Our Culture
"Tocqueville customers deal with individual members of our staff who collectively become the financial memory of each client."
This is paramount, for we have long prided ourselves on providing the best service possible. In a world full of financial advice (some of it excellent), the only areas where we can hope to make a true difference are the quality of our service, the dedication of our people, the constancy of our values, and the temperance of our judgment. To preserve these differences we hire individuals and bring in partners who are both highly competent and deeply dedicated, and we treat them well. Over their long careers at Tocqueville, our employees and partners accumulate a wealth of knowledge, not only about the technical aspects of our business, but also about our clients. Tocqueville customers do not deal with an organization but rather with individual members of our staff who collectively become the financial memory of each client and their family.
Critical to our success is a congenial environment where our staff can thrive in a culture that promotes responsibility and proactive care for clients. This requires a small, flexible entity to insure that our staff has intimate knowledge of clients' financial histories and their current affairs. The typical investment firm has research, portfolio management, marketing, and client relation functions that tend to coexist as separate groups. Neither we nor our clients are comfortable with the impersonal service and high employee turnover suggested by such departmentalization. Instead, our clients prefer to deal with an intelligent, discreet firm where they can develop a personal, lasting relationship with their investment advisor and the assistants who handle their day-to-day needs. To accommodate them, Tocqueville features a flat, open organizational structure, with little hierarchy, where everyone knows each other and tasks are shared. With experience, we have learned that this type of collegial, less structured environment promotes a genuine caring attitude and insures that nothing falls between the cracks.
This unique ambiance also promotes broader ties with each client. Often we are called upon to participate and advise clients on issues outside the narrow investment purview by serving as trustee or executor, for example, or even helping select a prep school. A commitment of this extent leaves scant opportunity to prospect for new clients, a time consuming and distracting process. In addition, experience has taught us that our best source of new business is referrals from clients and professionals who understand our values and investment perspective.
New York, NY 10019