What services do you provide?

Through Stifel, we offer a comprehensive range of wealth management services, which are outlined at www.pattonadvisory.com/our-services.htm. In addition to investment planning and financial planning, we provide guidance in areas such as tax planning, estate planning strategies, charitable giving, and business succession. While we do not prepare tax returns or draft legal documents, we are able to collaborate closely with our clients’ CPAs, attorneys, and other professionals, as appropriate, to ensure coordinated, thoughtful planning.

What types of clients do you typically work with?

We serve both individual and institutional clients, primarily high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth families across more than a dozen states.

How many clients do you serve?

We serve approximately 150 client relationships. By maintaining a deliberately small and selective client base, we’re able to devote more time and attention to each household. This approach allows us to be thoughtful with our strategies, build meaningful long-term relationships, and deliver highly personalized guidance. It also ensures our team remains accessible in coordinating all aspects of your financial life.

How are you compensated?

While most of our accounts are fee-based through advisory services, we also serve clients who prefer to remain transactional through brokerage services. We pride ourselves on employing a simple and easy-to-understand fee structure. You have a right to know exactly what you are paying and how it is computed.

Do you provide both advisory and brokerage services?

Yes. Where we reasonably believe it to be in a client’s best interest, we recommend:

Advisory Services

For more details, including costs, please refer to Stifel’s Form ADV Part 2A, Wrap Disclosure Brochure, available on our website at www.stifel.com/disclosures/investment-advisory-services/program-disclosures, for detailed information about the fees and expenses that clients incur in connection with Stifel’s investment advisory programs and to Stifel’s Form CRS, available at www.stifel.com/CRS.

Non-Advisory Products (Brokerage Services)

For more details, including costs, please refer to Stifel’s Relationship Guide at www.stifel.com/relationshipguide and to Stifel’s Form CRS, available at www.stifel.com/CRS.

What skills are conveyed by your certifications and designations?

The Chartered Financial Analyst® designation is the result of a three-year course of study that provides the tools for an enhanced understanding of complex investment products and services. 

The CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER® certification identifies those individuals who have met the experience requirements of the CFP Board, have successfully completed financial planning coursework, and have passed the CFP® Certification Examination covering the following areas: the financial planning process, risk management, investments, tax planning and management, retirement and employee benefits, and estate planning. CFP® certificants also agree to meet ongoing continuing education requirements.

The Certified Private Wealth Advisor® is designed for experienced financial advisors who seek the advanced knowledge and breadth of specialized skills necessary to address the sophisticated needs of high-net-worth clients. To earn the certification, candidates must meet a five-year experience requirement, successfully complete coursework in advanced wealth management strategies, and pass the Investments & Wealth Institute’s comprehensive examination covering 11 core topics, including applied behavioral finance, charitable giving, estate planning, and wealth transfer. To maintain certification, CPWA® professionals must meet ongoing continuing education requirements. 

The Accredited Investment Fiduciary® designation, which identifies individuals who have met the experience requirements of the Center for Fiduciary Studies, a division of Fi360, have gained a fundamental understanding of the principles of fiduciary responsibility and processes for meeting a defined standard of care, and have passed Fi360’s AIF® examination.

How do you provide value in the age of artificial intelligence?

Our value extends well beyond asset allocation. We create tax-efficient investment strategies through asset allocation, tax-loss harvesting, and retirement income planning designed to enhance after-tax returns. We also help clients navigate market volatility by providing behavioral coaching to help avoid common mistakes that often lead to underperformance. Perhaps most importantly, we aim to provide you with confidence and more time to focus on the things in life that matter most.

Stifel does not provide legal or tax advice. You should consult with your legal and tax advisors regarding your particular situation. Diversification and asset allocation do not ensure a profit or protect against loss.