About Us
Dedicated to the independent fee advisor
For more than a decade, Sincere & Co. has served as an expert resource and conduit between fee advisors and the companies that serve them. By building strong relationships with advisors, we strive to better understand their needs and, in turn, represent only those quality investment products and services that we believe will add value for fee advisors and their clients.
Bios
Richard Sincere – Chairman & CEO
Debra Sincere – EVP, Operations and Marketing Communications
Peter Flynn – SVP, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Compliance Officer
Melissa Surprenant – Marketing Support Manager
Richard Sincere, Chairman and CEO, founded Sincere & Co. in 1997, building on a career in the financial services industry that began in 1975.
After graduating with a BA in history from the University of Wisconsin at Madison in 1975, Richard accepted an entry-level position with Ryan Insurance Group (now AON Corporation). In 1979 he returned to school and in December 1982 earned a Master of Management degree from Northwestern University’s J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management (a program that focused heavily on packaged goods), followed by a year and a half in product management at Wilson Sporting Goods, at that time a division of Pepsi Corporation.
Richard decided to return to financial services in 1984, beginning a ten-year span with Citibank Chicago, starting in the marketing department. He moved from marketing into branch management, managing a retail bank branch in upscale Northbrook, Illinois for a year and a half, then spent two years in the bank’s broker-dealer division as President of Chicago’s Citicorp Investment Services. He was subsequently promoted to Regional Vice President, managing 150 brokers in Illinois, Washington DC, California, Florida, and Nevada.
Richard was recruited in 1994 by National Westminster Bank of New York as a Senior Vice President, managing over 150 brokers and marketing personnel throughout New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey. He left NatWest in 1995 and joined Fidelity Investments as Senior Vice President of Fidelity Investment Advisor Group, growing the marketing staff from 4 to more than 27 professionals, and raising assets from $3B to over $22B.
During his career at Fidelity Investments, Richard worked exclusively with independent Registered Investment Advisors (RIAs) and admired their commitment to objectivity, particularly those fee advisors compensated solely by their high net worth clients.
In the late 1990s, Richard recognized that RIAs were not receiving the attention of large financial management institutions. His goal was to connect the two groups with one another, and he left Fidelity Investments to pursue this through his own business.
In 1997, Richard Sincere launched Sincere & Co., LLC, focusing exclusively on independent fee advisors. As the third generation in his family to work in the investment industry (his grandfather founded Sincere & Company, a Chicago brokerage firm, which his father also worked for), Richard also works to ensure that high net worth individuals receive quality advice.
From its inception, Sincere & Co. has sought out well-respected yet relatively unknown firms to introduce to the independent fee advisor community. Sincere & Co.’s compensation is similar to that of fee advisors – the company is paid by its institutional clients based on assets raised. To date, Sincere & Co. has raised in excess of $5B for its fund clients.
In addition to his professional career, Richard has always had a strong interest in working with not-for-profit charities. Early in his career he served on the cabinet of the United Way of Chicago and the board of the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago. He currently serves on the International Board of Governors of Tel Aviv University and the board of the Recannati Business School of Tel Aviv University. He also works with Kismet Foundation in Jackson, NH, a not-for-profit providing at-risk kids in New Hampshire, New York and Massachusetts with an opportunity to learn rock climbing, team building, and leadership skills for a week during the summer.
Richard writes a bi-monthly column for NAPFA Advisor, a publication of the National Association of Professional Financial Advisors and also serves on two financial publications advisory boards, the Journal of Wealth Management and Inside Money (insidemoney.org). In addition, he serves on the board of the Wealthbridge Fund (a wholly-owned subsidiary of R.W. Rogé & Company).
Richard is a registered representative and holds Series 7, 24, 63, and 65 licenses. He is a shareholder of National Advisor Trust Company (NATC) and has worked with them and other financial boards (including AICPA, NAPFA and FPA) on strategic planning. Richard has spoken at conferences for Jack White, NAPFA, TD Ameritrade, AICPA, FPA, and ICI on topics ranging from strategic marketing to better understanding the advisor market.
Debra Sincere, Executive Vice President, oversees operations and marketing communications for the company. Prior to the company’s start-up, Debra was a freelance copywriter for ad agencies and their clients. She was a copywriter and creative director at IMPACT, the sales promotion division of Foote, Cone & Belding (now TrueNorth Communications) in Chicago, Illinois. Debra earned her Master of Business Administration from De Paul University in Chicago, and her Bachelor of Science degree in Medical Technology from Michigan State University. She holds Series 7 and 24 licenses.
Peter Flynn is Senior Vice President, Chief Technology Officer and Chief Compliance Officer for Sincere & Co. He is responsible for technology research and planning as well as compliance for Sincere & Co. Prior to joining the firm, Peter served as compliance specialist with John Hancock Financial Services. He holds Series 6, 7, 24, 63, and 65 licenses. In 2003, Peter completed a tour of duty for the U.S. Army Reserve, providing support of soldier readiness. He also researched Department of Defense policies and regulations to ensure unit compliance with all directives.
Melissa Surprenant brings extensive marketing and graphic design experience to Sincere & Co. She has worked as a designer/art director for both small graphic design studios and advertising agencies before forming Melpon Design, her own design company, in 1994. Melissa studied graphic design in 1989 at the Maryland Institute College of Art. She completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Massachusetts – Dartmouth, receiving a Bachelor of Fine Art degree in Visual Design and Typography in 1992.