All-rounder to lead Geller’s attorney outreach

FWR Staff

23 March 2005

Family-office outsourcing provider continues personal-CFO push. Accounting and tax outsourcing firm Geller & Company has hired Jon Persson to fill the roles of senior financial planner and chief compliance officer. As a practice development leader, he will also launch a financial planning initiative for attorneys and other professionals.

"Jon's depth and range of expertise are extraordinary and will make an important contribution to our continuing growth," says Maria Neary, head of Geller’s family office unit. "We extend an enthusiastic welcome to him."

Persson was previously a senior financial planner with Citigroup Private Bank. His responsibilities included compliance, recruiting and training financial planners, and updating software systems – all while personally serving law-firm clients. Before joining Citigroup, he owned and ran a registered investment advisory that served closely held businesses and retirees. Among the firm's specialties was planning for law-firm partners.

Persson’s appointment is part of Geller’s campaign to become a bigger player in the personal CFO arena. Last September founder and CEO Martin Geller emphasized the firm’s "commitment to growing its family-offices services practice" as a reason for hiring Neary away from New York-based private wealth manager Braun Business Management, where she was COO.

Geller’s family-office services fall into three categories. As a personal financial administrator the firm pays bills, collect receivables, monitors income and expenses, manages cash flow, analyzes net worth and reports on investment results. As a tax consultancy it prepares tax returns and recommends estate-tax strategies. In the role of investment and risk manager, Geller develops investment strategies, suggests asset allocation plans, provides portfolio analysis and reporting and monitors insurance holdings.

New York-based Geller was founded in 1984. –FWR