Headquarters:

2100 Lake Eustis Dr, Tavares, FL 32788

Year founded:

1995

Number of employees:

Phone:

352 343 2700

Email:

truggie@destinyfamilyoffice.com

Website:

destinyfamilyoffice.com

LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/in/tomruggie

“We have a growth mindset. We set big goals and have big expectations for ourselves in many areas”

Tom Ruggie, Destiny Wealth Partners

Tom Ruggie, ChFC, CFP

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Audrey Ralicki, CFP

Managing Partner

Rob Clark, CFP

President and Partner

Leadership

Tom Ruggie spent his first 25 years professionally building Ruggie Wealth Management into one of the premier firms in the country. In 2016, he founded Destiny Family Office to help people face head-on the increasing complexities inherent in their business and personal lives. Ruggie has become one of the most respected financial advisors in the industry, receiving national recognition and rankings including 11X Barron’s Top 1200 Financial Advisors, 6X Forbes/Shook Research Best-In-State Wealth Advisors, 11X Financial Advisor Top RIA Firms, 6X Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisors, USA Today/Statista 500 Best Financial Advisory Firms (2023), and Family Wealth Report (Finalist 2022 and 2023).

Founder and Chief Executive Officer

Tom Ruggie, ChFC, CFP

Audrey Ralicki’s passion for educating and assisting individuals to pursue their financial goals started in 2006, and she joined Ruggie Wealth Management in 2011. She quickly grew into a leadership position, helping provide oversight, support, and procedural processes within the firm. In 2016, when Destiny Wealth Partners CEO and founder Tom Ruggie began Destiny Family Office, centered around clientele with advanced wealth strategy needs, Ralicki began working alongside him to help create holistic plans for Family Office clients – HNW and UHNW entrepreneurs, executives, and multi-generational families with highly complex needs. In 2018, she was promoted to managing partner.

Managing Partner

Audrey Ralicki, CFP

Rob Clark has helped clients work toward long-term financial security for their families and businesses since 2001. His goal is to help clients grow, protect, and manage their assets in the most tax-efficient manner. With attention to detail and organizational skills, he effectively manages clients’ portfolios, creating an integrated strategy aimed at meeting their investment and retirement objectives. Clark has a special focus on longevity planning and holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Central Florida. He serves on the Orange County Children and Family Services Board and the Orange County Animal Services Classification Board and is a Leadership Orlando alumni.

President and Partner

Rob Clark, CFP

“We have a growth mindset. We set big goals and have big expectations for ourselves in many areas”

Tom Ruggie, Destiny Wealth Partners

“We believe our most compelling metric continues to be our ability to turn success into personal significance for our families”

Tom Ruggie, Destiny Wealth Partners

Leadership

“We believe our most compelling metric continues to be our ability to turn success into personal significance for our families”

Tom Ruggie, Destiny Wealth Partners

“We have a growth mindset. We set big goals and have big expectations for ourselves in many areas”

Tom Ruggie, Destiny Wealth Partners

Leadership

Stef Astheimer

Chief Revenue Officer

Stef Astheimer is an accomplished senior leader with a history as a financial firm builder, revenue driver, and operating executive who works with people, systems, and processes to help optimize the delivery of services across the client journey. He has a track record of developing business strategies, staff development and training, sales strategy oversite, internal process and system development, and strategic marketing strategies. Astheimer earned his BS in Applied Mathematics from Yale University and has been interviewed by publications including the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg. He has served on numerous non-profit boards and received a Rochester 40 Under 40 Award.

Chief Revenue Officer

Stef Astheimer

Michael J. Marrone, II

Director of Mergers and Acquisitions and Compliance

Michael J. Marrone, II, came to Destiny Wealth Partners with more than 20 years of expertise as a highly effective operations executive with global hands-on experience with both small and large firms in the investment management industry. Prior to joining Ruggie Wealth Management, he worked with RIAs who served institutional, high-net-worth, and ultra-high-net-worth clients, as well as other companies, to scale operations and systems. He has served on boards for private investment projects in the UAE, Spain, and Norway. Marrone supports the growth trajectory and expansion of the firm related to the client experience, team building, investment and corporate operations, finance and accounting, technology, information systems, and administration. He enjoys spending time with his family, boating, skiing, and health and fitness activities.

Director of Mergers and Acquisitions and Compliance

Michael J. Marrone, II

Destiny Wealth Partners is an independent RIA founded by over 30-year financial veteran Tom Ruggie, ChFC, CFP, which also conducts business as Ruggie Wealth Management, Nichols Wealth Partners, and Destiny Family Office. Ruggie founded the family office in 2016 to meet the unanswered needs of the ultra-high-net-worth, as they were seeking to better navigate the challenges and opportunities at the intersection of their family, wealth, and aspirations. The firm’s culture is rooted in a shared vision to continually innovate, working collaboratively as a closely integrated team and partnering with best-in-industry third parties to create solutions that empower individuals, families, and foundations and help them achieve their highest Destiny. As of July 13, 2023, Destiny Wealth Partners had $1 billion in AUM. The firm’s success has been driven by targeting three key areas:

“We believe our most compelling metric continues to be our ability to turn success into personal significance for our families”

