Michael J. Nathanson, JD, LLM

What will the advisory world look like in the next ten years? The Colony Group's Michael Nathanson, CEO, shares his thoughts in this Financial Advisor Magazine.

As seen in Financial Advisor  Financial “advice” has been available in our country since—and even before—its capitalistic origins, though it looked quite different in the more distant past. The...

As we near the end of 2023, we face a rapidly evolving financial landscape. The Colony Group’s CEO and Chair, Michael Nathanson, shares the top 5 wealth management trends for 2024 with Barron’s.

What lies ahead for the financial industry for 2024? The Colony Group's Michael Nathanson, CEO and Chair, shares his predictions with Barron's.

Out of tens of thousands of companies rated on Comparably over the past 12 months, The Colony Group is recognized as one of the best in its Best Places...

As seen in Chief Executive. When CEOs intentionally contract some of their own power and presence, they enable others to lead and grow as leaders. The mystical 16th-century Lurianic...

As seen in Worth Magazine Philanthropy fosters family bonds, ensures business longevity, and provides a deeper sense of purpose beyond mere altruism. Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The best way...

What are 5 M&A rules to break right now? The Colony Group's Michael Nathanson, Chair and CEO discuss in this recent Fidelity podcast.

ThinkAdvisor has recognized The Colony Group’s Chair and CEO, Michael Nathanson as one of its LUMINARIES Class of 2023 winners for Thought Leadership & Education. This year, the program...

As seen in Chief Executive. The four primary warning signs that you are at risk for becoming a naked emperor. “The Emperor’s New Clothes” is a timeless children’s tale...

George Grombacher of Lifeblood interviews The Colony Group’s Chair and CEO, Michael Nathanson, and discusses his mission, vision, values, hobbies, and more. Tune in...

Contributions to colleges and universities are on the rise and helping donors plan for them is big business. Read what you should think about before donating to your alma mater in this recent Barron's article. 

As seen in Chief Executive. Justice is the foundation of free societies. Despite its subjective nature, we expect it across all our interactions. Yet, we also understand that, at...

“I want to remain in control.” “Why would I want to give up control?” “But I would be giving up control.” I often hear these statements – and their...

As seen in Chief Executive. Even though it was proffered over 50 years ago and its main proponent admitted that it was intended as satire, the “Peter Principle” has...

WealthManagement.com recently announced the finalists for its 2023 Industry Awards, the “Wealthies”, to honor outstanding achievements by companies, organizations, and individuals that support financial advisor success. A record-breaking number...

“Though not yet an industrywide movement, many financial advisors are now signaling a willingness — even a desire — to join the growing effort to improve financial literacy in...

In the podcast, Focused on the Future, Suzanne Siracuse interviews The Colony Group’s Michael Nathanson, chair and CEO, to discuss keys to retaining top talent, setting up a sustainable...

As seen in Chief Executive. Organizations that can crack the loyalty code will reap the benefits of low turnover and higher engagement. The mythology around workplace loyalty is vast,...

As seen in Chief Executive. Organizational leaders must be more vigilant than ever in fostering a balanced environment that is receptive to all respectful perspectives. The consequences of failing...

Financial Advisor Magazine covered The Colony Group's latest promotions and the future of their common vision. Read the full story here. 

The Colony Group’s Chair and CEO, Michael Nathanson, recently spoke on Barron’s Way Forward podcast. Listen to the full episode and read the article...

As seen in Chief Executive. As organizational leaders increasingly embrace happiness in the workplace as a precondition for attracting and retaining top talent, they must also confront an important...

The Colony Group’s Michael Nathanson, CEO, and Chair, discusses California’s wealth tax proposal in this recent Bloomberg Tax article.

As seen in Chief Executive There is a certain pragmatism in gauging an organization’s success by referring to objective indicators. It does not follow, however, that there is wisdom...

The Colony Group’s Michael Nathanson, CEO and Chair, discusses how “interdependence” helped to foster growth in this recent episode of Mindy Diamond on Independence podcast. In this episode, Michael...

The Colony Group's Michael Nathanson spoke with Barrons in the article "Advisors Share the Keys to Long-Term Success". Read more here. 

The Colony Group's Michael Nathanson was featured in Barron's Week's Best. Read more here.

The Colony Group’s CEO and Chair, Michael Nathanson was featured in Barron’s for his article “4 Bills in Congress That Could Break Through Gridlock and Affect Financial Advisors”. Read the...

The Colony Group's Michael Nathanson, was featured in Barron's recent article, "This Year’s Most Inspiring Stories From Financial Pros". Read the full article here.

The Colony Group's Michael Nathanson was recently featured in Barron's article "How Much Do You Expect to Grow Your Business in 2023? Advisors Weigh In." Read the full article here. 

