Throughout a financial-sector career spanning nearly two decades, Nick Bevad has worked as a Chartered Retirement Planning Counselor (CRCP) for some of the biggest names in the industry. But it wasn’t until he joined a relative newcomer to the field—Claritas Financial Partners—that he truly found a company perfectly aligned with his philosophy on how to best serve clients, and it didn’t long to realize that it would become his permanent professional home.
“At the bigger firms and banks, not only are the advisors looked at as a number, but the clients are too. That’s
just not the way I’ve ever approached any of this, and nor have any of the people I’m working with now,” he says. “There are boutique firms out there that service only those with a nine-figure net worth. My mentality has always been: Why shouldn’t someone who doesn’t have a nine-figure net worth have access to the same level of service and the personal attention in order to get all of their financial ducks in a row, and have the ability to feel comfortable and confident with what they’re doing with their financials? It’s about breaking down that barrier, and subsequently providing a much higher level of service.”
Claritas Financial—named after the Latin word for clarity—has been committed to that mission since it was founded in affiliation with LPL Financial in 2020. Started by Brian Lynn, Jim Pacheco and John Fessler, who all brought decades of experience as financial advisors to the venture, the firm also includes Peter Berlin and Rob Costello in addition to Bevad, who came on board in 2022.
The idea from the outset is that they wanted to provide customizable approaches centered on investments, financial planning and insurance for a broad-based clientele, using a team approach in which all of the members are active participants, along with the clients themselves.
“I have a shelf behind me with a whole lot of answers on it, but we need to work together to figure out an appropriate solution for the issue at hand,” Bevad says. “We really get into the weeds with folks and take on their financial goals in order to provide them the high level of service they deserve. We love clients with a ton of assets, but we love clients who have less than that just as much.
“Whether you have $1 million or $50 million, everybody brings different circumstances to the table, and we can help. What we come up with might look a little bit different for those two folks but, at the end of the day, the service is the same. This is for anyone looking to have a roadmap set out for them and to have a better grasp on what they can attain and how to attain it.”
Not surprisingly, that way of thinking has struck a chord with an expanding client roster, and Claritas has experienced significant growth in a short time. In fact, the company just moved into a much larger office upstairs in the same Marlton building it has called home from the beginning to better accommodate guests and employees. The team also recently debuted a new video on its website to inform prospective clients about their philosophy on financial planning and why they might be a good fit.
Those who are unfamiliar with Claritas will find a group of advisors who are just regular people from right here in South Jersey who have the financial knowledge but also the ability to break down complex concepts and put clients at ease. They serve on the boards for area charities, volunteer for local fire departments and coach Little League.
“We’re all down-to-earth guys who are looking to do the right things for our clients,” Bevad says. “We’re so excited to grow within our community, to give back to our community and to help those who are around us.”
This can be a scary time for clients, with a contentious presidential election approaching and world events impacting financial forecasts. But with dedicated advisors like the ones at Claritas, they can weather the storm and not react to the latest headlines in a rash manner.
“That is probably the most important part of our approach,” Bevad says. “I am painfully realistic with my clients and prospective clients. I will straight up tell them, ‘I do not know what’s going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month or in the next five years.’ But our goal is to remove ourselves emotionally from the process in terms of what we don’t have control over, i.e. what the markets do, what Washington does or what the Federal Reserve does. When we let our emotions play too big of a part in things, we underperform.
“We can push and pull certain levers, but there are certain levers we have no control over in life. So we try to narrow it down to making sure that we have a set range of goals the client is looking to achieve. Every person and every family brings something different to the table, and that has to be considered during the planning process. It’s an intimate, customized scenario based on the person sitting across from you. We roll up our sleeves and say, ‘Let’s get into it.’”
Claritas Financial Partners
Marlton
(609) 888-6779
ClaritasFinancialPartners.com
Securities and advisory services offered through LPL Financial, a registered investment advisor. Member FINRA/SIPC. CRPC conferred by College for Financial Planning.
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Published and copyrighted in South Jersey Magazine, Volume 21, Issue 7 (October 2024)
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