RSWA Annual Newsletter 2025

It has been a very good year financially for clients. The stock market had a tremendous year (two in a row!), the bond market was solidly positive, and even money markets performed well. Yet, despite the nice returns, it was a volatile year and a year of worry for many investors due to inflationary pressures and political uncertainty. Despite those worries, keeping an eye on the long term benefited clients as well as RSWA as we all navigated market gyrations and the 24-hour news cycle.  

With the long term in mind, this past year the firm added more team members, more technology and more office space! Tracey and David are leading three teams to support our ever-growing client base. We made these investments in personnel, technology, and the office so RSWA can stay ahead of the curve and continue to provide the top personal experience, service, and advice our clients have come to expect.  

We are very fortunate to have such a dedicated team showing up every day focused on helping our clients as much as possible. And we also feel very fortunate for the personal relationships, trust, and confidence our clients have placed in us. For all of that, we are very grateful.  

We hope you have a very happy and prosperous New Year and hope you enjoy this year’s update!

As our clients & friends of the firm know, hosting events is one of our favorite things to do. They allow us to enjoy time with everyone outside of the office in a more casual environment (we also enjoy sipping on some wine and eating some good food). This year we hosted two wonderful events:

In February, we attended the Wentworth Wine Festival hosted by the Wentworth by the Sea Hotel in beautiful New Castle, NH. We have joined in on the wine tasting fun in years past, and it was always a crowd favorite. Once again, a great time was had by all enjoying the food, wine, and music. 

What is better than a day at the ballpark? A day at the ballpark with your favorite financial advisor! Ok, maybe that isn’t exactly the case, but we did enjoy a beautiful summer evening at Hadlock Field for a Portland Sea Dogs game. Many clients and friends brought their whole family for a night out to watch some baseball, eat some hot dogs and of course some famous Sea Dogs Biscuits.

Events for 2025 are in the works. So, if you were unable to join us last year, we hope to see you at a future outing!

Readers of our weekly newsletter, Financial Advisor Insights, know that this year has brought an abundance of financial data to analyze. Our investment committee, made up of all the firm’s financial advisors, has been hard at work reviewing this information to ensure our clients’ portfolios remain thoughtfully and strategically allocated.

 2024 proved to be another rewarding one for investors. Stock markets in the U.S. and developed international regions delivered solid returns, rewarding those who stayed the course despite ongoing uncertainties surrounding global inflation, major elections, and geopolitical challenges. Bonds also contributed meaningfully, offering both income and stability to portfolios.

This year we spent a lot of time expanding our alternative options which now includes private credit, private equity, and real estate. Due to regulations, some of the alternative investments can only be offered to clients that meet certain investment and net worth minimums. But we continue to build out the space as we believe it offers competitive returns and diversification benefits. 

Since our firm’s inception, we have embraced the Kaizen philosophy of continuous improvement, always striving to identify opportunities for small, incremental enhancements in our processes and systems. These efforts have consistently translated into significant long-term benefits, enabling us to deliver exceptional service, investment management, and financial planning advice to our clients.

In recent years, we recognized that some of our technology no longer met our high standards and decided it was time for a transformative change. After an extensive and thorough evaluation of various software solutions, we chose Advyzon—an innovative and comprehensive platform designed to support advisory firms across all aspects of their operations.

In our day-to-day operations, it is imperative that we know exactly what is occurring in client portfolios and have quick and easy access to information needed to help our clients make the best financial decisions. Advyzon helps us in a multitude of these areas:

• Client Relations Management – Essential client information is always accessible, ensuring we have the data and insights needed to guide clients toward making the best financial decisions.
• Portfolio Monitoring – Client portfolios fluctuate daily, and our advisors closely monitor accounts to ensure they remain aligned with each client’s objectives. Without technology, these tasks would consume a significant amount of time. However, with the support of advanced software, this process can be completed in just minutes, allowing our advisors to focus on delivering personalized guidance.
• Trading - Advyzon’s trading solutions offer robust trading and rebalancing capabilities. These tools support various objectives, including asset location optimization, cash management, and tax-loss harvesting.
• Client reporting – Our new technology enables us to present portfolio data in a clear, easy-to-understand format, complete with engaging visuals.

New Client Portal  

The benefits extend beyond internal improvements. With this new platform, we’ve introduced an upgraded client portal that maintains the familiar look and feel of the previous version while significantly enhancing its features and functionality.

