April 21, 2021
Louis Diamond Quoted
By Dina Hampton

Greg Clifford, founder and CEO of the Clifford Group in Newton, Massachusetts, says he “grew up” at Merrill Lynch, entering the firm’s trainee program after being an associate at the firm for a few years.

The advisor flourished at the wirehouse, gaining nods as a Forbes Top Next-Generation Wealth Advisor in 2018 and Best-in-State Next Generation Wealth Advisor in 2019. But as Clifford passed the decade mark at Merrill, the idea of breaking away planted itself in his mind and stayed there.

“There’s a lot of different paths and there’s been many new entrants, which makes it confusing for advisors,” says Louis Diamond, president of Diamond Consultants, a New York-based recruiting firm that helps RIAs and brokerage houses hire advisors.

Diamond, who worked with Clifford on the transition, says such preliminary exploration is key. “Just being educated and understanding the pros and cons of the business model — what you get, what you don’t get, etc. — is to me one of the most important things before [you can] even know if the trade-off is right for you,” he says.

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