As seen in Chief Executive. A CEO’s most lasting legacy is often whom they choose to replace them. While CEOs must face the judgment of their stakeholders every day,...

The Colony Group is thrilled to announce that our Chair and CEO Michael Nathanson has been recognized as one of ThinkAdvisor’s LUMINARIES Class of 2022 winners for Executive Leadership....

The Colony Group’s CEO and Chair, Michael Nathanson writes about ESG and socially responsible investing in the article “How to Implement Sustainable Practices at Your Firm–and Avoid Backlash”. Read...

The Colony Group “has acquired 15 firms since 2012, helping grow its assets under management to $19 billion in the process.” Michael Nathanson, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, shares...

Nothing is ever certain when it comes to making financial predictions for any particular year so even the smartest and most comprehensive strategies may need tweaks to handle current conditions. Michael Nathanson, Chair and Chief Executive Officer, The Colony Group shares portfolio and financial planning ideas to help address the challenges we face in 2022.

What separates the industry’s most successful advisory firms from all the others? A key teaching from The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen Covey comes to mind.

A highly improbable story is unfolding in real time across the country, and it’s all true. It’s another story about political dysfunction, but it’s not one that most have...

Happy holidays to our Colony Group clients and friends! In 2021, our company celebrated 35 years since its founding in 1986. To reflect on this incredible milestone, our team...

As appeared in Advisor Perspectives. It’s interesting to watch how corporate boards have been dealing with the seeming conflict between their fiduciary obligations to shareholders and the mounting pressure...

As appeared in Chief Executive. Mathematicians have long worked on and successfully devised formulaic approaches to understanding human behavior. From game theory to decision theory, it now seems increasingly...

As Appeared in Chief Executive. Just about every internal work email we send starts with “Dear Team.” In fact, we talk about teams all the time in the workplace,...

The time has come for a new asset allocation paradigm.  If we seek to optimize the returns not just on our financial portfolios but on our lives, we must...

As Appeared in Thrive Global. When we ask people why they may want to join our company, a common answer we hear is that they want to be part...

For us, however, this concept is broader than just financial therapy. It’s why we prefer to do far more than just financial assessments with our clients and strive to understand their values, life goals, family dynamics, passions, fears, and personalities.

The Colony Group’s Michael Nathanson, CEO and Chair, wrote for CNBC in the article, “The tax gap is a real problem but so, too, is the ‘reverse tax gap’”....

As appeared in Rethinking65. When The Colony Group, a Boston-based national financial advisory, wealth and business management firm with more than $13 billion in regulatory assets under management recently...

Last week, three of the book’s 11 authors—Jeffrey T. Craig, senior wealth advisor for The Colony Group, Nadine Gordon Lee, president of The Colony Group Family Office and managing director of The Colony Group’s Metro NY Offices, and Michael J. Nathanson, chief executive officer and chair of The Colony Group—sat down with Worth to discuss the importance of goals-based financial planning, how to achieve financial peace of mind and why reaching financial independence can be even more complicated for business executives and entrepreneurs.

As appeared in Chief Executive. I applaud the efforts of organizational leaders who take well-considered steps to promote the core values of respect and inclusiveness. But can we agree...

As appeared in Financial Advisor Magazine. The Colony Group’s Michael Nathanson wrote for Financial Advisor Magazine in the article “Preparing High Earners For Capital Gains Tax Hikes”. Read more...

As appeared in Chief Executive. Within the field of organizational studies, it seems well-settled that there is a difference between being a “manager” and a “leader.” Equally well-settled is...

As appeared in Chief Executive.  For many years, I have been thinking, talking and writing about the evolutionary path of service organizations. By “service organizations,” I mean organizations that...

Life can be unpredictable, so how can a CEO cultivate resilience in an organization? "Every life event that happens to us is an invitation to ask if we are able to adapt ourselves and evolve," said Michael Nathanson in his interview on All Things Work podcast.

"Donating appreciated assets to charity could become an increasingly appealing way of minimizing a tax bite," said Michael Nathanson, in his WSJ interview — 'Biden’s Capital-Gains Tax Plan Would Upend Estate Planning by the Wealthy.'

"This was unlike anything we've experienced before," said Michael Nathanson. ""It was a one-in-100-year event." Even so, Nathanson added that they were able to adapt somewhat seamlessly to working in a remote environment.

As appeared in Chief Executive. I’ve always been interested in the growing convergence between individuals and their businesses. One particular trend in this growing intersection is a type of...

As appeared in Chief Executive. It’s a buzzword that pops up in hundreds, if not thousands, of articles, speeches, and books: “culture of abundance.”  But what exactly is it?...

