About our Partners
Our partners are important and we accomplish a lot together. By combining forces, we are able to offer a broader range of specialized services to people like you.
Cambridge Investment Research, Inc.
Who is this and what do they do? Cambridge is our Financial Solutions Firm and Broker-Dealer. They help us mange cumbersome topics like industry regulations, compliance, continuing education, and the cycle of creating, updating and closing accounts. They help us get through mountains of paperwork and are always looking for new innovative ways to make our lives and our client’s lives easier. www.cir2.com
Fun Fact: Cambridge has been voted Broker-Dealer of the Year¹ 13 times. They are also among the largest privately controlled independent broker-dealers in the country.
¹Investment Advisor magazine, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2010, 2008, 2007 division IV; 2003 Division III.
Protected Investors of America (PIA)
Who is this and what do they do? PIA is a Super Office of Supervisory Jurisdiction (Super OSJ). It is a group of advisors who run separate books of business, but share resources in order to provide a consistent quality experience to their clients. Open Trail Financial Consultants is a part of the group of advisors and is also the acting home office. Michael Calvelli and Rich Bonk supervise the 30+ other advisors and financial professionals at PIA to make sure they have what they need to be successful advisors for their clients, as well as ensure that all advisors are complying with the many industry regulations that exist today. We love the ongoing opportunity to learn from and create solutions with the advisors of PIA; It gives us a broader scope of experience to pull from for all the clients we serve.
Fun Fact: Protected Investors of America was founded in 1934 under the (at the time) new concept of “personalized financial planning”. Learn more at www.protectedinvestors.com.
Charles Schwab
Who is this and what do they do? Charles Schwab is the Custody & Clearing firm for many of our client’s accounts. This means they are the end firm that holds your money in accounts (check your monthly statement to see if this is the case for you). They are one of Cambridge’s clearing agents, and (as our broker-dealer) Cambridge often acts as a liaison between our office and Schwab. What does this mean for you? This means Schwab is the end company we work with to buy, sell, and move your funds. In addition to your monthly statements, Schwab is also responsible for initiating tax forms like 1099’s and 1099R’s. www.schwab.com.
Fun Fact: Every year Schwab wins many awards and honorable mentions including “#1 in Trade Reliability” by Investor’s Business Daily, 2019 and “#3 in Best Overall Online Brokers” by Investopedia, 2019.
Fidelity Clearing & Custody Solutions®(FCCS) / National Financial Services (NFS)
Who is this and what do they do? National Financial (NFS) is now referred to as Fidelity Clearing and Custody Solutions (FCCS). FCCS/NFS is one of Cambridge’s (above) clearing agents, and (as our broker-dealer) Cambridge acts as a liaison between our office and FCCS/NFS. They are a member of NYSE/SIPC and are a Fidelity Investments® company. What does this mean for you? For many of our clients, FCCS/NFS is the end firm that holds your money in accounts (check your monthly statement to see if this is the case for you). This means they are the end company we work with (through Cambridge) to buy, sell, and move your funds. In addition to your monthly statements, FCCS/NFS is also responsible for initiating tax forms like 1099’s and 1099R’s. www.clearingcustody.fidelity.com.
Fun Fact: Our very own Rich Bonk was the West Coast Regional Vice President of FCCS/NFS for 13 years before he joined our team at Open Trail Financial Consultants, home office of Protected Investors of America in 2018. Prior to that, Rich and Michael Calvelli worked together another company (Pershing) and finally found the right time and opportunity to join forces once again at our office.
Gemmer Asset Management, LLC
Who is this and what do they do? Gemmer Asset Management is a Third-Party Money Manager. Our office often partners with the Gemmer Asset Management LLC so that we can spend more time with our clients focusing on their everyday financial needs and goals. Gemmer Asset Management LLC is an employee-owned, independent firm located in Walnut Creek, CA that specializes in providing advisors (like us) with a suite of services to make their lives easier so they can better serve their clients (people like you). These services include sound investment strategies, comprehensive back-office support and high levels of personalized attention. www.gemmerllc.com.
Fun Fact: They really know their stuff! Each of the Gemmer principals has more than 10 years of experience in asset allocation, mutual funds, operations, compliance and client relationships.