Paul Speargas, CFA
CO-CHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER, SENIOR FINANCIAL ADVISOR
SHAREHOLDER, INVESTMENT COMMITTEE CHAIR
In his role as Co-Chief Investment Officer, Paul guides the long-term investment vision, philosophy and strategies for the firm’s clients. Paul has focused his career on working with high-net-worth individuals and multiple generations of families, and directly leads a number of our client engagements. He is also a member of the firm’s Management Committee and Board of Directors.
Prior to joining WMS Partners, Paul was a Senior Portfolio Manager at Mercantile Investment and Wealth Management. Before that, Paul worked as a Vice President and Portfolio Manager at Bank of America's Private Bank and its predecessors. Paul is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder and an active member of The CFA Institute and the Baltimore CFA Society. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree and a Master of Business Administration, with a concentration in finance, from Loyola University.
Paul is on the Board of Trustees of The Odyssey School, where he serves as Chair of the Investment Committee. He is also on the Board Quality Committee for the Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC). He is also a member of the Loyola Blakefield Alumni Board. Paul is also a former Board Member at Mother Seton Academy.
WHAT DO YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT BEING A PART OF THE WMS PARTNERS TEAM?
Our shared values: they are what engender trust in our team and link our organization together. We hold firm to a set of core beliefs that have set our firm apart from others in our industry. We act as true fiduciaries by always putting our client’s interests first and we present our people and services in a truthful, honest light so as to never misrepresent the scope of our services. We always do what we say and never claim expertise where none exists. That is rare in this industry and I take pride in that.
HOW DO YOU WANT YOUR CLIENTS TO VIEW THEIR WEALTH?
We stress that being good stewards of wealth goes beyond preservation, governance, and taxation issues to define the purpose of the wealth, not just its retention. We help our clients define their long-term goals and to deal with the strategic issues or risks that stand in the way of accomplishing those goals. There is a tremendous change that occurs in a family once they have clearly defined their wealth objectives and agreed on a strategic plan to accomplish them. In terms of their wealth, they increasingly move from being reactive and defensive to proactive and visionary.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE TO DO OUTSIDE OF WORK?
I love to spend time with my family and friends. I play squash and golf, as well as run regularly. I enjoy reading and listening to an eclectic range of music, preferably live.