Rehmann taps ex-Oppenheimer, ex Stanford exec to expand Florida wealth biz
Rehmann LLC, the Saginaw, Mich.-based accounting firm, is targeting Florida as a prime market to expand its wealth management business.
Rehmann LLC, the Saginaw, Mich.-based accounting firm, is targeting Florida as a prime market to expand its wealth management business.
The firm today named Scott Chaisson to spearhead the effort as Rehmann’s regional director in charge of adviser network development. He will be based in West Palm Beach, Fla.
Mr. Chaisson was most recently a Sarasota, Fla.-based managing director for Oppenheimer & Co. and before that was a managing director for Stanford Financial in Boca Raton, Fla.
Rehmann, which has $900 million in assets under management and 13 offices in the Midwest, has an office in Naples, Fla. Mr. Chaisson said that he would like to expand the firm’s coverage to three to five markets in the state over the next 18 months and hire about 20 financial advisers.
He also said that Rehmann hopes to establish partnerships with several certified public accounting firms in the state.
“We’re looking for advisers from major wirehouses who are looking for a different model that combines an independent advisory firm and a CPA firm under one roof,” Mr. Chaisson said. “The kind of ancillary services we’ll be able to offer will make us look more like a family office.”
In addition to accounting services such as tax preparation and audits, Rehmann will also offer retirement services and a practice management service for physicians, Mr. Chaisson said.
He said that his major challenge in the new job will be getting advisers to understand the value of integrating accounting and wealth management and finding CPA firms that share Rehmann’s philosophy.
Although CPA firms that work with Rehmann will remain independent, they will share a technology platform with the firm, Mr. Chaisson said.
“Partnering with strong, established CPA firms is the only logical choice left for wealth advisers looking to escape troubled national or regional firms,” he said.
Oppenheimer didn’t respond to a request for comment regarding Mr. Chaisson’s replacement in Sarasota.
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