We first came to Northwood in 2003 after we had sold our family business. We weren’t exactly sure what we needed at the time, but Northwood has worked with us to build a comprehensive strategy for our family and our wealth, including investments, tax, insurance, estate planning, holdco management and family development. I don’t have to worry about all the individual pieces since they are all taken care of. Everything is 100% up-to-date and very well organized. They also focus on what is good for our family, not on their own interests, because they don’t sell any products. And they seem to make a lot of things uncomplicated. They are a perfect match from my perspective. In fact, it has all worked out even better than I thought it would and I am very pleased to be a Northwood client.
In 2003, I was looking for an advisor not just a money manager. I owned a number of private businesses and needed someone who could help me on all of my integrated affairs, not just my public investment portfolio, and who I could trust completely. I have now dealt with Northwood for over 20 years. I realize that I no longer worry about my investments. I used to pore through broker reports every Saturday morning, but now I have the confidence of a high quality portfolio carefully selected and managed by Northwood. They also look after all of the other details of my financial life, and ensure that my spouse is involved and informed along the way. Northwood has excellent people, they have delivered great low-risk performance, and they provide tremendous service in every area. They have earned my trust.
We sold our business in 2002 and quickly realized we were going to need some financial assistance with our newfound liquidity. It was easy when our wealth was wrapped up in the business since I knew how to control that, but now we were going to have to make decisions that extended beyond our comfort zone. I was worried about ‘not knowing what I didn’t know’. It made sense to try to find a partner who knew about all these things and could provide the expertise to make it all happen. We explored a number of options and decided to go with Northwood because of the complete package they offered and our confidence that they could look after all of this for us. We were looking for a long-term relationship.
Northwood oversees our complete financial affairs. I am comforted that all elements are under control. For example;
Most firms are focused only on investment management. While that is also key for Northwood, they also understand that non-investment areas are just as critical to be able to sleep soundly at night.
If someone asked me for my recommendation in choosing an advisor, I would tell them “Pick Northwood. You can’t go wrong.”
We have been working with Northwood Family Office since 2004. During this time period they have effectively managed our portfolio of investments during both bull and bear markets. As a charitable organization that requires a portion of our investment income for operational purposes, we required a balanced approach to our investments. Taking time to understand our particular needs and matching those needs to a structured investment portfolio understanding both growth, income and risk requirements has resulted in significant portfolio appreciation with below average volatility.
Northwood meets with us regularly to ensure that our needs have not changed and that the portfolios are meeting our objectives. With a solid and trusted relationship we have approached them to assist in other operational issues in which innovative financial solutions have been needed. They have assisted us in solution development and provided expert advice and assistance in implementing these changes.
We look forward to a continued partnership with Northwood and would recommend prospective new clients, especially charitable organizations and foundations, seriously consider using Northwood for their portfolio management.
I became a Northwood client in 2005. My experience with my previous advisors was a series of peaks and valleys, and ultimately significant losses, in my investment portfolio. By contrast, over the past decade or more with Northwood, I have seen steady growth and protection against the downside — not ‘home runs’, but solid performance and advice that I trust and believe in. They pay careful attention to ensure that our wealth is invested in a way that is suitable for our needs. There is no incentive for them to put us in anything that is overly risky or to generate additional fees. Their fee approach is aligned with our interests. Northwood takes a holistic approach to our overall financial affairs, they maintain a diligent focus on all of the detail and they are quick to respond. I have referred them to other families and will continue to do so.
As a result of a combination of mortgage debt and high exposure to equity markets, despite high employment income we suddenly found ourselves in a rather unexpected financial position as stocks collapsed in the global financial crisis in 2008. This unexpected change in our fortunes made us realize we needed to approach things in a different way. It seemed that our goals (providing for family, investing in charities, achieving financial peace of mind) were out of whack with our actions (chasing returns which led to aggressive investing and higher risk than we needed).
Since engaging Northwood, my wife and I have made significant positive progress. We have made an important mindset shift from trying to maximize returns to understanding what we need, and working backward from there. There has also been a marked shift in our peace of mind, knowing that we have a plan and that our Northwood partners have our best interests at heart. Northwood offers thoughtful advice across a whole set of factors including goal setting, a holistic view of our net worth, wealth protection, portfolio management, and tax-advantaged giving.
I fully and unreservedly recommend Northwood Family Office. The organization exudes integrity and professionalism from top to bottom. My only regret is that we didn’t move to Northwood sooner.
Northwood is very good at managing our investments and looking after our whole financial ecosystem, but that’s not all they do. They understand our family dynamics and relationships, they educate our next generation, they have helped us effectively manage our family councils and trustees and embrace a culture of legacy. They have also played an important role in coordinating all of our various advisors to ensure that the important things get done. Many advisors and institutions promise this integrated service, but Northwood actually delivers it. I have enthusiastically recommended Northwood to other families.
We did a lot of research into wealth management firms and selected Northwood. We needed somebody who could work through a complex portfolio and come out the other side with something clear, succinct and relatively simple. What a fabulous unexpected bonus when we found somebody who could handle our adult kids! Northwood is also skilled at handling and negotiating differences between spouses.
We value having all of our affairs in one place, and the coordination that takes place across disciplines and with other professionals. We have been so happy with the service received and appreciate the following:
We feel really fortunate to be involved with a firm like Northwood. We like having all our information in one place so we don’t have to worry about things. It’s also great to have a plan, for good times and bad, and someone to keep us on track. And we really like the family aspect as well, and that our adult children can access help as well when they need it. And I know that if something happened to me, my spouse and the family would be in good hands.
It is great to deal with Northwood because they have a number of clients in similar type situations to us. Northwood has the expertise and experience and has ‘seen it all before’. We find the Northwood staff extremely wise and professional, and they are very accessible and get back to us quickly.
We also like the fact that Northwood does not manage the money themselves but rather, hires and rides herd on the investment managers on our behalf. We like the objectivity and the fact that they sweat the details for us.
They have relieved all the stress I had about watching my investments and managing our financial details. Quite simply, they provide us with confidence that everything is looked after. We feel good every time we come out of a meeting with Northwood.
We are able to sleep well knowing our portfolio is managed in a professional, rigorous manner and this confidence comes from the following:
Thank you for your professionalism and help, it is so much appreciated.