Top Wealth Manager Number 44 | Back to Top Wealth Managers
After 35 years in the business, Jeff Thomas calls 2008 one of the most challenging years he has ever seen. “The challenge,” says Thomas, “was where to put the money. There was no place to run, no place to hide.” As the firm's Chief Investment Officer for more than 20 years, Thomas knows whereof he speaks. But "you learn more from a Bear Market than from a Bull," he decided, and recognized the downturn as “an opportunity to re-examine our diversification, to be more strategic about allocation.”
Thomas believes that looking at things through “a fiduciary prism—the prudent stewardship of assets,” is a major difference between Atlantic Trust and its competitors for very wealthy families in the 12 markets it serves. “'Fiduciary' is a different way of looking at risk, of deploying capital,” he says. But in the end, he adds, "The investment business is an art, not a science, and there’s a lot of psychology involved.”
2009 Top Wealth Managers Rankings by Average AUM Per Client (PDF)