Brian Mills

My venture into financial advisory took an unconventional path. I began my career shortly after college as a wholesaler with Lincoln Financial Distributors, working specifically in their long-term care department,  focusing on long-term care solutions for financial advisors and their clients. During my four-year tenure, I came to realize the alarming rate at which medical expenses and taxes could erode a lifetime's wealth in the later stages of life, along with the emotional toll it brings. I understood that effective wealth management and financial planning implemented decades in advance could significantly alleviate this burden. Advisors providing that wealth management and planning expertise, were able to help turn those potential mountains of financial burden, into ant hills.

As a former Division 1 athlete at Princeton University for four years, I've had the privilege of closely interacting with other athletes and entrepreneurs at various career stages. This exposure has provided me with valuable insights into the challenges, successes, and unique aspirations of individuals in these realms. Across the board, one consistent truth emerged - the importance of having a trusted financial professional as a partner. Such a fiduciary is a crucial asset in safeguarding and leveraging your wealth to achieve your financial objectives effectively.
‍
My passion for being that financial confidant, expert, and resource led me to a position at Lido Advisors, where I learned and developed experience in delivering a family-office-style experience to my clients. Our team at Lido Advisors managed 100M+ million dollars in private client assets through customized deployment of a mix of investments, including actively managed core equity and fixed income securities, alternatives, and nuanced downside protection solutions, to help protect clients’ legacies and target growth  in tactical ways.

Now, I am thrilled to be part of the Savvy team. Their investment solutions and access to diversified, alternative investments, with a proprietary, streamlined client interface, is a great home for my clients. With the help of a supportive Operations and Product Team, my clients and I have been able to lean into what matters most: Peace of mind and confidence in their investments and their financial team.

My client's assets are important to them, and as such we treat those assets, and their affiliated team of professionals as their own Family Office. This approach is unique in that it builds an all-weather financial portfolio that compliments the structure of all client portfolios, and strengthens them by adding a deep commitment to personalized, comprehensive wealth planning, and access to affiliated professionals providing bespoke tax, estate, and legacy planning solutions. I focus on creating an innovative, high-touch client experience and becoming a financial life partner to my clients, to provide opportunity in volatility, and tailor-made solutions that are built for success in any environment.

This approach is aimed to lower participation in market recession or economic weakening, while maximizing participation in periods of market expansion and growth, all while shoring up my clients’ tax, legacy/trust, and financial planning to accomplish their short, intermediate, and long term goals, regardless of their backgrounds, careers, and stages of their lives and/or wealth journeys.

I work with a diverse group of clients, which gives me a lot of great perspective into client lifestyles and an eclectic approach on how to manage client portfolios, investments, trusts, taxes, and retirement. Given my background as a Division I athlete, I work with athletes and entrepreneurs with non-traditional income streams and estate/tax planning needs, as well as limited liability companies (LLCs) and small business interests. I also work with individuals, preparing for, entering, and/or fully enjoying their retirement, and the nuance around those stages of life and the shift in financial goals and objectives. As I continue to work towards earning my Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRPC) designation, I’ll be further credentialed in retirement planning, for clients of all ages and stages. Additionally, I work with young professionals, in the stages of earning substantial income, and at varying stages of accumulating and growing their wealth. Budgeting, asset allocation, and risk tolerance are crucial at this stage, and I help partner with clients to bridge that gap between high income, and putting those assets to work.

Last but not least, I partner with nonprofits and individuals that are philanthropically inclined. Charitable giving can be a beautiful long-time addition to clients’ lives, from both personal and financial perspectives. My expertise allows me to help identify more tax, cost, and estate planning effective ways (Donor Advised Funds, trust structure, appreciated stock, etc.) to support clients’ passions for one-time or lifetime gifts, that goes beyond cash donations.

Average clients' assets under management (AUM) range in size from $500K to $5M+; their assets no matter the amount are important to them, so they’re important to me.

What I enjoy most about working with clients is the opportunity to develop close relationships, and partnerships with them. A very close second is the ability to add value, peace of mind, knowledge, and innovation to their personal and financial lives, via investment strategy and solutions, or through partnership with affiliated experts in the fields. I enjoy being able to share conversations around clients' families, pets, their travels, their interests, as well as focused updates and performance reviews on their portfolio and financial plan, during the same dialogue

My expertise in my practice ranges, but primarily lives under the umbrella of family office-style wealth management. This style of wealth management emulates the structure of what uber-wealthy families or endowments utilize - that being a team of investment advisors, estate attorneys, tax professionals, retirement planners, insurance, and more that work exclusively for them to ensure the protection, safety, and growth of their wealth and their generational legacies. I specialize in consolidating those “knights of the round table” for my clients and their assets, to make certain that my clients’ total investment, estate, tax, and retirement planning are clear, dynamic, and built for success across changing markets, life, and economic conditions. In addition, I offer experience in the incorporation of alternative investing, which includes debt and equity real estate-based solutions, private credit, tactical equity protection - or defined outcome - solutions, and more, to compliment their core traditional equity and fixed income exposures.

My decision to join the Savvy Team was based on two important metrics: First, would this be a home where I could confidently work in my greatest efficiency and capacity, to provide investment strategies and solutions, partner with affiliate professionals to leverage their expertise, and benefit from dedicated Operations and Marketing teams for a seamless advisor and client experience. Second, and most important, would my clients experience greater client-facing interface, innovative solutions, and feel confident their goals and objectives can be accomplished effectively. Savvy has presented an opportunity to easily check both of those integral boxes.

The commitment to excellence and to providing clients, prospects, and advisors with exceptional service can be felt in all aspects of the firm, from operations, investment management, marketing, client service, and especially senior leadership. I’m excited at how Savvy has continued to empower my practice and my clients.

Savvy does not provide compensation for advisor testimonials; however, testimonials represent a conflict of interest as advisors may indirectly benefit from the testimonial they have provided.

I specialize in educating clients on implementing alternative and tactical investment strategies. This encompasses utilizing private non-correlated debt or equity real estate funds to augment or replace conventional fixed-income or equity holdings. Using these strategies can help craft portfolios that fortify against market downturns, while also diversifying away from volatile markets. This approach doesn't impede the potential for growth but rather enhances the ability to participate in market upswings.

Taking a holistic view, I specialize in creating a strong framework and unity in clients' overall financial landscapes. This involves granting access to or orchestrating discussions among associated experts in forward-thinking tax strategies, estate planning, and safeguarding legacies. By taking a proactive and thorough approach, clients can navigate common challenges related to estate tax planning, handling taxes on highly valued stocks, managing retirement income sources and Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs), optimizing charitable contributions, dealing with concentrated assets, and more.