Savant Launches Online Portal, But Traditional Channels Remain Critical

Savant Capital Management, a fee-only wealth management firm with over $3 billion in assets under management, announced that it is going beyond its traditional brick and mortar offices and will now offer investment advice online.

The platform, eSavant Advisor, which was introduced Monday, caters to clients with at least $50,000 in investable assets, and will charge 1% on assets below $1 million and 0.8% on the next $4 million – with fees continuing to decline for larger accounts, according to Brent Brodeski, CEO of Savant Capital Management. There is also an annual minimum of $900, which is less than the $5,000 minimum fee that applies for traditional Savant clients.

“eSavant Advisor is appropriate for a broader array of prospective clients, including those with simple needs” says Brodeski. “It is also designed to provide full integrated wealth management that includes investments, comprehensive planning and tax management for individuals with $1 million or more.”

The platform will allow Savant to serve clients in any geography, while preserving high-quality, personalized service by allocating three advisors to manage and assist their accounts.

“It’s perfect for people who value the convenience of communicating with a trusted advisor electronically instead of spending time visiting their office,” says Brodeski.

With an increasing amount of clients swarming online, some advisors say that traditional offices may be counting their days. Even the NYSE succumbed to online forces when it was sold to the electronic trading platform, IntercontinentalExchange (ICE) in December 2012.

Even so, Brodeski believes the 26-year-old advisory business that operates in 9 cities have offices that are here to stay.

“As we invest in technology to support eSavant, local clients will be able to benefit as well,” says Brodeski. “Although we expect rapid growth from the online channel, Savant remains committed to our “brick and mortar” offices and growing them as well.”

Paula Vasan contributed to this story

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