Phoenix, Arizona-based Patrick Funke & Associates has joined the independent advisor network of national RIA Commonwealth Financial Network.
Patrick Funke, CLU, ChFC, AIF, and his wife and longtime business partner, Jennifer Funke, manage the firm, which advises on more than $430 million in client assets and previously was associated with Osaic.
“Patrick and Jennifer sought an operational model that would free up time to focus on client service and growing their practice, and we’re honored that they found their long-term fit with Commonwealth,” Becca Hajjar, Commonwealth managing principal and chief business development officer, said in a news release.
Patrick Funke founded the firm more than a quarter century ago to serve small corporate retirement plans with a strong focus on participant education. “Oftentimes, a workplace 401(k) meeting can be the first interaction an investor has with an advisor,” Funke said in the release. “This provides an opportunity to make those meetings a gateway to making a genuine difference in people’s lives.”
The practice has grown entirely by word-of-mouth referrals, and it individual, family and trust clients include business owners and others connected to its retirement plan business, Funke said.
“We aim to be a lower-cost provider, offering financial planning and investment services consistent with what I describe as an evidence-based approach to investment selection,” said Funke.
Jennifer Funke said their choice of Commonwealth as a partner firm was based on the need for efficiency, order, and intuitive technology. “With the Commonwealth approach, we appreciate that when we have questions, people pick up the phone, listen, and call back promptly,” she said.
The practice serves hundreds of clients, but the Funkes said the transition process was smooth. “Now that we’ve transitioned, we’re finding that opening a new account takes five minutes. The system generates all the forms, and it’s easy for clients to approve via DocuSign.”
Commonwealth Financial Network, a registered investment adviser and member of FINRA/SIPC, has been ranked by J.D. Power no. 1 in Independent Advisor Satisfaction Among Financial Investment Firms 11 times in a row.”
The privately held firm has headquarters in Waltham, Massachusetts, and San Diego, California, and an operations hub in Blue Ash, Ohio.
