around financial planning. It primarily offers financial planning services relevant to individual investors, but it also has financial planning services for businesses. The firm offers everything from retirement planning to insurance policy analysis and debt management. Below is a full list of what it has to offer:

  • Financial planning
    • Individual-centric planning
    • Business-centric planning
    • Retirement planning
    • Estate planning
    • Investment analysis
    • Tax planning
    • Charitable gift planning
    • Cash flow management
    • Education fund planning
    • Insurance review
    • Debt management
    • Social Security optimization
    • Roth IRA conversion
    • Elder care issues
  • Investment management
    • Re-allocation services
    • Stock option review
    • Investment advisory services
  • Employee benefit plan fiduciary services
    • Investment manager review, evaluation and selection
    • Plan sponsor and participant education

Atlas Private Wealth Management Investment Philosophy

Atlas Private Wealth Management conducts its own proprietary analysis of all investments that it uses in client portfolios. The firm principally invests client assets in exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, bonds, options and securities. For mutual funds and ETFs, the firm reviews each fund’s performance history, fee structure, level of market exposure and management team.

Atlas takes a long-term approach to investing. In any case possible, it seeks to hold investments for a year or longer. The firm states, though, that shifts in the market could necessitate selling sooner than anticipated.

Fees Under Atlas Private Wealth Management

For investment management services, Atlas Private Wealth Management charges a maximum annual fee of 1.75%. The rate you’ll pay will depend on the amount of assets you’re investing. The firm has a graduated fee schedule, meaning that clients with more assets under management will pay lower rates. Although Atlas’ REAL service is related to its investment management services, the firm charges a separate 0.60% annual fee for it. You will be billed at the beginning of each quarter based on the value of your assets under management at the conclusion of the previous quarter.

The firm has a separate fee structure for its financial planning services. It charges based on both the type of plan you have and the types of employees who work on it. Once your account is opened, you’ll need to pay an initial deposit, which could be as high as $1,200. These are the rates the firm charges for its financial planning services:

Financial Planning Program Fees
Full financial plan $1,000 - $3,000
Financial counseling $225/person

Although the employee benefit plan fiduciary service is part of Atlas’ group of advisory services, it’s not the only company involved in managing it. One of the firm’s affiliates, Buckingham Strategic Partners, LLC, also has discretionary authority. Because of this, the two firms combine their annual fees into one lump sum that they charge clients.

What to Watch Out For

Atlas Private Wealth Management’s Form ADV indicates that it has had three regulatory disclosures in the past. The most notable legal issue relates to the firm’s failure to fully disclose the details of its financial relationships with various third parties. The firm was earning additional compensation based on the number of client assets that it was investing in particularly mutual funds, which is technically legal, but it wasn’t openly communicating the maximum payment that it could receive. This ultimately resulted in a cease and desist order and a $50,000 fine from the SEC.

Opening an Account With Atlas Private Wealth Management

To find out more about working with the firm, you can call Atlas Private Wealth Management at its toll-free phone number. You can also reach out via email or online.

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

Tips for Ensuring You Retire on Time

  • 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.
  • Most people have an idea of where they want to live when they retire, but some of those idyllic places can be financially unrealistic due to high taxes. We took the time to determine every state’s retirement friendliness so you know the best places to retire for taxes.

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