Tom Ruggie, Destiny Wealth Partners

Jorge A. Romero, CFP

Senior Wealth Advisor and Partner

Chris Nichols

Managing Partner and Senior Wealth Advisor

Dan Draper

Group Chief Underwriting Officer

Simon Williams

Chief Strategy & Distribution Officer, Arch Insurance International and Active Underwriter, Syndicate 1955

Jorge A. Romero began his career in the financial services industry in 2004 after having served honorably in the United States Marine Corps. He works closely with clients and their families to develop and implement comprehensive wealth management solutions designed to help clients achieve their goals, and his areas of focus include lifestyle funding and cash flow analysis, tax planning, estate planning, risk management, family governance, and philanthropic planning. In addition to working directly with clients and their families, Romero also leads Destiny Wealth Partners’ Investment Committee. Romero received his BA in political science and pre-law along with a minor in Latin American studies from the University of Central Florida and is currently pursuing a MS degree in Financial Planning and Taxation along with the CIMA designation. He is a member of the CFA Institute and CFA Society of Orlando, the Financial Planning Association of Central Florida, the Investments & Wealth Institute, and the Estate Planning Council of The Villages. In his spare time, Romero enjoys learning about wine and traveling with his friends. He is an avid reader of history, international relations, and linguistics books.

Senior Wealth Advisor and Partner

Jorge A. Romero, CFP

Chris Nichols is the founder and senior wealth advisor of Nichols Wealth Partners, a Destiny Wealth Partners firm. He has been in the financial services industry for more than two decades and specializes in comprehensive wealth planning for high-net-worth clients. Over the years, he has held hundreds of public and private investment planning workshops that are designed to inform and educate individuals about asset protection, investing, and retirement planning. Nichols earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in economics from the University of Florida. He currently serves as an investment committee member of the George Snow Scholarship Fund. He enjoys driving fast cars, exercising, reading, and watching sporting events. He resides in Boca Raton with his wife and four children. Nichols’ favorite pastime activities include watching football on the weekends, playing around with his kids, and spending time with friends.

Managing Partner and Senior Wealth Advisor

Chris Nichols

Dan Draper was appointed group chief underwriting officer in September 2022. He had previously served for more than two years as group head of underwriting at AXIS. Prior to that, he had been group chief risk and actuarial officer at VIBE. Before joining VIBE, Draper spent eight years with AXIS, holding a number of leadership roles that included group chief actuary, chief risk analytics officer, and insurance segment chief risk officer. Before that, he held managerial positions at the Financial Services Authority, XL Capital, and EY.

Group Chief Underwriting Officer

Dan Draper

Kimi leads the Estate Planning and Wealth Protection team and is a member of the Society of Trust and Estate Practitioners. She understands the complex and delicate nature of family estate planning, the technical requirements around probate and estate administration, and the importance of preserving wealth for future generations. Her advice is accurate, commercial, strategic and tailored to each situation.

Partner

Kimi Shah

Partner

Kimi Shah

Partner

Kimi Shah

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Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

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BDM support

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BDM support

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Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

Medal

Overall service level

Broker communication, training and development

BDM support

Turnaround time – claims

Broker's Pick – Personal Accident and Illness Insurance

Brokers’ Pick – Professional liability

Small business

1. presenting a compelling sphere of investments through the Destiny Alternative Fund and unique access to direct and co-investment opportunities for UHNW families seeking opportunities for greater returns 2. creating a niche focus on high-end collectors: Tom Ruggie’s unique insights and perspectives, based on his own lifelong passion for collecting, have resulted in his expertise and thought leadership on this subject, as well as on alternative investments as a whole 3. private trust capabilities: becoming a trust representative office for the nation’s largest trust company

Ruggie says, “Simply put, we have a growth mindset. We set big goals and have big expectations for ourselves in many areas, starting with the delivery of an exceptional client experience, the desire to continually innovate, and a commitment to invest in ourselves, in best-in-class strategic partnerships, and in the capabilities and services we provide.” Clients experience deep strategic thinking tailored to their situations, needs, and goals, such as:

purpose and passion attention to detail integrity continual innovation and growth of the team, services, capabilities, technology, etc. a focus on understanding clients’ “why” a willingness to act as clients’ personal CFO well-thought-out planning for the long term a growth mindset quiet leadership financial strategies that simplify lives

“We believe our most compelling metric continues to be our ability to turn success into personal significance for our families. We also believe doing so has led to an exemplary client retention rate across time,” says Ruggie. “Clients surveyed say that’s a factor of well-thought-out investment strategies and investment management processes, unique planning tools, constant attention to detail, desire to challenge convention, willingness to seize opportunities, and quiet leadership.” In addition to being named among InvestmentNews’ Fastest-Growing Fee-Only RIAs of 2023, Ruggie and his firm have received other recognitions, including:

Forbes/Shook Research Best-In-State Wealth Advisors (6x) Forbes/Shook Research 250 Top RIA Firms (2023) Barron’s Top 1200 Financial Advisors (11x) Financial Advisor Top RIA Firms (11x) USA Today/Statista 500 Best Financial Advisory Firms in the US (2023) Family Wealth Report Awards Finalist in the category up to and including $2.5 billion in AUM (2022–23)

As Ruggie reflects on all he and his team have accomplished thus far with and for the clients they serve, he remains focused on the ever-evolving needs of clients and how he can best serve them. There are plans to expand the firm’s family office offerings, pursue select M&A opportunities, and launch GenNext, an initiative targeting the younger client demographic.