Featured Profile

Gadberry Financial Group President Jay B. Gadberry.

When researching a company in which to invest, Gadberry looks at its leadership and talent at the top, the application of fundamentals, its defense strategy when the tide of momentum may change against it — all areas he says are prevalent in any great organization. Whether it’s a business or a football team, it doesn’t matter. The core values for winning are the same. “Defense wins championships,” Gadberry said.

Gadberry, who has worked for Stephens Capital Management, Morgan Keegan and Morgan Stanley Smith Barney in Little Rock over a 26-year career in investments, opened his own company, Gadberry Financial Group (GFG), in 2010. Gadberry describes GFG as a wealth management company that has a target clientele that consists of high net worth and ultra high net worth individuals, families, businesses, foundations and endowments.

“We have approximately 100 clients and have worked with most of them more than a decade. Dozens of our clients have been with us more than two decades,” Gadberry said. “We know them, and their families, and enjoy taking care of all facets of their financial lives.”

GFG serves as a branch office of Dallas-based WFG Investments, Inc. (WFG). As Gadberry’s broker-dealer, WFG manages $6.5 billion in assets held through National Financial Services (a subsidiary of Fidelity) and was named one of the fastest growing independent broker/dealers in the country for the third consecutive year. Gadberry serves on the Advisory Council of WFG.

Gadberry Financial Group manages money through four divisions. Global wealth management services are offered to GFG clients; global wealth management includes strategies of asset protection, estate planning, retirement planning, succession planning, gifting strategies, insurance reviews and philanthropy. Gadberry said, “We operate as a chief financial officer for high and ultra high-net worth families.”

The company generates income from portfolio management, investment consulting, retirement plan consulting and advising in the areas of 401(k), 403(b) and 457’s. GFG works with multiple retirement plan providers and third-party administrators to provide the best solution to each client’s unique needs.

Gadberry’s portfolio design adds value due to tremendous risk-based performance. “I am managing risk, risk that the general public doesn’t think about,” he said. “What we do that is different [from competitors or large corporate investment houses] is add alpha by tactically managing assets. Our No. 1 goal is adding value for clients by optimizing portfolios.”

Gadberry is a numbers cruncher extraordinaire. Behind his desk, a computer screen shows dozens of stock quotes — Gadberry’s typical long day includes three-and-a-half hours devoted solely to research — a required discipline to stay on top of an ever-changing market and to continue to add alpha to the portfolios that Gadberry manages.

Gadberry, who attended the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Senior Consultant Program in 2005, has been involved in the venture capitalization of 19 companies. He was a founder and member of the Advanced Thermal Technology LLC board, where he served as secretary/treasurer from 1996-2000. He was also one of the founding board members of E-Doc America LLC, a Little Rock-based Internet health care provider. Other companies Gadberry was involved with include a biomedical technology company, a wireless company and an education network company.

Gadberry is an active member and volunteer in the community. A lifelong resident of Arkansas, he places value on the opportunity to give back to his community and to the state. His love of duck hunting and the outdoors is prevalent throughout his office.

His talent at picking sound investments was illustrated in 1993 when, while working at T.J. Raney & Sons (later to become Morgan Keegan), he finished second in a national contest supervised by Registered Representative, a trade publication, that tracked return on investments. The key to the contest was that the investment had to be part of the broker’s personal portfolio. Gadberry focused on Southern-based stocks, including five Arkansas companies, to earn a 35 percent increase for the year on the portfolio. Even then as today, Gadberry said, “I like to handle my clients just like I handle my own accounts.” And he does that with winning lessons learned long ago thanks to inspirational coaching mentors, blended with 26 years of business experience.

“This is where we differentiate ourselves the most,” he said of his firm’s investment philosophy. “We use Modern Portfolio Theory coupled with Efficient and Essential Portfolio Theory. We have six strategic investment models based on levels of risk tolerance. We utilize Tactical Asset Allocation to add alpha. GFG uses focused efforts to maximize strategies based on risk management principles, proper asset allocation, and optimizing the portfolios by utilizing non-correlating asset classes offered through alternative investments.

If terms like “alpha” and “tactical assets” leave your head spinning, the congenial Gadberry can win you over with his big smile, a slap on the back and the assurance that it’s all in finding the investments that display championship core values.

Gadberry Financial Group is a branch office of WFG Investments, Inc. (WFG). Registered Representative of WFG Securities offered through WFG Investments, Inc., member FINRA & SIPC.

Gadberry Financial Group
425 W. Capitol Ave., Suite 3830
Little Rock, AR 72201
501-975-7100
http://GadberryFG.com

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