Nothing matters more than ethics.JIM BERLINER, CHAIRMAN
30 years.
That’s how long we’ve been helping people define and realize their dreams. The experience has been endlessly enriching, as colorful and inspiring as the city we live in.
As we pass this milestone, we’ve taken time to reflect — on the meaning of the work we do, and the role we strive to fulfill. By looking back at our history, we’ve identified our road map for moving forward.
This is what
we love.
In life, we all discover our own way of connecting to others and creating a sense of meaning. Here at Westmount, we’ve found satisfaction in helping LA’s most dynamic people harness a vital yet abstract force in their lives — their wealth.
Because it’s our passion, we’ve spent many years learning to do this work with gentle sophistication. We’ve built 30-year relationships, supporting people through major life events and tumultuous markets. We’ve helped clients plan the life they envisioned — then felt the thrill of seeing them live it.
Our co-founder, Bob Berliner, was a finance entrepreneur. His son and co-founder, Jim, was a federal prosecutor.
When they established Westmount in 1990, Bob and Jim knew their financial advisory firm had to lead with impeccable ethics. Their business model eliminated commissions and other commonly accepted conflicts of interest. They committed to providing exceptionally thorough, unbiased advice. They advocated fiercely for clients.
Thirty years later, Westmount’s ethical foundation remains unshakable.
We are perpetually
re-energized.
Over the course of our long-term relationships, we gain valuable insights. We apply everything we learn on behalf of our clients, whether they’re just starting out on their financial journey or are already well on their way.
Having seen fabulous outcomes, we’re more excited than ever about the ways we can contribute, and the opportunities we can help create. By carefully customizing our expertise to an individual’s or family’s circumstances, we’re able to make a powerful impact.
Planning takes center stage.
Great outcomes in life don’t usually happen by chance. More often, they’re the result of deep reflection and careful planning.
Over the last 30 years, our focus on rigorous investing has broadened to include an equal emphasis on the art and science of financial planning. These are some of the many facets we help our clients address.
- Retirement. Project assets, cash flows and detailed scenarios. Leverage resources to create personal fulfillment.
- Estate. Protect your wealth. Navigate complex trust, gift and tax laws. Define your legacy.
- Future generations. Provide security for loved ones. Perpetuate family values.
- Philanthropy. Determine the most tax-sensitive approach to supporting causes you care about most.
- Taxes. Keep more, pay less. Maximize real wealth as a firm foundation for sound life decisions.
Wealth creates
possibilities.
People have resources, and resources give them options. Often, they have more options than they realize. We love helping people explore how to use their resources to live the life they dream of.
Our approach is personal, detailed and collaborative. Together, we make a plan that factors in many variables. That plan becomes a dynamic life map. It also gives shape to an investment strategy, which is engineered to take people wherever they have chosen to go.
New ideasmike amash, President
are great —
if they’re great.
New ideas are everywhere — new investments, new fee models, new services. We love to study and debate them rigorously. If an idea makes it through our filters, and it fits your situation, we offer it to you.
We anticipated industry standards by delivering institutional-style investing to individuals. We were also one of the earliest firms to offer clients real estate and other alternative investments. We created a portfolio for positive social and environmental change. At the same time, there are hundreds of bad ideas we have happily steered clear of.
We are your guide.
We are intermediaries between you and the endlessly complex financial world. We go to extraordinary lengths to research solutions that make good sense for your goals and circumstances.
Once we’ve found a solution, we take great care to communicate it clearly. That way, you can make thoughtful, informed decisions.
5 tenets of investing that have served our clients well
- Work harder than other firms. Never stop digging to uncover strategies and asset classes that add portfolio value. Identify attractive opportunities ahead of the pack.
- Respect convention — but remain flexible. Deploy time-tested, solidly grounded strategies. When opportunities present themselves, trust our analysis and judgment and defy conventional wisdom.
- Leverage alternatives. Seek out strategies and asset classes that add value when combined with stocks and bonds. Incorporate alternative investments as a complement to more traditional holdings.
- Think long-term. For the most part. Focus on long-term investing. Leave room to exploit market inefficiencies and other short-term opportunities to enhance returns.
- Create high-value opportunities. Give clients access to private markets, socially conscious strategies, and other sophisticated, high-value investments.
We are
Angelenos
at heart.
We are dedicated to helping those in our community who are less fortunate. We embrace our civic responsibility with gusto, supporting programs and initiatives that benefit underserved communities, advocate for racial justice, and seek to improve the quality of life for all Angelenos.
Some of our team members roll up their sleeves and serve as frontline volunteers. Others provide leadership, sitting on the boards of organizations that champion the prosperity, health, and well-being of the city’s communities. Wherever there’s a need, we are eager to help.
You have an advocate.
For 30 years, every one of our team members has embraced a shared set of values:
Put clients first, every single day. Educate ourselves voraciously. Go further than other firms, in pursuit of exceptional results and outcomes. Unite as one team, but maintain independent voices. Disagree passionately, respectfully, and productively, for the good of clients. Cultivate a new generation of talent, to incorporate fresh perspectives and ideas.
Our clients don’t need to think about us. But they take comfort in the fact that we’re always thinking about them.
Here comes
the future.
Whatever it brings you — new situations, new challenges, new opportunities — count on us to do the research, create the plans, manage the portfolio, provide the counsel, and whatever else is required.
We plan to be here for you and your family for another 30 years — and far beyond.
Can we help you
get where you want
to go?
If so, we’d love to talk. You can drop us a line here.