I remember my childhood bedroom I shared with my brother, John, above the garage on Cromwell Lane. Depending on the season, the room always ran a little hotter or colder than the rest of the house. In the Falco household, January through April 15 meant tax season. John and I would feel the vibration of the garage door beneath us around 5 a.m., Monday through Saturday, even on the coldest Pennsylvania mornings each year. Sometimes, our dad wouldn’t return home until well after dinner. I wouldn’t fully understand what Dad did for a living until adulthood, but I remember admiring his work ethic as a boy. I wanted to work hard like him.
Dad admired the peace of mind that his father brought to clients. Michael A. Falco, Poppy, as I called him, started a public accounting firm in 1962. As Dad likes to say, when Poppy showed up, clients knew they would be okay. Dad joined Poppy’s practice a month before I was born in 1983, and one of the first things he did was give the practice a name, Michael Falco & Company. When Poppy passed away unexpectedly in the fall of 1994, Dad suddenly found himself buying the company from my grandmother. Many companies would have failed, but Dad works too hard. He’s led the company through a successful evolution during the last 30 years to become more than an accounting practice.
I’ve been reluctant to join the family business. I’ve felt the need to prove I can make it on my own. I’ve worked with financial advisors on investment managers’ behalf for nearly two decades. In that time, I’ve advised hundreds of financial advisors on investments and practice management. Over the past few years, I’ve felt an internal pull to become a financial advisor myself. During my career, I’ve accumulated industry gold-standard credentials and significant experience in financial markets, investing and financial planning. More recently, my reluctance has grown into excitement. I feel confident that my experience and Dad’s lessons in hard work have prepared me to serve the clients of Falco Wealth Management with the same level of expertise, passion and care they’ve come to expect.
In addition to introducing myself, I’m proud to introduce Falco Wealth Management’s Registered Investment Adviser, Falco Wealth Planning. This move brings our investment management and financial planning capabilities in house. We believe this evolution in Falco Wealth Management will enable us to serve clients more holistically and cost effectively. We look forward to speaking to each current client about what this means for you.
Falco Wealth Planning specializes in helping families build healthy relationships with money. We have the tools, resources and expertise to engage your family’s financial planning and investing needs at each generational level. From designing a budget for your newlywed son to assisting your aging mother in efficiently passing on assets, Dad and I can help.
We live in an era of consolidation and big-box chains. That’s not us. When you work with Falco Wealth Management, you’re not a customer; you’re a valued client. Our family has been serving clients for 61 years. I’m thankful to Dad and Poppy for their hard work and sacrifice, and I’m honored to become the third generation of Falcos serving you.
Michael J. Falco Jr.