Aequus Partners Financial Planning Firm's History

Many financial firms make promises about incredible service or working with your best interests in mind, but the reality is they are simply not equipped with the freedom to choose.

Yudi Gross and Michael Walstrom have actually lived out a journey in search of just that: the freedom to choose solutions that are in the best interests of the client.

The duo founded Aequus Partners with a vision to create a wealth management firm that delivered a highly tailored client experience with robust planning capabilities. Their partnership grew out of a deep conviction that such a firm could only exist if it was independent, truly putting the best interest of the client first and foremost.

Both Yudi Gross and Michael Walstrom had careers outside of the financial service industry. Their combined decades of experience gave them unique insight when they began their careers as financial advisors.

They had experienced firsthand the challenges people face when searching for solutions to their financial questions in such a complex landscape. Planning was always the foundation of their practice.

They had a shared belief that a sophisticated wealth management process fueled by comprehensive financial planning can help people find a sense of calm, gain clarity and move forward with confidence.

After spending time at two of the nation’s largest financial institutions and even meeting with a collection of other independent firms, it became clear that their vision for client success could only be fully realized at a firm they designed from the ground up; one where they had the freedom to diligently select planning tools, investment platforms, risk analytics and technology. The client first; always.

Every element of Aequus is carefully curated to deliver an exceptional client experience that revolves around anticipating and planning for each client’s unique needs.

As an independent practice, Yudi Gross and Michael Walstrom were able to explore the universe of financial institutions in search of the ideal partners to custodian assets and provide a higher level of security and compliance with complete objectivity.

As a result of their search for the ideal partner, Yudi and Michael made the decision to partner with Kestra Financial. A firm with unparalleled integrity, that oversees more than $130 billion in independent firm’s assets, Kestra Financial assists Aequus Partners with compliance and due diligence while Fidelity, a private company with trillions of dollars of assets under their supervision, serves as the custodian for client assets.