The RSWA client portal offers clients dynamic portfolio views and a secure document vault for seamlessly sharing files with their advisors.

New Mobile App 

What good is new technology with out a mobile app? Our new client portal includes a mobile-friendly app, allowing you to access your portfolio and account data directly from your phone with the same full functionality as the desktop version!

If you haven’t set up your client portal or mobile app yet and need assistance, don’t hesitate to reach out—we’re here to help!

We are thrilled to have implemented this new technology and are eager to explore its full potential. We see significant opportunities for further improvement and look forward to fully integrating all the features Advyzon has to offer!

As our client base continued to expand and exciting updates were on the horizon, we recognized the need for additional support at the firm. In true RSWA fashion, we decided to swing big and bring on not one, but two exceptional new team members—Wes and Kjersti.

Wes and Kjersti have joined our Portland office and are collaborating with Tracey to deliver investment management and financial planning services to our clients. Each brings a unique set of skills that enhance the value we provide to both our clients and the firm.

We are excited to have both of them on our team!

Wes McNeillie, CFP®

Wes is a Financial Advisor for RSWA. Prior to joining the team, he earned his bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (Go Vols!) and went on to complete his Master of Business Administration at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. With seven years of experience in the financial services industry, Wes has spent the last three years as a financial planner, having achieved his CFP® designation in August 2021. Originally from Maryville, TN, Wes made the move to Portland in July to become part of our team.

Kjersti Conway

Kjersti is a Paraplanner for RSWA. She joins us after earning her bachelor's degree in Financial Economics and completing the Center for Undergraduate Research Fellowship at the University of Maine. She also has experience in auditing and banking prior to starting her financial planning career. Originally from Rutland, Vermont, Kjersti spent her summers in Maine and ultimately chose to stay to remain close to her family.

David Smith earns CPWA^® Designation!

The Certified Private Wealth Advisor® designation is an advanced professional certification for Financial Advisors who serve high-net-worth and ultra-high-net-worth investors and families. The CPWA® program takes a holistic and multidisciplinary approach that includes a deep dive into sophisticated wealth strategies, estate planning, wealth transfer, behavioral finance, family dynamics, tax management, and legacy planning. - investmentsandwealth.org

Congrats, David!

Wealth Management - Gold Medal                       Financial Planning - Silver Medal

We are very proud that we were awarded the silver medal for Financial Planning and the gold medal for Wealth Management in the 2023 Best of the 207 contest! We are truly honored to be recognized for the work we do for our clients, especially knowing this recognition comes from public support! While we’re incredibly proud, we remain committed to continuous improvement and growth. Thank you to everyone who voted for us—we deeply appreciate your support!

Exciting things happened for the RSWA team outside of work too!

• For David, it was a busy but wonderful year in the Smith household! This past April my middle son, Alexander, graduated from my alma mater, the University of Cincinnati (UC-Go Bearcats!) with a degree in Sports Administration. We also moved him into an apartment in Foxboro, Mass as he is now working full time for the MLS New England Revolution. During the year we also attended a few UC basketball and football games which were a lot of fun. I’m not quite sure the rest of the household has fully come to grips with having two Bearcats in the family, but everyone is adjusting! 😊 In July, I went on a ten-day vacation with my oldest and youngest sons, Mitchell and Jonah, to Northern California. We had a great time exploring San Francisco, the redwoods at John Muir National Monument, and fitting in a few wine tastings!  

• 2024 was a busy year both personally and professionally for Tracey. She started the year with some travel first to Sarasota to visit clients then to the Dominican Republic with her husband for some walks on the beach and a lot of swimming. The summer was filled with family and home projects. Tracey’s husband rebuilt their driveway with eight dump trucks of gravel! They then renovated a bathroom, their daughter came for a visit and their son got engaged. In October, their son got married in the backyard and five days later her mother-in-law passed away. Life can be a rollercoaster at times. Professionally there was the office move, the new technology and the new team members. And she joined the board of a newly formed local non-profit. Making It Home has been created with the mission to offer newly housed individuals and families new and gently used household goods to help restore hope, dignity, and stability to their lives. If you are interested here is the link https://www.makingithomemaine.org/
  
  
• Greg crossed the 11-year mark with the firm in 2024. He also went on his annual family bonding/hunting getaway in Northern Maine in November. Once again, no animals were harmed. (We've said this before, but need to say it again - his hunting trips should be sponsored by PETA!). His son Joshua is in the 5th grade at Holy Cross School in South Portland, and after winning his class spelling bee the past 2 years, is hoping to be part of the Cumberland County spelling bee challenge this year. A half-season ticket holder to the Maine Mariners again this year, Greg and Joshua are looking forward to cheering the team on this winter, in hopes of a deeper playoff run than last year.

