Friends & Fiduciaries: College Roommates Leave Their Series 7s Behind to Build an Independent Business

With Christopher K. Griffith, CFP?, CPWA? & Henry Wheelwright, CFP?, Co-Founders and Managing Partners, Stablepoint Partners

Overview

Chris Griffith and Henry Wheelwright, rising stars in the wirehouse world, share their growth story and motivations to leave Morgan Stanley and launch their own independent firm on the Goldman Sachs custody platform.

The best partnerships have a great backstory.

Chris Griffith and Henry Wheelwright were college roommates and best friends bonded by sports and similarities in goals.

Together, they started their wealth management careers at AG Edwards. Then the duo moved on to UBS where they quickly became known as “rising stars.” 8 years later, they transitioned to Morgan Stanley, building a business managing $650mm in client assets and garnering accolades from the likes of Forbes.

Chris and Henry were always focused on their clients: Driven to understand their needs and do what was best for them.

Young yet accomplished, the team started to think more boldly—for creative ways to serve their clients as their personal CFOs, helping to make a positive difference in their lives and those of their future generations. It was that thought process that led them to conduct due diligence, with a focus on the independent space, where they could serve as true fiduciaries.

After looking at all the options available to them – from supported independence to each custodian – they landed on building their independent firm from the ground up on the Goldman Sachs custody platform.

Just one year later, as Stablepoint Partners , the duo shares how it’s going with Jason Diamond , including:

• Leaving behind the Morgan Stanley imprimatur—and how their clients responded to the change.
• The creative freedom they lacked in the wirehouse—and how they resolved that in independence.
• Goldman Sachs as custodian—and what they offered that other custodians didn’t.
• The choice to build an RIA from scratch—and why they opted for that path vs. supported independence.
• Their extraordinary short-term growth—and what they expect for the future.

Everyone loves a good “buddy story,” and this one has all the markings of a blockbuster: Two young advisors who have learned a lot in a short period of time and are happy to share actionable advice.

Want to learn more about where, why, and how advisors like you are moving??Click to contact?us or call 908-879-1002.

Related Resources

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You can also listen to the full episode on our website, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher or Spotify.