Virtually all personal-service professions have moved toward specialization — and rightly so. Their clients have different needs and goals; and, to serve them effectively, these differences must be acknowledged...

The Biden Administration has proposed sweeping changes to the tax code that could affect your taxes in many areas, including personal income, employment, estate, gift, and corporate taxes. With...

As appeared in Chief Executive. Behind the buzzword is a basic human value—one that can’t necessarily be incentivized through traditional reward but can be cultivated as part of a...

How does The Colony Group approach segmenting clients? Michael Nathanson shares how prioritizing clients' needs and delivering differentiated services is the right approach for them.

As appeared in Financial Advisor Magazine. While the year 2020 will be remembered primarily for the Covid-19 pandemic, social and racial injustices, and political division, it also will be...

As appeared in Chief Executive Magazine.  Several years ago, I wrote an article called “What’s on Your Company’s Dashboards?”  At the time, I had been thinking quite a bit...

As appeared in WealthManagement.com. With many charities struggling to raise funds and meet expanding demand during the pandemic, philanthropy, a term that literally means “love of humankind,” has become...

Read Michael Nathanson's fascinating cover story featuring his "iconoclastic career as a change agent.'

As Appeared in Thrive Global On average, I work about 56 hours per week.  Coincidentally, I also sleep (or try to sleep) about 56 hours each week, leaving me...

As appeared in Chief Executive  The world is too complex and too large for anyone to understand all its wonders. But if we are willing to settle for a...

“To make it simple, clients wanted emotional wellness, physical wellness and financial wellness” and to focus on “helping their families live better lives and happier lives,” says Michael Nathanson.

With the election just around the corner, we thought it would be helpful to alert you to some of the tax planning ideas we are currently considering for clients....

“Evolution is the key word,” says Michael Nathanson as he talks about the future of financial advice and The Colony Group's Curated by Colony platform on The Way Forward podcast.

“We’ll find a cure faster with the help of the nonprofit community,” says Michael Nathanson regarding the devastating effects that nonprofits and grassroots organizations are feeling due to the pandemic.

As appeared in Barron’s. I recently did an internet search for the “evolution of advice.”  The results were telling.  Most of them related to technological advances and the growing...

As Appeared in Chief Executive As a CEO who spends countless hours studying, nurturing and yes, obsessing, over every nuance of our company’s culture, I was intrigued when I...

As appeared in Financial Advisor  Employers need good employee incentive plans so that the interests of their firms and companies are aligned with the needs and wants of their key...

The Colony Group launched a novel life-enrichment platform to complement and enhance our core wealth and business management platforms.  We are offering our clients an entirely new type and...

To celebrate his 700th podcast, George Grombacher interviewed Michael Nathanson about his contributions and why aspiring to have an impact beyond yourself is so important.

As Appeared in CNBC There is nothing like a precipitous decline of nearly 35%, followed by a swift rise of about 50% in the S&P 500 index — all within...

Our CEO, Michael Nathanson, opens up to Mike Consol in a fascinating conversation about being a lifelong learner and how that central tenet has guided his amazing life's journey from attending Harvard Law School to CEO of a national wealth management company.

As Appeared in Financial Advisor The continued adoption of investment strategies that incorporate environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations is undeniable. Positive asset flows, new strategy innovations and growing...

Michael Nathanson, Chairman & CEO, shares his journey to the helm of The Colony Group and what keeps him inspired to live a thousand lives in a candid interview.

As Appeared in MarketWatch The U.S. is on the verge of the Great Wealth Transfer, with baby boomers expected to bestow trillions of dollars on younger generations in the...

As Appeared on CNBC Every four years, as we approach the U.S. presidential election, we reflect on the wide-ranging implications of each potential outcome. As is always the case,...

Regulation Best Interest or Reg BI may add more confusion for consumers of financial advice. Michael Nathanson unpacks the important details that consumers need to know in his article.

Well, this tax season sure has been different.  Most obviously, it’s been thoroughly disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has made it difficult for taxpayers and their return preparers to access information, assemble...

In Michael Nathanson's latest Chief Executive magazine article, he challenges the leadership of companies to reflect on their own code of ethics during these tumultuous times by asking themselves some tough, yet revealing questions. How will you and your company respond to your answers?

How can an organization take advantage of their differences to improve their future survival and success? Michael Nathanson shares how embracing imperfections can create a stronger, happier culture.

As appeared in Family Wealth Report Even though stocks have rallied, the sudden and precipitous decline in the equity markets earlier this year caused many registered investment advisors to...

What could the next stimulus package look like if it's designed to stimulate the economy? Michael Nathanson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of The Colony Group, lays out a more sustainable approach to stimulate hiring, investment, and spending using targeted tax policy in his Fox Business article.

