By Michael Douglas Carlin
When it comes to wealth planning strategies in and around Century City you don’t have to look too far to find many competing voices. But what do you do with a pile of money today? It seems very complicated. Preservation of capital has become a risky business in today’s climate. Do you invest in real estate? Spanish bonds? The stock market? Europe? China? Or stuff your money in your mattress? What was once so easy has become confusing. Developing a strategy to mitigate risk and earn a return on a portfolio of investments seems to be the common desire among the wealthy. How to achieve this?
Beverly Hills Wealth Management, Founded in early 2010, has answers to the tough questions today’s investors ask. Looking at BHWM as a startup can be misleading. The company was formed by Mag Black-Scott former Vice-Chairman of Morgan Stanley. I recently got a chance to sit with her for a few moments. Mag and the BHWM Investment Management team get it! They understand what is happening on the global landscape and the need for investors to employ a global strategy in their financial plan. Mag and her company facilitates and enhances this on every level. The three years for Mag has been a whirlwind of activity as she has navigated the complexity of investing to boil it down for her clients to make it simple and understandable. BHWM now has five locations including their flagship office on Beverly Drive just south of Wilshire. Now there are San Diego, Roseville, CA, Phoenix, and Jacksonville-Florida offices. Soon there may be New York, Chicago, and San Francisco offices.
None of these offices handles any cash. They partner with global, trusted custodians who transparently look after their client’s wealth with their global reach. The relationship between wealth management advisors and clients is a sacred trust. This trust is the cornerstone upon which BHWM is built. Simplicity comes from transparency and honoring this sacred trust. Though their approach is sophisticated nothing ever needs to be too complicated to understand. But all of that comes from the wealth of experience learned over decades in the financial services industry by each of their hand-picked investment advisors and the management of the company that includes Mag. Currently they are handling the investments of private investors, institutional investors, small and medium sized businesses, and public agency funds and all of their services are geared toward facilitating the largest of clients as well as the smaller investor with a growing portfolio of a few million dollars and everything in between. “Behind the construction of client portfolios is a clear and concise approach which speaks to the underlying philosophy and process…In line with client objectives, we create diversified, less volatile portfolios that offer the potential for higher returns with lower risk over time. Thoughtful Portfolio design, risk management and planning are of the utmost importance in optimizing the best outcomes for our clients.” ….says Mary Kusnic, BHWM Wealth Advisor
The company is about to unveil a new proprietary software application called Maestro. This will provide an entire array of products to investment managers that will level the playing field by providing them with all of the advantages of larger institutions. One of the features is that they can provide instant access to an entire range of products and services under a password single set of credentails. This application should be unveiled in the first quarter of 2013. Says Chief Information Officer, John Stuart, “Educating clients on the importance of business process, security, and governance at their wealth management relationship is not something that has been important in the past. Professionals with the ‘Maestro Federated Advisor’ designation will be offering an enterprise level of infrastructure , security and access to clients that demand an independent advisory relationship.”
Mag was previously officed in the Sun America Center from 2004 – 2008. Mary Kusnic is a longtime Century City resident and stakeholder that gives back to our community. I have included both of these amazing women’s bios here.
Wealth Management Advisor
Mary Kusnic has over twenty years experience working with mid-market, emerging and growth-oriented companies, including private and public financing. She provided administrative and portfolio management services for Registered Investment Advisors, Business Managers, Non-profit Organizations, High Net Worth Individuals and Families, Family Offices and Corporate Clients.
As a consultant to Institutional and High Net Worth Clients and Families, her work includes retirement and estate planning, wealth and liquidity management, philanthropic and tax-advantaged strategies; and asset management for tax exempt asset pools including Foundations, Corporate and Private entities, Public Pension and Taft Hartley organizations.
Mary holds the 7, 22, 63 and 65 licenses and is a CFP candidate. Prior to joining Beverly Hills Wealth Management, LLC, Mary was a Financial Advisor with Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Beverly Hills, CA. and Merrill Lynch’s Private Client Group in Century City, CA.
Mag was born and educated in England receiving a diploma in Business Administration from Rotherham Technical College, England. She earned her MBA at Jacksonville University, FL. and completed post-graduate work at Wharton, University of Pennsylvania, and Harvard Business School.
She was adjunct Professor at Jacksonville University, teaching both credit and non-credit courses. She has given financial and estate planning seminars all over the country, and is a past recipient of the coveted “EVE” Award as Jacksonville’s Business Woman of the Year.
She presented a daily television program on financial affairs in Los Angeles, California for 2 years. In Jacksonville, she was Business Editor of Channel 7 (PBS) and made regular guest appearances with WJXT TV Channel 4, a CBS affiliate at that time.
BHWM History
Beverly Hills Wealth Management (BHWM) was formed by Mag Black-Scott, former Fortune 50 Vice Chairman, to meet the needs of High Net Worth clients, Trusts, and Institutions across an open environment with experienced advisors, offering advice that is appropriate, understandable, transparent and beneficial to clients. Each of our employees has an extensive history in the financial services business, and an impeccable professional and personal record.
Our Culture
“Ours is a culture of shared values, attitudes, and practices with the goal of helping clients achieve their stated objectives. We have a culture of mutual respect, of our colleagues, our clients and the source of their wealth plus the trust they place in us to manage that wealth to their own benefit. We strive to serve client needs well and promptly and to exceed their expectations – in short to conduct first class business in a first class way.”….Mag Black-Scott...
BHWM Private Trust
Beverly Hills Wealth Management (BHWM) Private Trust (CA domiciled) provides trust solutions for clients whose financial, family, or business needs require the services of a professional fiduciary through its association with National Advisors Trust Company, the largest federally chartered trust company created by registered investment advisors for the benefit of their clients. Beverly Hills Wealth Management, LLC is a shareholder of National Advisors Trust and intimately involved with their operations and Trust expertise, a true Trust partnership between Client, Trust Administration, investment management. BHWM Private Trust works with estate planning professionals on a local level to provide the consistent Trust services required by our multi-generational clients.
By working together, BHWM Private Trust, National Advisors Trust and the estate planning professional are able to build a strong foundation for the client by providing a solid trustee and investment management solution while helping clients protect their wealth and remain confident about the future of their estates. BHWM and BHWM Private Trust affords the opportunity for bi-furcation of the duties and responsibilities – trust administration & investment advisory.
Beverly Hills Wealth Management “Trust | Simplicity | Experience”
