The Longo Group, managing more than $530 million in client assets, is Sanctuary’s first New Orleans/Gulf Coast partner
Sanctuary Wealth, home to the next generation of elite financial advisors, has expanded its network into the New Orleans and Mississippi Gulf Coast region with the addition of its first Louisiana team, The Longo Group, to the Sanctuary Network. The team is led by Ted Longo, a highly respected veteran with more than 30 years at Merrill Lynch where he was Managing Director, Senior Resident Director-Wealth Management Advisor. The 8-person team has annual revenues of $4 million and over $530 million in assets under management (AUM).
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“By choosing Sanctuary’s partnered independence, The Longo Group will have control of their business and flexibility in how they serve clients, but they won’t be alone,” said Jim Dickson, CEO and Founder of Sanctuary Wealth. “Our platform can supply the services, solutions and technology they need to give their clients what they deserve. We’re delighted to welcome The Longo Group to Sanctuary as we expand our presence along the Gulf Coast and help them realize their full growth potential.”
“I grew up in this business being taught that everything starts with the client and that’s a philosophy that I’ve held to throughout my career. What attracted me to Sanctuary in the first place is that the firm is based on the same principle,” said Ted Longo, President & Senior Wealth Management Advisor, The Longo Group. “I’ve known and respected the individuals leading Sanctuary for many years and was comfortable right away because we speak the same language. My biggest concern about going independent was the transition of client accounts, as we have a large and sophisticated client base. But Lili Kaufmann, Sanctuary’s Director of Transitions, is someone I worked closely with previously as well as being a close personal friend. I felt my clients couldn’t be in better hands.”
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Ted Longo got hooked on investing when his ninth grade math teacher had the class play a stock market game. He decided in high school that he wanted to be a stock broker and started buying stocks while he was still a student. After receiving a degree from Auburn University, he joined Merrill Lynch in 1986 and remained there for the next 34 years, rising to the position of Managing Director, Senior Resident Director-Wealth Management Advisor. He opened the firm’s office in Slidell, Louisiana in 1997 and built an environment that enabled advisors and their practices to compete with advisors in major markets.
“I first met Ted Longo as a colleague 18 years ago and consider him to be one of the finest gentlemen I know, someone distinguished by his character and leadership,” said Vince Fertitta, President, Wealth Management, Sanctuary Wealth. “Ted has a well-deserved reputation for client advocacy, professionalism, integrity, and compassion and they are characteristics shared by his entire team. He is someone with the intensity, competitive spirt and work ethic required to be among the top producers in the industry. I’m incredibly proud that he and his team are joining the Sanctuary community to launch their family business, The Longo Group.”
Longo, who grew up in Waveland, Mississippi and likes to say he has ‘one foot in Mississippi and one in Louisiana’, sees his firm’s move as a realignment rather than a major change. “As far as clients are concerned, nothing is changing, except maybe for the better. We have always led with what is best for the client and that’s what we’ll continue to do,” he said. “With Sanctuary, we’ll have access to an open platform with a wider range of solutions and investments that will allow my team and I to do an even better job for our clients.”
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