Serenus Wealth Advisors, a Santa Monica, Calif.-based registered investment adviser launched in July by a team that worked together at another RIA Certuity, has brought on board another executive from the same firm to lead the office her in New York.
Led by founder and managing partner Kara Boccella, Serenus recruited Graham K. Mandl, a former managing director at Certuity, as a partner.
Mandl will reportedly bring his book of business, which includes about $100 million in assets. Clients include entrepreneurs, C-Suite executives, legal professionals, professional athletes and other high net worth individuals.
“He will bring our holistic, client-centric approach to New York – and with this bicoastal presence, we will be able to serve as trusted partners, day in and day out, to high net worth individuals and families in the entire country,” Boccella said in a statement. “It's a testament to our firm that we've been able to expand so quickly, and so far, in such a short time.”
Serenus now has three partners, including Boccella, Mandl and Devon Galindo. Boccella and Galindo left Certuity, a $4 billion RIA, in July to launch Serenus with a $1.2 billion fortune. Rebecca Tipp and Laura E. Lemoine also joined Serenus as principals, also from Certuity. RIA also brought on Lonny Elfenbein, previously chief compliance officer at Dinsmore Compliance Services, as CCO.
Since inception, the RIA has grown its client list by 10%, which was largely driven by referrals from existing clients, Boccella said.
The name “Serenus” reflects the serenity and peace of mind the team will offer customers in their financial lives, Boccella said.
“When we discuss technical strategies, whether it's trust and estate planning, tax planning, most importantly portfolio construction — all the different areas — we're not just making recommendations, we're making sure those recommendations are executed, Boccella said. .
She expects to add a number of employees to the Santa Monica office, including several client service professionals and advisors. And while Serenus is agnostic to geographic locations, she said it has several target geographies where the firm has large concentrations of clients, including Houston, Northern California, Washington, D.C., and Palm Beach, Fla.