Fiduciary
Finesse
Weathering 2020 with Axiom Financial Strategies Group
By Laura Ross
In these times of uncertainty, rapidly changing
job situations, and the COVID-19 health crisis, we
find our lives changing almost daily. How do you
possibly plan for your family’s financial future? It
can be an overwhelming thought, and one you
might shove on a shelf for a later day.
Not so fast, says Axiom Financial Strategies
Group’s founder and partner Vaughan Scott. He
says now is the perfect time to plan for financial
security. “Ask yourself, do you have a plan?” Scott
says, “Do you have faith in that plan? If you don’t,
then you better talk to someone with expertise.”
Long-term financial planning not only gives
you peace of mind, it also helps weather financial
storms like the one we find ourselves in right now.
“The general pendulum swings between irrational
exuberance and panic,” explains Scott. “The
reality is you must have objective data to make
informed decisions, and that’s what these plans
do. (At Axiom Financial Services) we have ways
to reduce the risk. The corrections that occur let
us do major repositioning, but it’s always based
on a client’s needs or goals. We try to provide as
many solutions as possible.”
New Albany’s Axiom Financial Strategies Group,
led by Scott and his business partner, Mike Grau,
has served Southern Indiana, Kentucky, and
beyond since 2009. After a long stretch under
the Wells Fargo umbrella, the firm recently began
registered independent investment advisory
operations focused on growth, service, integrity,
accountability, and innovation.
Scott, a Southern Indiana native and Indiana
University graduate, got the bug to help others
build wealth by emulating his mom, who was a
financial planner throughout the 1980s. “When I
got out of college, the person who hired my mom
suggested I get some real-world experience,”
Scott says. He started working in the business
with UBS in 1999 and worked with a team that
included Gloria Bommarrito and Abby Wolfe,
investment advisors who are still critical leaders
of the Axiom team today.
“Gloria and I split off to join Smith Barney in
partnership with Your Community Bank (YCB) to
take over YCB’s investment and trust operations
in 2003,” says Scott. “She and I started with a fax
machine and a couple computers,” he laughs.
When work increased and they needed
assistance, Scott asked Smith Barney for help
finding someone who had an excellent planning
background and was introduced to Mike Grau
in 2003.
“We built what became our Axiom team in
that one conference room,” adds Grau, Axiom
partner, certified financial planner, and retirement
income certified professional. His background in
accounting and managing client portfolios was
the perfect fit.
The team clicked, and Axiom Financial Strategies
Group was formed in partnership with Wells Fargo
in 2009 – just as that year’s financial crisis hit.
Today, Axiom serves clients in Indiana, Kentucky,
and 14 other states. Scott and Grau have built
a team of investment advisors with experience
and enthusiasm and have plans for continued
growth. Many Axiom advisors have close ties to
Southern Indiana.
“An axiom is a closely held principle or truth,”
explains Scott. “We originally operated under
our last names, but knew we wanted a name that
had meaning.”
Axiom Financial Strategies Group advises
individuals, families, family-owned businesses,
and entrepreneurs through all stages of
financial planning, including wealth growth
and management, 401K investments, strategic
planning, and trusts.
“We have a team of nine advisors who all work
to make Axiom the best,” says Grau. “Our clients
see that. We invite them in, show them how we
work, and even do a complimentary plan first.
We want them to be comfortable with the entire
team and know they are welcomed and respected.”
52 EXTOL : SUMMER 2020