A financial advice and wealth management veteran who co-created Vanguard Advisor’s Alpha client relationship concept has founded Bennyhoff & Co., a fractional chief investment officer (CIO) business serving RIAs, the firm announced Thursday as it launched.
Bennyhoff & Co. provides partnering RIA firms with CIO-level expertise in portfolio construction, behavioral coaching and investment research that the firm said was designed to enhance client outcomes and investment success.
Don Bennyhoff created the new company to serve planning-centric RIAs “seeking the benefits and expertise of a seasoned CIO without the high costs of hiring one,” according to the firm.
Bennyhoff has more than 30 years of industry experience and the firm said in a release he is “uniquely positioned to help RIAs enhance their brand and grow their client base.”
Bennyhoff “excels at not only building durable investment strategies and model portfolios, but also helping financial advisors simplify communications around the complexities of wealth management with their clients,” according to his new firm.
His focus on proactive behavioral coaching was “designed to empower advisors to further demonstrate their value proposition and improve the probability of a positive investor and investment experience,” the firm said.
“Bennyhoff & Co. aims to serve RIA firms where too few people are wearing too many hats,” according to Bennyhoff.
“These are firms that want to dedicate more time to their clients, but are simply unable to because they’re spread too thin,” he said. “Our cornerstone philosophy is simple: time is an asset to be invested, not spent, and your ‘return on time’ should be of paramount focus. Our firm provides experience and expertise that few can match in the industry, enabling our partner firms to invest more time in building the client relationships that grow their businesses.”
“Our cornerstone philosophy is simple: time is an asset to be invested, not spent, and your ‘return on time’ should be of paramount focus.”
– Don Bennyhoff
The firm is in favor of strategic, low-cost investment strategies, and said it plans to partner with a small number of growth-minded RIAs who philosophically align with the firm’s six guiding principles: Success is driven by investor behavior and not investment products; investment markets are typically efficient over time; diversification and asset allocation are the most effective risk management tools; the most reliable source of higher returns is lower investment costs; it doesn’t make economic sense over the long-term to attempt market timing; and simplicity is the “ultimate sophistication.”
Before launching Bennyhoff & Co., Bennyhoff served as CIO and Chairman of the investment committee at Liberty Wealth Advisors, a $1.7 billion RIA, prior to its sale to Prime Capital Financial in 2022.
While at Liberty Wealth, Bennyhoff oversaw its investment and portfolio construction methodology, created investment education content, and provided its advisors and clients with ongoing coaching and behavioral finance guidance.
Before that, Bennyhoff spent almost 23 years at investment management firm Vanguard, departing as a Senior Investment Strategist in 2020.
While with Vanguard, in addition to co-authoring the Advisor’s Alpha research, he headed a team that created ETF model portfolio solutions for advisors and served as a Senior Financial Advisor, managing about $400 million in assets for about 12 families.
“The launch of Bennyhoff & Co. is a testament to Don’s deep commitment to advancing the field of wealth management,” according to John Bergmann, a former President at Liberty Wealth.
“Having worked closely with Don for years, I’ve seen firsthand his exceptional skill in blending strategic insight with a genuine dedication to client success,” he said.
“RIA firms choosing to partner with Don’s new firm can expect solid solutions and a thoughtful long-term approach, helping to ensure their needs are met with expertise and dedication,” Bergmann added.
Jeff Berman, Contributing Editor & Reporter at Wealth Solutions Report, can be reached at jberman@wealthsolutionsreport.com.
