Bank / Wealth / Trust

Updated:

Haviland & Sams

Benjamin Sams runs Haviland & Sams as an independent, fee-only RIA in Farmington, CT, serving East Coast clients with no product-sales conflicts.

Haviland & Sams

Haviland & Sams operates as a Registered Investment Adviser in Farmington, Connecticut, serving as a financial planning and advisory firm for clients seeking to maximize financial efficiency and perpetuate personal wealth. The firm is independent and unaffiliated with any financial services institution, a structure it uses to avoid the product-push incentives common in bank-affiliated or broker-dealer models. Its client base spans the Eastern Seaboard from Maine to Florida, though the firm does not publicly disclose founding year, total assets under management, or full team count. The firm's compensation model is built solely on client-paid fees for advice and investment advisory services. Haviland & Sams does not accept sales commissions, referral fees, or third-party payments from financial services firms. It functions as a fiduciary, placing client interests ahead of its own and disclosing both its compensation method and any potential conflicts. The firm develops customized financial strategies through regular client meetings, covering areas such as financial affairs management, investment advisory, and succession planning for family-owned businesses. No specific asset-class allocations, named portfolio holdings, or fund structures are disclosed publicly. The firm lists Benjamin Sams as Advisor and Managing Principal on its website. Karen Lapierre serves as Office Manager and Divina Marcktell as Manager of Client Services. No recent operational events from the last 24 months are publicly available. The firm discloses no adjacent philanthropic vehicles, real-asset arms, or external club memberships. Its footprint remains concentrated in the Northeastern and Southeastern United States, with no additional offices noted. Haviland & Sams's structural differentiator lies in its uncompromising independence. It refuses to directly sell any investment or insurance products, and it rejects all third-party payments, creating a compensation architecture designed to remove the embedded conflicts common in commission-based advisory firms. This model places the firm in a subset of RIAs that forgo product revenue entirely, aligning their economics solely with ongoing client advisory fees.

General information

Firm type

Bank / Wealth / Trust

Year founded

AUM

Undisclosed

Location

Region

North America

Country

United States

City

Farmington

Corporate office

30 Stanford Drive, Farmington, CT 06032, United States

Principals

Benjamin Sams

Advisor / Managing Principal

Frequently asked questions

How is Haviland & Sams compensated, and how does this affect its investment advice?

Haviland & Sams is compensated exclusively through client-paid fees for advice and investment advisory services. The firm does not accept sales commissions, referral fees, or any third-party payments from financial services firms. This fee-only structure removes the incentive to recommend products that generate commissions, aligning the firm's economics directly with the quality of its ongoing advice and the performance of client portfolios. All fees are clearly identified, agreed to, and regularly reviewed with clients.

Is Haviland & Sams a single-family office or a multi-family office?

Haviland & Sams is neither. It operates as an independent Registered Investment Adviser and financial planning firm, not a single-family or multi-family office. The firm serves a diverse client base that extends from Maine to Florida, without any publicly disclosed affiliation to a single family's wealth. Its website makes no claim to family-office structuring or services.

Who makes the investment decisions at Haviland & Sams?

Benjamin Sams serves as the firm's Advisor and Managing Principal, as listed on the firm's contact page. The firm does not publicly detail a broader investment committee or decision-making hierarchy, nor does it name any additional advisors or portfolio managers beyond the three staff members listed: Benjamin Sams, Office Manager Karen Lapierre, and Client Services Manager Divina Marcktell.

What asset classes or sector focuses does Haviland & Sams target for clients?

The firm does not disclose specific asset-class allocations, sector focuses, or investment mandates on its public website. Its marketing emphasizes comprehensive financial planning, customized strategies, and investment advisory services rather than a defined set of asset classes or industry concentrations. No public filings or media coverage name specific portfolio holdings or investment strategies.

Does Haviland & Sams accept third-party payments or sell proprietary products?

No. Haviland & Sams explicitly states that it does not directly sell any investment products or insurance products, nor does it accept third-party payments from financial services firms. This policy is core to its fiduciary positioning and is prominently featured across its website.

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