Wealth management firms provide a comprehensive plan for the entire financial lifetime by handling investment management, financial planning, tax planning, retirement planning, and estate planning. In contrast to a typical stockbroker, a wealth management firm provides services that are backed with legal protection, and work on comprehensive consulting solutions rather than simply rendering recommendations that are investment specific. The key step to picking the best wealth management firm depends on understanding the work and functions of these firms on a broader spectrum.

Primary goal
The basic focus of a good wealth management firm is to increase the wealth of their clients.

Are wealth management firms focused on institutional or retail investors
Certain firms work with retail investors, who are potential clients who invest an amount less than $5 million. There are exclusive firms that deal only with institutional investors who invest only above the $5 million minimum. While there are cross-sectional firms, the focused and successful firms adhere to just one segment of the market for better market coverage.

What is the function of wealth management firms?
The common question for any client is whether a wealth management firm advises regarding financial investments or handles the investment without client consent. A good wealth management firm will handle the investment plan based on the client specifications. They could either be a financial advisor or engage in active management. In the former method, a firm only focuses on providing an investment strategy and educate their clients to navigate through risk investments. In the latter kind, a firm essentially handles all the financial decisions on behalf of the clients, and ensure better market returns with timed investments.

Make sure to do a research of the firm that you plan to invest with as there are individual investors who are unreliable with your financial decisions. Pick one that has a specialized team and sufficient market experience.