About the Firm

Building Life-long Relationships

In 2004, our CEO, Mark Robinson, founded The Watchman Group with one important goal in mind: to create an independent Registered Investment Advisor (RIA) firm that always puts clients first. Years later, this is still the ideal that we strive for. At The Watchman Group, we don’t just offer asset management and investment planning services. We also focus on building life-long relationships, providing practical education, and coming up with personalized solutions for our clients.

A question we often receive is, “What makes you different from other RIAs?” Here’s our response:

• Lower Advisory Costs – Unlike most firms that work with high net worth investors, we don’t operate out of a swanky office tower in a trendy part of town, nor do we spend money on high profile marketing engagements. We prefer to keep our business expenses down so that we can charge our clients less.
• Lower Portfolio Expenses – The portfolios that we craft for our clients are primarily a mix of individual securities and low cost funds—we tend to avoid high cost, “hedge fund” type strategies. When we keep portfolio costs down, it increases our clients’ bottom line.
• Focus on Taxes – Our firm originally grew out of a CPA practice, and today, we maintain two CPAs on staff. We regularly work with clients and their CPAs to review pay stubs, 1099s, and estimated tax payments. We’re also well-versed in more complex issues, like 1031 exchanges and gifting strategies.

And one last thing that sets us apart: we believe in keeping it simple. We understand that certain aspects of wealth management can be frustratingly complex. However, we like to simplify our clients’ financial lives, and that includes open communication and straightforward planning. While we worry about the minutiae, our clients are free to focus on the things that matter most to them.