OUR STORY
The MarketCounsel Story
MarketCounsel Consulting was launched when our founder, Brian Hamburger, could no longer ignore the glaring and widening gap in services curated for entrepreneurial-minded investment advisors. Brian left the comfortable confines of the law firm that employed him, insistent on providing his investment advisor clients with unparalleled expertise and an uncompromising service experience, wrapped in a predictable fee arrangement. With a six-month-old daughter in tow and a son on his way, he sold his first house to finance the endeavor, and in August of 2000 MarketCounsel Consulting and its affiliate law firm, the Hamburger Law Firm, were born. We are quite proud of what we do; both what we have accomplished thus far and what we are developing. We come to work each and every day with a single purpose, “To empower the country’s preeminent entrepreneurial investment advisors to optimize their potential impact.”
MarketCounsel Consulting is the leading business and regulatory compliance consultancy to the country’s preeminent independent investment advisors throughout all stages of their lifecycle. From its roots in 2000, MarketCounsel has been steadfast in its mission to deliver solutions to the most substantial challenges faced by entrepreneurs in this fast-growing and highly-regulated industry and it has emerged as one of its most effective advocates. From the initial launch of an advisor to its regulatory compliance management platform, and from its business growth to its succession strategies, MarketCounsel consistently delivers trusted counsel within an extraordinary service experience by leveraging the finest minds in the industry, advanced technologies and sound business processes. The firm’s annual event, the MarketCounsel Summit, has become the premier gathering for the country’s leading growth-oriented, independent investment advisors and serves as both a spark and catalyst for conversation among the industry’s leaders.
MarketCounsel clients are now serviced by a team of dedicated MarketCounsellors, a substantial number of whom possess advanced, post-graduate degrees or professional industry credentials. However, all share one thing in common — an unwavering commitment to the success of our clients.
Our professional staff is comprised of experienced securities industry attorneys who frequently present numerous internal and external continuing education opportunities. Brian is often called upon to speak at regional and national conferences, not to mention his own annual gathering of the industry’s top advisors and thought leaders, The MarketCounsel Summit. He is currently a regular contributor for CNBC and has been quoted by The Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Dow Jones, and Reuters as well as every investment industry publication.
ABOUT THE TEAM
We put the best people to work, delivering the highest quality counsel and an uncompromising service experience, all on the most advanced technology platform for the benefit of our members. We take a truly proactive approach to our responsibilities and are vigilant about our overall commitment to their success. In short, we know that from their success comes ours.
Beyond the business processes and strong technology that our service model is built upon, it is the quality of our professionals that makes MarketCounsel a truly special partner. Intent on avoiding the call center or “next available operator” effect that has plagued countless consulting relationships, MarketCounsel has imposed the most rigorous qualification standards and ongoing training in the industry for its counsel. Each compliance professional is a seasoned securities attorney with years of experience or comes with skills garnered from extensive employment within the securities industry. This depth of knowledge allows us to develop solutions that are truly “outside the box” and addresses the fundamental issues with forward-thinking and novel approaches that are tailored for each of our members.
LEADERSHIP TEAM
BRIAN HAMBURGER
President and CEO
DANIEL BERNSTEIN
Chief Regulatory Counsel
ANTHONY STICH
Executive Managing Director
CLIFTON SCHALLER
Chief of Operations
KRISTEN BENADOM
General Counsel
WALTER K. BOOKER
Managing Director, Administration
RYAN MARCUS
Managing Director, Engagement
OUR CORE VALUES
We examine root causes, consider relevant facts, think strategically, and articulate a solution. We exhibit a bias towards action.
We consistently accomplish amazing amounts of important work. We do more with less.
We remain intellectually curious, are always on a hunt for a better way, and embrace innovation. We strive to simplify the complex.
We are tenacious in our pursuit of excellence, inspire others by our actions, maintain a fiercely positive outlook, and celebrate our victories. We do whatever it takes.
We nurture strong relationships with our colleagues, clients and partners by doing what we commit to and leverage the strength of our entire team. We succeed together.
OUR MISSION
To deliver objective advice and innovative and elegant solutions, addressing the complex business challenges faced by independent investment advisors, all within an extraordinary service platform to turn clients and industry partners into evangelists.
CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT
Since our inception, we have never stopped innovating and remain steadfast in our focus. Our time-tested processes are ironclad until we find a better way. We address every conceivable client question or concern before our clients have even conceived them by anticipating the challenges faced by clients with answers to questions they didn’t even know they had. Been there, done that.
Our ability to react swiftly, with poise, to effectively handle any challenge during all phases of the entrepreneurial journey is an ever-present source of comfort to our clients. We got this.
We’re an oasis of calm and professionalism, a single source of unbiased and objective advice for those crossing the bridge to independence to the newly minted to the seasoned veteran RIAs.
The concepts of continuous improvement and resource management are hard-wired into everything we do.
