With over 30 years at Merrill, Vincent “Vinny” Zaccardi could have easily opted for the firm’s retire-in-place program, but he and his son and partner Nick were focused on the future.
Raymond James gives us the freedom to provide objective advice and do our best for [our clients]. We can have the meaningful conversations about the wealth and goals that they want to have, not what a financial institution tells us they need to have.
Vincent “Vinny” Zaccardi
Senior Vice President, Investments
The Zaccardi Group
Vincent “Vinny” Zaccardi invested 31 years at Merrill, where he built a multi-generational team that includes his son Nicholas “Nick” Zaccardi and recent addition Gerard Mattaliano, also a family member.
As a long-tenured advisor, Vinny could easily have signed onto CTP, Merrill’s retire-in-place program. But with no desire to retire and Nick as his partner, The Zaccardi Group was looking at the future. They envisioned continuing their legacy with a client-centric firm that focused on wealth management where they would have the freedom to provide objective advice and serve clients without limitation.
There was a point in time when Merrill was that partner, but it was no longer the firm they once knew.
In a long-standing relationship with Diamond Consultants, we provided counsel and ongoing education on a changing wealth management landscape. As their business evolved, we were there to guide them through the exploration process and serve as an objective and trusted resource, focused on their vision for the business and what they sought to accomplish.
It was important for the Zaccardis to identify a firm with strength, stability, and conservative management that would also offer an ease of doing business. They wanted to move away from the culture of a bank-owned firm yet felt it was important to retain the benefits of providing banking services to their clients.
Ultimately, Raymond James & Associates offered all they were looking for in a partner—and then some. As a wealth management firm that owns a bank, they retained access to the banking services they desired for their clients. Plus, it offered them the scale and robust platform of a major financial services firm, yet with the culture of a regional firm—providing them with greater autonomy to manage their clients’ accounts.
Additionally, Raymond James grants advisors ownership of their clients—which was appealing. Plus, the firm’s affiliation options provide the team with pathways to independence should they consider it in the future.
“Raymond James provides us with the scale of a major firm and the autonomy to manage client accounts as we always have. The firm has a reputation for strength and stability grounded in conservative management and high ethical standards,” Nick Zaccardi said in their announcement video.
Dawn Baldinelli, Senior Client Service Associate, joined the team in their move from Merrill.
Diamond Consultants is pleased to have represented The Zaccardi Group and looks forward to hearing more about their success in the future.
View recent Representative Deals…