‘In my ethos, it’s about … how you impact the world’

At Wescott Financial Advisory Group, they know the meaning of growth – something founder Grant Rawdin attributes to the unique set of principles the team follows. Rawdin says that as his firm has expanded, its people have continuously rallied around these essential standards.

“Client service is preeminent,” he says. “I’m an attorney by background – results and a complete dedication to the client’s best interests are the hallmarks of that profession. This carries over well to what we do in wealth management: Bringing on like-minded people who similarly have that conviction helps you grow robustly. It enables clients to trust you – which is the most important element for a client.”

With his background in accounting and the legal field, Rawdin is no stranger to pressure. And while his career trajectory is certainly unique, it’s positioned him perfectly to deal with the client success side of things.

“When I started in wealth management, it was a time when it was the purview of investment-oriented professionals. Those of us who had other licensures and backgrounds came in and helped to expand the focus of client services. For me, coming into the wealth management profession with tax and business expertise allowed me to supplement the investment plans with more technical and substantive planning.”

And as Wescott, an independent RIA with its headquarters in Philadelphia, has grown, Rawdin has not only held onto that unique skill set – he’s used it to propel the company and his clients to new heights. Rawdin has continued to employ people with diverse backgrounds – as well as younger hires from non-traditional backgrounds.

“Our next generation of employees might have come right from college – though college isn’t enough. We want them to continue to get other degrees and licensures, to have them well-rounded. I was an English major in college and I couldn’t imagine a better major. You explore so many disciplines in the context of literature. My accounting and attorney background helps me … to be a more complete financial advisor.

“Being able to have a wide view is another discipline of those professions – to dig deeply and to find solutions. And again, the tenets of those professions are also about serving the client’s best interests.”

Ultimately, for Rawdin, he entered into this profession with a genuine desire to help people.

“Because if you don’t want to help people, then you don’t care about the work that you’re doing,” he says. “That drive to help people transcends. It truly comes from the heart, and it takes you deeply into counseling clients and families. In my ethos, it’s about helping to repair the world, how you impact the world – it’s not just one generation, but two or more. And if I can do that, I will have been successful.”