Tad Gray
CFP®, CIMA®, CAP®
Buckingham Strategic Wealth
Wealth Advisor
Tad Gray
CFP®, CIMA®, CAP®
Buckingham Strategic Wealth
Wealth Advisor
People who are committed to taking care of their families and the causes they care about choose me because I help them keep their most important promises. - Tad Gray, CFP®, CIMA®, CAP®
Forever standing on the side of our clients.
Buckingham Strategic Wealth is a fee-only, fiduciary wealth management firm providing comprehensive financial planning, investment management and holistic wealth planning to help clients build and protect their wealth through life’s transitions. Our highest aspiration is to help our clients fulfill their financial dreams. Our advisors are never paid a commission of any kind and have a legal obligation to provide unbiased and trustworthy financial advice.
Tad Gray is passionate about helping people create the future they want and fulfilling their most important promises. Tad partners with his clients to help reveal both the purpose and methods for creating a financial plan that positively impacts their family. These conversations provide clients with a sense of accomplishment and peace of mind about the future they envision.
Helping clients with their financial future is only one of Tad’s passions. He is also a certified leadership coach and serves leaders by co-designing practices that achieve positive impact in their relationships, families, organizations and communities. Specifically, he helps artistic leaders and musicians grow professionally and fully realize their creative vision. Tad holds the CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ certification, and the Certified Investment Management Analyst® and Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® designations.
Tad followed a non-traditional path to wealth management, giving him a unique perspective. He received a music degree from the University of Colorado and enjoyed further musical studies in Aspen, Banff and at Yale. After earning an MBA from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, he served in leadership and business development roles in banking and capital markets with Bank of America and Wells Fargo. Tad transitioned to personal wealth management to more directly impact people’s lives.
Outside of work, Tad serves as board president for the Chicago-based Fifth House Ensemble, a chamber music group focused on redefining the classical music experience and cultivating social change in the community. Tad lives in Wilmette with his wife, a violinist and teacher. As a clarinetist, he enjoys playing chamber music with his musical family and others.
Tad Gray is a Member of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors
The National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors - highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
NAPFA members live by three important values:
- To be the beacon for independent, objective financial advice for individuals and families.
- To be the champion of financial services delivered in the public interest.
- To be the standard bearer for the emerging profession of financial planning.
Experience is everything.
Imagine having the freedom to focus your time and attention on the things that give you energy. We have spent decades closely following the market, economy, tax strategies and planning topics—so you don’t have to. Buckingham Strategic Wealth helps individuals, businesses, nonprofits and retirement plans owners achieve their most important life and financial goals by building holistic, evidence-based wealth plans.
First, we embark on a personal discovery process to uncover what’s important so we can DESIGN a plan customized to address your deepest wants and needs.
With academic research and financial science as the foundation, we BUILD a plan that’s the perfect fit, with distinct objectives and attainable action items.
Then, we PROTECT your plan by checking in to measure progress toward your goals and adjust as needed.
We are enthusiastic, unapologetic advocates of evidence. Your dreams and passions are too important to leave up to chance. Our offices serve as think tanks, where a kinetic mix of intelligence and diverse professional experience come together to benefit our clients.
We love working with data. Then those insights are put into play. We construct our portfolios out of diversified stock funds; high-quality bonds; and, in some cases, alternative investment strategies. We help you control what you can in your portfolio: taxes, fees and risk.
In addition to being fiduciaries who always work in your best interest, we are proudly fee-only. We do not receive compensation or commission for selling products. This model ensures we are always on the same side as our clients.
Fee-Only, Fiduciary, Independent: Three Important Criteria to Consider When Choosing a Financial Advisor.
Specialties
- Comprehensive Financial Planning
- Retirement Income Planning
- Investment Management
- Philanthropic Planning
- College Education Planning
- Tax Planning
- Legacy Planning
- Family Wealth Dynamics
Ideal Clients
- Retirees and Near Retirees
- Business Owners and Executives
- Sudden Money Situations
- Professionals
- Multiple Generation Families
- Navigating Life Transitions
- People Focused on Social Impact
Working Together
- In-Office Meetings
- Virtual Meetings
- Clearly Defined Fees
Professional Designations & Affiliations
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Tad Gray is a NAPFA-Registered Financial AdvisorThe National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (NAPFA) is a leading professional association of Fee-Only financial advisors—highly trained professionals who are committed to working in the best interests of those they serve.
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Tad Gray is a CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ Professional - Click for VerificationCFP® professionals are held to strict ethical standards to ensure financial planning recommendations are in your best interest. What’s more, a CFP® professional must acquire several years of experience related to delivering financial planning services to clients and pass the comprehensive CFP® Certification Exam before they can use the CFP® designation.
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Tad Gray is a Certified Investment Management Analyst® (CIMA®)The CIMA designation is the premier certification for financial advisors and investment consultants and one of the only professional certifications in financial services to meet international accreditation and quality standards. CIMA advisors have completed a rigorous process and have demonstrated knowledge and competency in a variety of investment management consulting and portfolio construction topics, including advanced investment management theory and application.
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Tad Gray is a member of The Financial Planning Association® (FPA®)FPA® is the largest membership organization for CFP® professionals in the U.S. and supports high standards of professional competence, ethical conduct, and clear, complete disclosure when serving clients.
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Tad Gray Holds the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) DesignationThe Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) provides qualified financial professionals with the knowledge and tools needed to help clients articulate and advance their highest aspirations for self, family, and society. CAP® holders are part of a growing network of top planners who are working to make our towns and cities better places to live for generations to come.
Contact Tad Gray
Office Locations:
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500 Lake Cook Road
Suite 205
Deerfield, IL 60015