Some of the most popular video games of all time allow “players” to insert themselves virtually into a legendary rock band, assume the role of a band member, and...

Lawyers are not immune to pay cuts during this pandemic. Michael Nathanson, CEO of The Colony Group, shares what you should and should not do to adapt to your new normal if your income has been cut.

According to Matt Ilteris, Senior Wealth Adviser of The Colony Group, not only is withdrawing from a retirement account a bad move but refraining from reducing deposits to such accounts may be in a lawyer's best interest if they're able to do so.

As Appeared in Chief Executive Magazine As the CEO of a national company that strives to deliver value, I’ve been intrigued by a Harvard Business Review article, “The Elements...

In the midst of a pandemic, you might have more time to read. Michael Nathanson shares his top 20 business books and why one popular book didn't make his list.

Listen to Michael's interview with David Yas with the Boston Podcast Network.

Dawn Doebler and Michael Nathanson share the top questions clients are asking right now via Worth Media.

Business leaders tell Worth Media what books they're reading while in quarantine. Guess what book Michael Nathanson is recommending for business owners.

As Appeared in MarketWatch Watch an interview with the authors discussing what inspired them to write this article and why it is important to continue supporting organizations with critical...

By now, your company probably has implemented some form of “social distancing” in response to the rapid spread of COVID-19. In addition to requiring employees to work remotely, companies...

Great books to help inspire during challenging times. Michael Nathanson shared his choice with Financial Planning magazine.

Everyone knows that CEOs need to be confident, unwavering and strong, right? CEOs have bold visions for the future, and their relentless pursuit of those visions can be so...

By now, you’ve probably heard just about every variety of prediction for the U.S. economy and financial markets. While those predictions are all over the place, I’m struck by the...

These are for-profit organizations that aren't looking to race to zero, said Michael Nathanson in Barron's. Price competition may be creating incentives for brokers to increase revenue in other areas. 

“In short, it’s had little short-term effect on us, but it has further inspired us to innovate at the fastest rate in our 34-year history,” said Michael Nathanson about zero commissions of online brokerages. 

As the longest bull market in modern U.S. history just keeps on rolling, have you noticed that many people have become less comfortable talking about their investments?  It’s almost...

While we may not yet have a sense for its magnitude, the year 2019 will likely go down in history as one of the most significant and impactful for...

Why are some financial advisory firms more successful than others? Why do some become better over time while others stagnate, eventually fading into oblivion? Is there a single secret...

As appeared in Financial Advisor Magazine There’s no denying that longevity is increasing in the U.S. and throughout much of the world.  Recent legislation like The SECURE Act, passed...

Find out what the new alimony deduction rules are on a state-by-state basis and if they may apply to...

As Appeared in Advisor Perspectives. As financial planning evolves from a practice into a science, there is growing recognition that its main subject matter – people – is a...

One of today’s hottest tax topics is the relatively new concept of “qualified opportunity zones,” created by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) at the end of 2017....

Thirty years ago, the term financial advice commonly referred to a limited subset of services, with an emphasis on investment management. Over the interim years, more advisors expanded to...

Clients are asking more than ever of their advisors. Routine conversations around having enough to retire, saving for college, or leaving a financial legacy have become more robust as...

As appeared in Financial Advisor Magazine Given the results of last November’s election, a repeal of the federal estate tax is now a distinct possibility faced by an entire...

As seen in Advisors Perspectives The heated nature of the rhetoric surrounding the fiduciary standard has reached a new high, focusing on whether investment advisors should offer certain investment...

As appeared in Financial Advisors Magazine As the world has grown more complex, so too have the opportunities, challenges and conditions that comprise the environment in which we live...

As appeared in Private Wealth It is, of course, most appropriate that financial advisors seek to prepare their clients in advance of a major liquidity event such as the...

Just about everyone who has read this week’s financial headlines must be wondering about all the fuss surrounding the Department of Labor and the “fiduciary” standard being imposed on...

As appeared in Financial Advisor Magazine Planning for a person’s financial future without accounting for their individual profession is like planning to perform surgery without first taking the patient’s...

As appeared in PrivateWealth  For many collectors, artwork can be far more than something to enjoy and display for the pleasure of others. It can be a valuable and...

As is the case in any service industry, the best advisory firms focus their efforts primarily on (1) client service and satisfaction, (2) employee development, utilization, and organization, and...

As appeared in InvestmentNews As wealth advisers, we spend our days elbow deep in portfolio management, estate planning, market analysis and other endeavors important to the financial success —...

As appeared in FinancialAdvisorsIQ For a client-centric practice, there is no more critical indicator of future success than the composition of its team. Thus, every advisory firm’s top priority...