While at Vanderbilt University, every course Eric Caisse took was to prepare him for a career in investment banking. For some unknown reason, at the last minute, he felt compelled to make a drastic pivot into the world of retail money management.
Immediately upon entering, he understood that the wealth management industry was broken. The focus was solely on the profitability of the firm and not the well-being of the client. The entire system was overrun with high-commission mutual funds and stock transaction fees, said Caisse. He felt there had to be a better way; one that creates alignment between the success of the advisor and the client.
Caisse found a better way with Csenge Advisory Group, where he is a partner and chief investment officer. Csenge Advisory Group is a financial services firm with the sole purpose of creating better financial outcomes for its clients.
“The vision for our company was to create a proof-of-concept model with open architecture displaying the creation of a truly fiduciary, unbiased product-agnostic wealth management platform,” said Caisse. “Much to our delight, the financial planning industry started warming up to this client-first idea about five years ago. As we were ahead of the curve, we had a head start telling our story to like-minded advisors throughout the country that were looking to break away from the antiquated wire house environment and elevate their practices.”
From one office in Clearwater in 1997, the firm now has a nationwide footprint of advisors in 12 states and approaching $3.5 billion in assets under management.
“Eric has been a champion of the independent fiduciary concept since day one, back when it was not yet fashionable,” said his staff. “By putting the needs of our clients first, he developed an unbiased, product-agnostic methodology that demands that we meet our clients’ needs with whichever solution works best for them, not which is more financially advantageous for us.”
Caisse holds the certified financial planner, chartered financial analyst, chartered market technician, and accredited behavioral finance professional designations. Considered a subject matter expert in the field of technical analysis, he is regularly requested to speak at conferences throughout the country.
In the community, Caisse has participated in Tampa Connection, Leadership Tampa Bay, and the FBI Citizen’s Academy. Of all his accomplishments, he is most proud of his involvement with Beat Childhood Cancer.
As a leader, he said it’s essential to embody self-reflection, true self-confidence, genuine humility and maintain a balanced perspective. “To be successful today, the antiquated notions of ‘the boss’ need to be eschewed,” said Caisse. “Values-based leaders create a culture of respect and empowerment in their organizations.”
