Private Wealth Group
Private Wealth Management & Family Office Services for Plaintiffs
Personalized investment strategies designed around the family's objectives, liquidity requirements, risk considerations, income needs and long-term vision.
The goal isn't simply to invest money.
It is to determine what the settlement needs to accomplish and then build the financial strategy around those objectives.
Settlement Wealth Planning
Settlement wealth is fundamentally different from traditional wealth. For plaintiffs, a significant settlement or verdict does not represent accumulated savings or excess investment capital—it represents financial security intended to replace something that has been lost or provide for needs that may last a lifetime.
A client may be living with a catastrophic injury, permanent disability, chronic medical needs, ongoing rehabilitation, future surgeries, specialized equipment, home modifications, in-home care or other expenses that must be anticipated years or even decades into the future. The financial plan therefore cannot be built around investment performance alone. It must consider the client's medical and care needs, expected cash flow, housing, family obligations, taxes, government benefits, trusts, insurance, inflation and long-term quality of life as interconnected parts of the same strategy.
For many plaintiffs, a settlement may also be their first experience managing significant wealth. A family that has spent years focused on litigation, recovery or caring for an injured loved one can suddenly be responsible for making decisions involving millions of dollars. They may be approached with investment opportunities, asked to financially support friends or relatives, consider purchasing a new home, or be forced to make complex decisions about trusts and investments they have never encountered before. A financial mistake made early can have consequences that last for decades. These families need more than someone who manages investments—they need an experienced advisor who understands why the money exists, what it must accomplish and the unique legal and financial considerations surrounding plaintiff settlements.
The AFG Difference
For AFG founder Brian Adair, settlement planning is personal. After his father became the victim of medical malpractice, Brian and his family experienced firsthand how an unexpected injury can affect virtually every aspect of a family's life. Already an experienced wealth management professional, Brian was surprised by the lack of services and the limited planning options that were offered to plaintiffs receiving significant settlements. He believed that an injured individual or family receiving millions of dollars deserved the same sophisticated financial planning, personalized attention and access to specialized professionals that affluent families and business owners had long expected from private wealth firms. That experience became the foundation for AFG Settlement Planning and continues to shape how we care for families today.
AFG Settlement Planning specializes in plaintiff settlement planning. Our planning begins with the family —not with an investment portfolio. We understand that settlement assets may need to coordinate with trusts, government benefits, medical and life-care needs, tax considerations, estate planning and other specialized strategies. We can begin working with the plaintiff and their legal team before the settlement is finalized, allowing important decisions to be considered before the money is received rather than trying to solve problems after the fact.
Our Relationship Does Not End When The Settlement Funds
Through the AFG Private Client Group, we remain alongside the family as their needs evolve, providing the high-touch coordination of a family office and helping bring together the family's financial, legal, tax, trust and other professional advisors. AFG is a true partner for your clients. When a client is considering a purchase, needs a trust distribution, experiences a change in medical needs, has questions about benefits, wants to revise an estate plan or simply needs help understanding the financial impact of a decision, they have a team that already understands their history and their long-term plan.