• Wendi finds it hard to believe it’s December already! The Smiths’ were out and about this year. Is it coincidental they we’re recently empty nesters?  David, Leo and Wendi went to Florida to escape the cold for the first time last winter. Wendi now loves Key West in February! In the spring, their middle son Alexander went with Wendi to Scotland to see their youngest son, Jonah and the three of them hiked in the Scottish Highlands. They only got a little wet! Wendi and David traveled to Cincinnati to see Alexander graduate from UC-Go Bearcats! And this summer they saw their oldest, Mitchell, in New York City. They enjoyed time in New England as well. They stayed with friends in Maine, hiked the White Mountains, and listened to jazz in Portsmouth. Wendi continued to run in road races this summer. She got bitten by the half marathon bug when she ran it with Jonah two years ago, so she did it again! Each time she finishes she says never again, but David adds that she said the same thing about kids! In short, Wendi felt very blessed this year! 
  
  
• 2024 brought more exciting happenings for Donovan. He was selected to be a part of Leadership Seacoast’s Class of 2024, where he took part in a seven-month community leadership program aimed at providing participants with insight into the various challenges facing the greater Seacoast, NH area, as well as the impactful efforts being made to tackle these issues. He took many exciting trips throughout the year that included visits to Oregon, Washington, Colorado, Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, Quebec, and of course, Indiana. Donovan also managed to squeeze in time for his favorite hobby, running. He competed in two marathons – the Shamrock Marathon in Virginia Beach in March and the Chicago Marathon in October – and several other races throughout Maine, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire including the Mt. Washington Auto Road Race. The most exciting update came on Mother’s Day weekend when Donovan and his wife, Hanna, found out that they were going to be parents! With baby Miles set to arrive in mid-January, 2025 should provide a lot of exciting times again.

• Gerrit and his wife, Katie, continued growing the operation of their small farm, adding more chickens and ducks to the flock. ‘DIY’ updates to the home were also made, with most of the summer spent gathering rocks and hand-laying a stone patio. The indoor project was a complete renovation of a bathroom and shower. They spent multiple weekends in Rangeley, ME reading (Gerrit’s new favorite author is Claire Keegan), cross-country skiing (when there was snow), hiking, and were able to experience the totality of the eclipse. Gerrit added to his cooking skills, experimenting with new ingredients and different regions. Gerrit continues to volunteer with the town of Monmouth, participating in trail cleanups and joining a new town trail committee to develop a broader, connected trail system in town for all abilities and interests. Gerrit and Katie are expecting their first child any moment at the end of 2024 – another hand to toil in the soil.
  
  
• Wes joined the firm in July. However, going back to the start of 2024, Wes has experienced many big changes. He sold his house in east TN, moved to Portland and is about to embark on his first Maine winter – wish him luck. While east TN will always be home, he is glad to call Maine his second home (it will be a while before he can call himself a Mainer though 😊). During the spring of last year, Wes and his Dad went to Greece to spend 10 days. He enjoyed it so much, he is going back in 2025 – this time with his Mom and adding Italy to the itinerary. As alluded to during the welcoming newsletter in July, Wes’s passion for the Volunteers is unwavering. His travels this fall have taken him back to Tennessee, then to Arkansas and Ohio to watch the Vols play. Wes looks forward to spending the week of Christmas with his family in east TN. He was also involved in a couple of non-profits in east TN, and is looking to make an impact with some local charities in Maine. Please feel free to reach out to him with suggestions.
• Kjersti joined the firm in October this year. She and her sister have been enjoying decorating their new apartment in Biddeford, hanging out with her other sister and nephew, and keeping her cats from being too rowdy! She is extremely happy to be a member of the RSWA team and has enjoyed learning new things every day. She and her sisters spend almost every Sunday going somewhere new for “Sister Excursion Day” and anticipate continuing the tradition into 2025!
  
  

We appreciate you being a part of our year. As always, best wishes for health, happiness, (and some wealth), in the new year!

Thank you!

David, Tracey, Donovan, Gerrit, Wes, Kjersti, Greg, and Wendi