John Picardi • Kennesaw, GA
Active Financial Group • J.W. Cole Advisors

John Picardi brings some powerful business credentials to his successful financial-planning and wealth-advisory practice. Picardi began his professional career as a CPA, having studied accounting and finance during his undergraduate years. He gained valuable executive experience and earned increasing responsibility as a CFO, COO, and CEO for a variety of corporations, developing expert knowledge of the software and technology side of the hospitality industry. He has also been involved at a senior level in international business development, broad customer-support organizations, and merger and acquisition development and recommendations.

In 2003, he launched his career as a wealth manager and financial planner by opening his own independent financial services practice. Picardi takes a holistic approach to wealth management, utilizing his background as a CPA to help integrate tax and retirement planning into his overall financial recommendations and solutions for clients.

Picardi says, “I cannot shed my natural inclinations stemming from my corporate and CPA background, nor would I really want to. A big part of my process is to dig very deeply into my clients’ particular needs and then dig even deeper in constructing solutions that will fit their circumstances. I am very analytical by nature and take that skillset to my evaluation of investment alternatives and third-party money managers. My clients know I have done my homework on their behalf.”

Picardi is a great believer in active investment management and in utilizing the latest technology to aid in finding the best alternatives for his clients’ longer-term objectives. He says, “My core definition of active investment management is to build a plan for each client that will generate the returns needed to meet their financial goals while tightly monitoring risk. This can cross any number of asset classes, strategies, and time horizons.”

“Customize even the most complex financial solutions.”

“In terms of the equity portion of portfolios, when the markets are running hot, I want my clients to participate in that upside. We are never going to get 100% of market gains based on our disciplined approach, risk management, and diversified strategies, but we should get at least 80%. On the flip side, we place utmost importance on avoiding taking a major hit when markets turn down. I would like to see all of my clients enjoy the benefits of a managed account and that is my goal.”

While many advisors and managers utilize Monte Carlo simulations in looking at potential portfolio approaches, it is doubtful that very many bring the software and financial expertise of Picardi to this particular exercise. He says, “We will run hundreds of simulations over discrete time periods and frame the probability distribution parameters. We will identify the upper and lower ranges of best- and worst-case scenarios within a specific risk profile. While there are no guarantees on anything, I think we have demonstrated the ability to develop portfolios that have a 90% or greater probability of achieving the rates of return our clients require.”

This is not to suggest that Picardi feels the job can be done on autopilot or strictly through technology, as he gets deeply involved with each and every client, working through an in-depth process to get to know their complete financial circumstances, risk profile, and the objectives for their families’ financial, college, and retirement plans. This takes also a bit of negotiation and logic, as Picardi says, “Most clients, when we meet for the first time, have inflated notions about required annual returns and how much risk they need to take. I can demonstrate through a formal plan customized specifically for them that their goals are readily achievable with far less risk. That is a very welcome message, once they truly understand what our active management approach is and view the alternatives we can lay out.”

Picardi’s firm, Active Financial Group, is based in Kennesaw, Georgia, a close suburb of Atlanta. His wife, Sue, also has a strong accounting and financial background, as well as prior corporate experience as an assistant controller. She takes a prominent role in the company, with a heavy emphasis on business development. Sue Picardi is quite active in local civic and business organizations, and facilitates a leadership group within the Cobb Chamber of Commerce. Together John and Sue have multiple insurance and securities licenses, including investment advisor representative registrations. For John this enables him to “customize even the most complex financial solutions.”

“The only constant in life and business is that change is continuous.”

Active Financial Group has been affiliated with J.W. Cole Financial, Inc., an independent broker/dealer located in Tampa, Florida, since October of 2010. Picardi finds their products and services to be of the highest caliber and appreciates that they offer a wide range of third-party managers on their platform.

He says, “I bring that same CPA mindset to thoroughly evaluating the track records of third-party managers. I tend to research everything to a minute degree, and before I commit client funds to any manager, I want to be sure I am in full agreement with their active strategies and consistency of performance over time.”

This attention to “managing the managers,” and Active’s commitment to a disciplined and personalized planning process has led to substantial business and AUM growth, with over 300 current clients. Picardi and Active Financial Group were recognized by J.W. Cole in 2012 for outstanding achievement and growth.

Picardi rather proudly confesses that his wife Sue is the driving force at building and maintaining a referral network and bringing attention to Active’s message, which he summarizes as, “The only constant in life and business is that change is continuous. Managing change has become more challenging in today’s environment, and finances also have to be actively managed. We think that does not have to be stressful and filled with uncertainty. We’re here to facilitate that process and provide the expert guidance and tools to do just that.”