Today we’d like to introduce you to Craig Bolanos.
Craig, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
Wealth Management Group was founded in 2003 at a time when the term wasn’t commercialized nor was it used by Wall Street Firms to push their next investment. The new and invigorating concept would soon transform the landscape of mainstream financial advice. No longer would hard-working Americans trust in and rely upon the solo advisor model that was shrouded in conflicted, proprietary, cookie-cutter advice. A new method of delivering value to American families through comprehensive wealth management was created to re-instill faith and confidence with all of those that had lost trust in the traditional model of financial advice. This is Wealth Management Group.
WMG is comprised of dedicated professionals who left the larger Wall Street Firms to form a company that provides unbiased, custom-tailored solutions to the clients we serve. We are different in that we are a family office – and the clients we engage become part of our family. We don’t focus on products for retirement, but first, a strategy to get you retired, and stay retired. Through hard work, discipline, and a commitment to always putting our clients’ interests first, we focus on investment management, retirement cash flow, tax, estate, and retiree health care. Our clients stay with us because we have conversations that run deep, way beyond how stocks perform. It is our goal to deliver proactive strategies in a manner that is a reflection of our clients’ hopes and dreams.
Has it been a smooth road?
What’s the biggest challenge WMG ever faced in its tenure? I won’t just give you the challenge I will give you the date. It was Monday, September 15, 2008, and it was the day that Lehman Brothers went into Bankruptcy. With that seminal event, you saw ushered in over the next month the complete destruction of capital. Over $10 Trillion Dollars of Wealth literally evaporated. This was a game changer for everyone. I remember clear as day the week when Lehman Brothers went down, we also witnessed other brokerage firms get sold to banks, the government starts bailing out insurance companies and we as a country were on the brink. Would ATM’s spit out money… that is literally the point we were at as a country.
Having gone through that event we learned that being VISIBLE was the most important thing we could do for the families that we served. We held town hall meetings throughout the duration of the crisis. We wanted to bring people together so that they could learn what we had done, what we were continuing to do, in order to protect their money so that they would have a secure retirement. By getting people together and having them sit side by side it allowed people to realize that they were not alone but that they were in this together.
So, as you know, we’re impressed with Wealth Management Group – tell our readers more, for example, what you’re most proud of as a company and what sets you apart from others.
We have been helping families work toward financial security since 2003. Our personalized approach to wealth planning is inclusive of investment advisory services, financial planning, tax strategies, estate planning techniques, and a focus on health care both pre and post Medicare.
What set’s us apart…
Our dedicated staff set’s us apart. Our success has been born not just out of hard work, dedication, and perseverance but a relentless commitment to providing a Four Seasons Experience with Fed Ex efficiency without ever losing sight that the client’s interest always comes first.
What set’s us apart…
*We are not just an investment firm. Rather we function as a Family Office which allows the clients we serve to access multiple professionals all under one roof. In a way, we are one stop shop for all things that fall under the category of Wealth Management. In addition, we deliver our services in a way that reflect what is truly important about money to the families we serve. We strive to help them seek their own definition of True Wealth. For us, True Wealth is: “All that money can’t buy and death can’t take away.”
Let’s touch on your thoughts about our city – what do you like the most and least?
The best part of Chicago… hmm.
That’s easy. The summer! There is nothing better than summertime in the Windy City. The City comes alive after a long hibernation during the winter. There is this vibe, this energy, this attitude (positive) that is contagious on a Sunny Chicago Day.
Second Up: If you love meals and entertainment and after all (who doesn’t) Chicago is the place for you. You can dine, be entertained in countless ways.
Finally: Sports We might not be as manic as Boston but Chicago has some of the greatest fans in all of sports. Want proof… just listen to Jim Cornelison belt out the National Anthem at the Mad House on Madison and you will know exactly what it means to be a part of the Chicago sports scene.
Contact Info:
- Address: 1605 Colonial Parkway
Inverness, IL 60067 - Website: www.investwithwmg.com
- Phone: 847-907-9600
- Email: wealthmanagementgroup@lpl.com
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/investwithwmg.com
- Twitter: @investwithwmg
Getting in touch: VoyageChicago is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.
