Frank Legan Advisors at Cedar Brook Group

What Makes Us Different: The Humanity Factor™

By Frank Legan

Financial planning is a lifelong process, not a one-time event. With thousands of financial advisors vying for your attention, how do you find the right one for you? How do you find someone who truly cares about your life experiences and your hopes and dreams for the future

Cedar Brook Group was created out of a desire to put families at the center of their financial plan—not fancy products or overblown returns. Instead of focusing on numbers, first and foremost, we focus on creating a financial plan that feels like a clear and familiar version of your best self. 

Here are a few reasons why we stand out from other financial advisory firms.

You Are at the Center of What We Do

Our number-one goal with every client is to simplify the complex, to provide clarity and comfort around your future. Life is full of surprises. But no matter what happens, you’re at the center of what we do. We call this, “The Humanity Factor™”.

What is “The Humanity Factor™”, you ask? 

Humanity – the quality of kindness; of being human

Factor – one who actively contributes to an accomplishment or result

Simply put, The Humanity Factor™ is our belief that financial planning should honor you. It should celebrate your past experiences. It should propel you toward a happy and fulfilling life.

The Humanity Factor™ is rooted in a three-step cycle, like branches of a tree. 

1. Mine Your Bliss

While many advisors choose to heavily focus on planning for the future – at Cedar Brook we also highly value the past and present. What brings you pride? What are you passionate about? How far have you come to get here? What do you envision for your life both now and years from now? We’ve found that answering these types of questions allows us to understand what drives you and helps shed light on how we should approach your financial plan.

2. Cultivate Your Contributions

Every great idea must align with your unique vision before it gets implemented into your financial plan. We do a lot of brainstorming in phase one, but phase two is where we critically evaluate those ideas. Then we use our creativity and technical expertise to create a financial plan that’s just as dynamic as you. There is a community of people behind you helping you achieve your goals.

3. The Leadership Lever

Unlike other financial advisory firms, we don’t stuff your financial plan in a notebook and promise to meet back up with you in a year. Instead, we take an active role in your success. 

We keep our eyes forward, constantly on the lookout for what’s changing and what’s next. Sometimes those changes are internal: you Mine Your Bliss™ and realize you have different goals for your life than you had before. One such example is if your child suddenly decides to go to medical school and you want to find a way to support your child financially. Other times, they are external: tax laws change, the economy takes a dip, or the stock market declines. 

Through it all, we’re here by your side, helping you turn your dreams into reality. 

We Use a Team-Based Approach to Advising

Your life, your family, and your career are complex and multi-faceted. Our approach to financial planning is too. If we left your financial planning up to one advisor, we’d be doing you a major disservice, hinging the strength of your financial plan on the intellectual capacity of one person.

At Cedar Brook, we want you (and your financial plan) to thrive. That’s why we leverage a team-based approach to financial planning. We have 50+ professionals at our firm. Each specializes in a niche area of our business, ensuring we can always provide you with deep and meaningful insight no matter what your unique situation is.

Most of our clients have held successful careers—either as corporate executives, doctors, business owners, or artists. They’re high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth individuals who have experienced a liquidity event, great earnings and/or developed good savings habits over the years. 

Now they’re looking for an experienced financial partner to help them use that money to do what they love. For some people, that’s giving back to their community and leaving a legacy for their families. For others, it’s playing golf, working on creating projects, and traveling the world. Whatever it is for you, our goal is to help you spend more time doing what you love with the people you love. 

Take Your First Step

The road to financial security is a bumpy one—often filled with exciting opportunities as well as unexpected challenges. At Cedar Brook Group, our mission is to help you navigate every complex financial matter you encounter on your road to financial security. Whether you need help setting financial goals, navigating a market decline, or minimizing your tax burden, we welcome the opportunity to sit down and chat with you. Get started by calling 440-683-9213 or emailing flegan@cedarbrookfinancial.com

About Frank

Frank Legan is Partner, Financial Advisor, and member of the Investment Committee at Cedar Brook Group, one of the largest independent wealth management firms in Northeast Ohio. Frank spends his days designing and implementing personalized financial planning strategies for corporate executives, closely held business owners, artists, families, and retirees. He specializes in lifetime income strategies, investment advice, and estate planning services. He also works with businesses to develop strategic and succession planning strategies. Frank has a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science from the University of Dayton, as well as a Master of Public Administration degree focused on municipal management from Cleveland State University. Prior to joining Cedar Brook Group, Frank was a financial advisor in the private client group at Merrill Lynch and with NatCity/PNC Investments. Frank is active in his community, serving on various councils, boards, and committees. When he’s not working, you can find Frank spending time with his wife, Laura, their daughter, Reese, and their beloved collie, Charlie. Frank and his family are volunteers at St. Francis of Assisi church in Gates Mills. Frank serves as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Catholic Charities Diocese of Cleveland. To learn more about Frank, connect with him on LinkedIn.